Received: Mailart text(ile) and masking tape wrap from Mariska van den Heuvel (Holland)

[De Villo Sloan]

August 10, 2010: Saturday I found at the Post Office mailart from Mariska van den Heuvel, which I had been anticipating for most of the summer. This is a paper and sewn thread piece, the lines of textile (note that word), possibly representing linear, written lines across the page.

I had seen other examples of her work here at IUOMA, such as "IDEA," "Just wondering about my hair," and "Reaction to Mr R. Canard," and admired their interactive, sparse, and image-text-play qualities. The Canard piece seems to be Mariska's dictionary with most of the words crossed out. She seems to be drawn to that place in art that stands at the brink of nothingness. And isn't every line of poetry, spoken or written, an engagement with emptiness or silence? An added bonus of this mail was the envelop carefully wrapped, sort of mummified, with blank masking tape. Conscious or not, she picked up on my current fascination with masking tape, but I use blue tape.