Re: (",) European Mail-artists in collage

[Sztuka Fabryka]

Seems that lots of our friends from the nice days of Mail-Art in the nineties are dissapearing one by one. When I read your message this morning I felt some discomfort. As I wondered if I still myself at home in Mail-Art. I am losing contact with Mail-Art as I have the feeling that it is being taking over by persons who do not know what it is all about. Seems thay some are bored of knitting animals or working with teabags, so they bought a book "Mail-Art for dummies" and some postcards and ready made rubberstamps at the same time. And start to send around crappy stuff, if you have seen one you have seen all. Mail-Art projects seems to be there only to get as quick as possible some art, to bring as quick as possible a good feeling of getting stuff from all over the world without even thinking about giving something in return. It is almost impossible to participate in a Mail-Art projcet, because the deadline is there when you receive the invitation. Mail-Art becomes consumption. Mail-Art is losing its soul. Is it therefore that the old time Mail-artists do not open Mail-Art projects anymore. It is a pitty that even some old time Mail-artists support this downfall. And for what reason. Statistics?? No need of good ideas and a nice piece of creativity. But instead of this we get mass consumption. Fast food and a production of stuff on a high scale. And all looks the same. If you have seen one, you have seen it all. Baroni was damned right when he wrote his Dodo text. Or am I wrong, am I just a grumpy bear. Or am I telling the truth that Mail-Art is just becoming as ordinary as a hamburger in Mac Donalds. Without any soul.   Would love to put something on paper, even when it would kick ass.   Greetings, Sztuka Fabryka    More upsetting news reached me this weekend. John Upton, an English mail artist who lived in Scotland near Glasgow, died on September 29. I am so sad. John was a real teacher to me. It was the first foreign mail artist I met in person in 1994. I visited him again in 1996, accompanied by Marilyn Dammann. Now both of them are dancing on the clouds. I'll inform you all when the service for John will happen, so we can remember him at the same time. I intend also to write a memory piece because there are a lot of great stories to tell about John Upton. 2005 is really a lousy year. I don't stop saying goodbye to people. The news killed a bit the joy I felt this week after meeting K.Frank Jensen from Denmark. He was in Brussels and we spent 2 great evenings together talking on life, our common interests and the mail art network fo course. Postal Greetings, Guido Vermeulen http://groups.msn.com/POPOPEINT/guidovermeulenartiste.msnw Memorial BLOG http://shadowtributes.blogspot.com BLOG on artist books and small print publications http://boklist.blogspot.com FRIOUR zine blog(s): http://Friour1.blogspot.com To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Mailinglist from Sztuka Fabryka http://www.sztuka-fabryka.be/ SPONSORED LINKS Network storage Network management Network performance management Network security Network performance Network switch YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "ma-network" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.