unnofficial, unlicensed, un autherized pineapple mail art

The Artist in Seine, if you aren't familiar with his work, sends 'unclothed' oddly shaped, repurposed objects through the postal system, as mail art. In the past when I was exchanging with him regularly, I found myself curious about what would get through the postal system because it was as if I had this little voice telling me, Do it! Dean would do it. I was always looking for things that could work as mail art. Once I made a booby body that I sent to Vizma.  It was very large and slightly embarrassing for the postal staff in Australia.

So, getting this pinepple from Dean is absolutely perfect and I have begun looking at objects differently, again.

I like it this way too. It seems to have a face. It becomes a totem figure or a silly bird. but I wonder if the hand is voting.  Which state is that?

 I scanned Dean's mail onto black so I'm not sure if it does the barcodes through the haptic holes any justice. They are coloured too. This all makes me long for a plane ride, to gather up some mardi gras beads and to drink a pina colada. Thank you Dean. Send me a message on IUOMA if you've moved.

Encarted: 18 years of Aristide 3108's son, Edmund

Aristide 3108 makes wrapped, enclosed, besoke and original ATCs to mark events and people.  Here he is marking his son, Ed's 18th birthday. One of the three ATCs in this mailing is an original.  I believe he makes a big image and cuts them into ATCs whch he mails out. Aristide's work is beautifully graphic.  This piece is also haptic.

Lucky Ed.  Lucky me. Enjoy, and thank you, Aristide!

 

Oh give me a home!

As I write this blog I hear some Californians speaking from my Ipad, talking about how Covid is rampaging. I think the fires have died down. where have all the buffalo gone?

I guess buffalo are no longer endangerd and I wonder whether Amalgamated Confusion communes with them on the island of Santa Catalina? 'Bison aren’t native to Santa Catalina Island; Hollywood brought them. They were a prop leftover from a film shoot on the island in the early 20th century.'

whatever the story here, I love the sight of these prehistoric creatures. But I wouldn't want to meet one in a fenced area with our dog, Lyra!

As ever, Keith's sense of design makes his mailings an absolute joy. We need a little bravery these days with all the sheep in the government!

 Thanks Keith.  Glorious!

Pelican Island Times Three

This beautiful piece by Mike Dyar arrived a week or so ago.  I don't think I have traded with Mike before.Why not?! I have no context.  The postmark is San Francisco, so I just look and hold and let my mind wander across the imagery and words…

This piece is haptic, curious, moving and strong.  It has a slightly funny smell which I think is ink.  The back of the A3 image is black with memories of paper clips, pressed onto the surface.  I muse that Mike has painted a color print on the back with ink and it has seeped through to create something bleak.

Pelican island, I think, is home to Alcatraz.  I used to live in the Bay area and went to Altcatraz in about 2006 with my family, maybe before when I was lived nearby.  I have a (false) memory of driving around the island in a boat with Stanford friends. We loved the visit, but it was creepy. I wasn't really sure why I was there.

The letter feels like a message in a bottle.  The ink is watery.  The text is confessional. Not every mail artist is willing or able to conjure real emotion. Is that what Mike - conceptual Art is? So here we are in isolation, not quite like Alcatraz, at least not for me, but maybe for Mike? 

Thanks you! I will reply as soon as I can.

A trio of postcards from Cascadia

You will remember that the Vorticist Triangle has a reunion at Cascadia's house, earlier in the year.  Cascadia has memorialised the visit here.  Fabulous!

 As ever, Cascadia is our bellweather for American trends… Purchasing Greenland, America - everything for sale, no reason not to refuel in Scotland, etc...

 My Trumph Motors souvenir postcard - the best kind of trucks for protection.

Fantastic Un-usable Love pig and Starlet

 David Stafford sent me two pieces of mail art. The Love Pig, a commemorative Chinese New Year talisman screenprinted by the amazing Patti and the Fantastic Color Wheel.  Both are the epitome of art, aesthetic concept pieces that are meant to be viewed. They are not craft pieces that can be used and lived with in a practical way - although I could frame them...  These pieces adorn my studio until I need to put them away and then they get filed.  I have five file boxes… great big things full  of mail art and with the wonderful mail art that generous David Stafford sends me… soon I will need another one!

This is a card with a window onto the starlet.  David and Patti wish me well and use the word, 'fettle' - a fine English word to check on my health. I'm am in fine fettle D & P!

 The Fantastic color wheel which Dave recommends I should avoid using could be useful: as a poetry generator, a painting mapper, a story board…I wish I could get into that room, sit on the chair and hold the color wheel.  I'm sure it would help calm me down after the chaos of Brexit and Barr.

The Shy Doodle and More - Tic Tac

Beneath 2018, Tic Tac 28/30

 Tic Tac's graphic fingerprint is all over this mailing that I received a little while ago. I love the way she bridges cultures and creates strong, recogniseable imagery where each piece is different to but as strong as the next. 

For SALE series UNFINISHED, 2018, Tic Tac

 Unfortunately, this scan doesn't show how tactile and subtle this piece is… I feel as if I am in a car passing two people adhereing paper to a billboard. 

Love the way these letters create characters!

Evolution

Paper doll cows!  What a concept. 

And delighted to receive this DKULT Doodle Therapy page, mailed some time ago. With contributions from David Stafford, Figgy Guyver, me and Tic Tac.

Gorgeous stamps of all sorts! Thanks so much Tic Tac. One thing I realise as I get to the bottom of this blog is that Tic Tac's work needs no explanation. and whenever I type a comment it falls flat.  I guess that shows that the visual is speaking!

BG's New Eye Chart

Humorous, minimalist, textual mail art bliss. BG can compose to create clear curiosity. This code/eye chart has me trying to decipher and also delighting in the strength of the ciphers. I can almost see Aljazeera.  Is this a comment on fake news?

Following on from the fake news we have this astounding moment in history: the art of The Creeping Ball phenomena.  Would that we did things like this regularly these days. Now we're just on twitter. I love the way MAIL ART matches his shirt.