‘It seems to me that there’s no real change in art, in the subjects, which remain the same. There’s no change in the way of looking. There’s no change in the purpose of art which is to create emotions and make us think.’ Christian Boltanski in conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist 2009.
Last night I dreamt of a book, maybe more of a zine, photocopied with text and images which would accompany my work for this part of the MA, most likely I have been influenced by my involvement with Leeds Artist Book Fair. I have some issues with Artist Books. I like the idea of presenting things in book form so that they can be handled by people read whilst in transit (where I do most of my reading), passed on, left behind, shared, taken away from the gallery or museum or artspace and into the world of the viewer transporting them into another place. But I am less fond of the book as object or sculpture, static and placed. I think this is because then then limits who can experience the book. It’s not likely to appear in a charity shop or left on a bus. It becomes too precious which i don’t think the book should be. I think it should be the means of communication that is easily transported shared, not possessed and owned. For me a book is a symbol of knowledge that can accessed by anyone.
Now I’m wondering what I should do with my work at the book fair. The postcards and letters people have sent are currently displayed on a gold trolley, i’m not sure why this was a decision made by the curator.
I feel so liberated by this project. All I did was create the idea and recipients of the email choose whether or not to get involved. Then with the discovery of the lack of letterbox I have left the collating of the mail in the hands of the staff of the sorting office in Leeds and in the hands of the curator to collect the mail everyday. The presentation of the work is also out of my hands. I have had several conversations with the curator about how it could be presented but the last thing I expected was a gold trolley. The documentation I have left in the hands of an artist and good friend Larna Campbell who is also taking part in the show.
So now what happens to it from here. At what point do I get involved again? Or do I? I expect that at the end of the show the other artists will collect their work or it will be sent back to them. I need to decide what I should do. I’d like to continue to keep the whole thing apart from me as long as possible and to find some way of continuing the idea and allowing it to grow and develop. I could ask people to send me their address is they would like to have a postcard sent to them. This way the work would never become an object. It could become a book. With some writing, images etc. which then could be sent to people. Or each postcard could become it’s own book being sent on to different people and maybe documented online.
oops gonna have to continue on another blog post reaching the max here
