RECEIVED: Sandpo Mail-Art and Fluxus Greece Stamps from Katerina Nikoltsou (Thessaloniki, Greece)

[De Villo Sloan]

 

Mail-art by IUOMA member Katerina Nikoltsou (Thessaloniki Greece)

 

February 9, 2011 - Still wrapping up some notable pieces from 2010 ("The Year Fluxus Broke" according to Mudhead), here is a beautiful haptic piece from Katerina. The Haptic Front, vitalized by Bifidus Jones, is spreading like a mudslide (hey, it's late somewhere, okay?) making new shapes and forms. Katerina came up with the relatively genius idea of using sandpaper. What could be more tactile? I am exploring this territory myself with the requisite lowering of expectations and standards. We all like making up names. So I have decided to call this subgenre of haptic poetry sandpo: sandpaper poetry (this could be extended to poetry made out of sand or glass). Jim Leftwich has already taken trashpo (= trash poetry). I fear I will never be able to match it. Katerina's work is always SO welcome because the Fluxus Greece stamps are SO great:

Katerina was inspired by my choice of garnet as the mail-art color of the day some time back in December. Titles often do matter and "Location Uncertain" is a fine guiding concept. Like all excellent mail-artists, Katerina makes use of every bit of available space including the envelope. I always like hers:

And the usual suspects:

Many thanks, Katerina. I am hoping to soon receive your wonderful Project 26 chapter.

[De Villo Sloan]

Katerina, in a little less than 24 hours, sandpo has taken on a life of its own. You deserve most of the credit. I hope you continue the push with your sandpaper. Concretism, I believe, in no time will become obsolete. I can envision now some time in the future the publication of a 21-volume survey of the world's sandpo. Thus far, we have only scratched the surface. Surely several volumes will be dedicated to you.

 

Yes - I have been sharpening knives and scissors with sandpaper for years.

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Sandpo? Sloan, you are a man of words! Αμμοποίηση...sand poetry, sounds nice in Greek, too. I used to do a lot of "painting with sand" for outdoor ed. art activity classes. (There is an abundance of sandy beaches here ;-) One technique was simply to draw with glue (Herr Haptic Erni's UHU glue)on heavy papers or cardboard and then sprinkle the sand on top. However, for art-in-the-mail, sand dusting off onto the postal clerk's desk was frowned upon, so, what a discovery was made at the hardware store!

Do you know that one method for sharpening your scissors is to cut sandpaper? Really...I googled it!

And now...back to doing more Sandpo!

[De Villo Sloan]

Call me Mr. Sand Man. Sandpo has a distinguished history. It was invented by William Blake in these lines:

To see a world in a grain of SAND

And heaven in a wild flower

To hold infinity in your hand

And eternity for an hour

 

Kids, Sandpo is the next BIG thing - bigger than its cousin Concrete Poetry. You can get in on the ground floor too. The offers are already pouring in.

[Marie Wintzer]

I'm with Snooky on this one, Sandpo is a genius new word!