Add & Pass/Event Score by Theo Nelson (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) - Includes Majikformium Gagging Performance

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Theo Nelson (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

August 14, 2014 - Faithful Canadian tarsand correspondent, Theo Nelson, sent me this piece that invited me to participate in a mail-art performance or at a minimum to add and pass. (This is a great reminder that mail-art and performance sometimes overlap.) Theo Nelson, as I understand it, is known for his invention of imaginary worlds, a practice or state of mind I call Theoism. Unlike previous work received from him, I detect a nod to Fluxus in this piece as it adopts the form and function of a classic event score:

http://cuma.periplurban.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/fluxus.pdf

I think this is a fairly ingenious event score because the empty gum box, necessary for the performance, is attached. A close-up seems in order:

Here is the Theoism part: “Majikformium” is an invented word. So I just ate the box (or tried to). After gagging on it a few times and nearly puking, I spit it out. It has a few good tooth imprints, and you can see where the saliva started to disintegrate the ink. The cardboard had a hint of strawberry in the taste. Here, then, is the performance artifact:

Gagging on the strawberry gum box and chewing cardboard was an interesting sensory experience, although I caution IUOMA members – generally – not to eat things received in the mail. A nice hole was left in the event score:

I am not tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE, but it was neat to participate in a mail-art performance.

Thanks, Theo, sort of.