Hi all,
Well thanks Ceyda and Bernice for responding I'm sorry that you haven't got
your boxes yet. Mine took a while to arrive too..only got it at the end of
last week...so it took a few weeks more than other boxes to the UK.
Ceyda asks:
>in case i
don't get my box (very very sad), will the items be exhibited on the web, in
the i/eye-zone galleries for example?<
Well, I think Owen was planning to catalogue the items in the box for a CD
catalogue of the box contents so if he's already photographed all the
objects etc. this could be put on the web. Owen?
If not I can photograph the box contents for the web, I agree that they
should be online, especially so that those who didn't take part or joined
the list after it had all happened can see what we did.
You may remember that I said originally I would try and show the box. Well
as I said yesterday I'm currently trying to get a stall for the London
Artist's Book Fair in the autumn. If I get it I shall show the box there
(the fair is in the Barbican Art Gallery in central London, unless the
organisers are changing plans this year), apart from that I'm not too sure
where else will be suitable. Also Owen only sent me one box so at the moment
I'm not willing to send my only box for someone to show unless I can be sure
that it is not damaged in transit etc. Perhaps the best thing is to show it
on the web too. Really Owen needs to tell us how far he's got with the
catalogue or I could just go ahead and set up some pages for it linked from
the Eye Zone which seems appropriate.
Owen, do let us know how far you've got with everything. Thanks.
As for discussing the box: First of all some people who contributed to the
box are no longer on the list. Rich J.Galpin and Joe Decie are no longer on
and Adrian Glew was never on in the first place although he is the Fluxus
archivist at the Tate Gallery in London and he was interested to contribute
so...... Rich Galpin asked me to let him know about any box discussions so
I shall pass on comments to him so if you wish to address a comment to him
please do so and I shall pass it on. Similarly I'm sure that Roger wouldn't
mind passing on comments addressed to Joe Decie (some of you may not know
that Joe is Roger's step son).
Okay, first of all if you didn't sign your work can you please say which
piece was your, some unsigned ones I know already but it would be nice to
make up a little list that I can include with my box for future reference to
know who did what. That's the first task.
The second task is harder because I think we should began to consider what
we've achieved with the box. Is this the beginning of a series? Do we want
to make another box in this way? Was this box a success? Did we achieve what
we set out to do?
I think the box took on a life of its own in some ways. It started as a plan
to make a Fluxus box but the result isn't really a Fluxus box, in fact even
just comparing it with photos of original Fluxboxes there are a number of
differences...in fact I think this is a good thing and that perhaps
originally we should have set out to explore the box form in our own way as
oppose to planning to make a "Fluxus box". However I think the fact that we
all worked together with a lot of discussion to agree on aspects of the box
such as the label has led us to an interesting way of working as a
group..surprisingly we all came to an agreement on most things quite
easily...I had expected far more disagreement, especially about the name.
So what else do we consider? The main thing I suppose is do we want to do
another one: To give people who didn't get a chance to contribute to the
first one a chance to contribute now and to work out what we can improve
upon in the second one. Clearly there is one obvious improvement and that is
the time factor..unfortunately various things have conspired to delay this
first box..many of which were beyond Owen's or my control....having to wait
2 weeks for the labels to come in stock, Owen's family emergency etc. etc. I
have some ideas about how we can produce these boxes quicker but I'll wait a
while before sharing those.
Okay, well I'd love to here people's comments. A lot of people must have
had their boxes by now but only a few people have said anything about it.
What about the others did you like it? Did you dislike it? If so why? Please
be honest, I'm sure no-one will be offended if people are honest even if
this involves criticism. As an artist one expects to have one's work
examined in this way. Anyway I expect that most people will be interested to
question each other about their pieces, motivations, choices of materials
etc. It would be nice to explore the way each other works.
Anyway, I've said enough. Let's hear from someone else who has received
their box.
cheers,
Sol.
