Hannah Höch (fan club)

Dear Rosalie and other Birthday Boxers. There are a good number of ladies involved with both the Surrealist and with the various dada groups.  They were an essential part.  I have known a couple of old enthusiasts, collectors and writers of books and, for them, the women were of equal worth.

One of my favourites was Kiki, Kiki of Montparnasse, whose real name was Alice Prin.  She was not a part of any movement as such but all of them, and is usualy described as 'the embodiment of her age'.

Then there is the  Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven who is a lesson for us all.

Keep up your research.  There is much treasure to be found.

Here are a couple of images of Kiki:

Hi Mary Anne, I think you are quite right about the women, who were part of these groups. I have got a very fat graphic novel about Kiki de Montparnasse, edited by Carlsen 2011 and drawn and written by Catel & Bocquet. Personally I am a friend of Meret Oppenheim, who has written wonderful surrealistic poems, I love very much. Best hugs to everyone! Charlotte

Hannah card from BrandStifter arrived today!

Nice addition to my Birthday box!

Dear Katerina, congratulations on attracting another 'Unofficial' contribution.  I think it is a great strength of our project that everyone's box is growing to be so different to each other's/  I think perhaps this wouldn't have happened if we had gone for a book rather than a box (?).  I hope we will all have more such welcome surprises . . .

A few shall be receiving collage cards from Hamburg, Germany, from Erni,(another unofficial member)  for their Hannah Hoch Birthday Boxes.

This arrived yesterday in Greece, with a stamping of Hannah's friend, and fellow artist, Kurt Schwitters:

Congrats on a great project,Mary Anne!

Dear Katerina, it is our project, not mine; we have achieved everything together and all I have done is to try and keep track of all the whos and whats.

I have Erni down on the list of 'official' participants  His enthusiasm is always worth including in any project.

Dear Birthday Boxers,  here is my finished (perhaps) box.

I finished my "official" Hannah Hoch Birthday Box:

it is really not "wrapped up" yet,

as still waiting for a few more Hannahs to come in the mail maybe?

There are two of my Hannah cards that were returned,

so they became part of the art-box as did some of the

stamps and stickers from others!

Dear Kat, Well done!  I like that you have used all the stickers and other bits and bobs.  It was the last box I needed for my little book which will be off to the printers tonight.  I can say that you will be getting more for your box before long.

I also have another little plan which I will explain in my next post . . . 

Dear Birthday boxers,  Just to let you all know that I am getting some mail ready for Cicil Touchon's collage museum and archive.  I will be sending (hopefully) a small book of images of all the boxes made so far plus a disc of images that will be a thorough record of everything we have done between us.  I may also add a written explanation of the project along with one of my collages and anything else that comes to mind.  If anyone feels like making a little something to add to it, standard postcard size would be about right.  Send it to me and I will put it in with everything else.

I will package everything up in another little box and try and make a nice thing out of it. Something worth the keeping in a collection at least.

I have also nearly finished the paper documentation so that will be mailed out - hopefully before Christmas (fingers crossed).

There has been another fit of inspiration here and I am back working on the outside of my box again.  It was supposed to be a simple thing but it is getting more rococo by the day!

Whoops! mis-spelt Cecil's name I see . . . old age 

I finished my box today too!  Down the road I'll add a nicer documentation of everyone's contribution. They're all wonderful. And a special thanks to Maria for her blog & to Katerina Nikoltsou for suggesting we send something to Erni. He really liked getting a Hannah Hoch surprise in the mail.

A nice surprise Hannah collage card from Noriko in Japan!

Visual Mom, C.M. Bennett encouraged us all to participate in the Hannah Hoch Birthday Box project when we met up in Sounion, Greece, in October. Many thanks to Noriko...and to Visual Mom!

Well done Visual Mom but don't think you are done yet - there will be more on its way to you soon!

I have had so much fun with this project. All the pieces I have received are truly phenomenal. Thank you for extending the invite Visual Mom! xxoobb

Love the latest unveiling of the boxes! Everyone has done such a wonderful job. And, Visual Mom, your cinematography is outstanding. Look forward to more. 

And more keeps coming to add to my HHBB (as res says :-)

a fantastic TLP from C.M.Bennett:

for anyone interested; here is a link to the documentation for the original Fan Club project

http://hannahhochfanclub.blogspot.com/

To the Birthday Boxers
Regarding the documentation I have been planning for our little project.
I have something ready to be printed but, before I do, I want to check if everyone is OK to have their address included? There was a time when this was the usual way to do things, and those lists of participants were the way to make contact with others in the network but things may have changed. Now, a computer listing is the norm and their they do not seem to include addresses. So- the list is of everyone who signed up for the project together with their addresses. If anyone doesn't want their address included just send me a note here and I will correct the copy. Willie Marlow is on the list but with no address so either way makes no difference. I could just as easily remove ALL addresses. If anyone thinks THAT the best idea then please say so ASAP.
I won't be getting anything printed until after the madness of the Holidays and New Year but it would be nice to get it done before the end of January.
If I don't get any messages I will assume everything will be OK and, hopefully, it will not be too long before something nice appears in everyone's mailbox.

Mary Anne, thanks for the book project! I'm okay with my address being printed. It's online anyway.

My mail art to you all still is halfway, be it now in a silent 'work in process' stage. I hope to turn it into 'work in progress' in the coming two weeks and to send it out by medio January.

So please reserve a little space in your (un)birthday boxes for an A5 sized envelope with content.

Concerning documentation as a printing/book, what a great idea, Mary Anne!

I think names and countries are sufficient, since addresses can change faster than countries, and the privacy thing, while there are digital means to find someone's address nowadays. On the other hand, seeing one's address might lower the threshold to send something to someone not known yet that well. For me personally both options are okay, as my address is written here in public, too. But first I have to send you my contribution.. (so I am happy to read that you are busy at the moment, too and there is some more time in January) 

Don't worry Heleen.  I am still busy doing Hannah stuff as well!  The 'documentation' will not be as grand as a book but I hope people will like it; and you are part of it whether you get to finish your piece or not . . .

Mary Anne, what a wonderful surprise. I have to say that this has been my favorite mail art project of the year and I look forward to receiving more HH in 2020. I am OK with address or country or whatever it ends up to be. Happy Holidays to all!!!

Mary Anne, I echo Carmen’s sentiments. The HH Birthday Box was my favorite project this year, and I derived so much satisfaction from it. Can’t wait to see what the new year brings for our group! I am totally fine with having my mailing address listed on the documentation. Thanks for all you do, Mary Anne. Merry Christmas & Happy New Yrar!

Dear Mary Ann, I totally agree with Jayne and Carmen, the HH irthday box project really worked brilliantly , such a lot of inspiring and wonderful different cards and whimsical things appeared in my post box! Everybody just cared to add something unique! I had a lot of work with the stitching but the birthday box is now a real highlight of my IUOMA-years!

Thanks everybody and a happy New Year!

Charlotte

I always like seeing addresses.  Then I can mail someone some art. I suggest your first impulse -- allow folks to opt out if the don't want to have contact info listed (but maybe keeping in the country?).

Finally finished gluing my Bibiana Padilla Maltos Hannah Hoch cutouts collage! I glued them onto a white card but used black for the photo. I kept the cake & little ears for another time! Eager to see what she does with our collages.

this is mine (before it was quite finished)

Res, I can see some HH influences on this most wonderful collage created by Amy. Absolutely love it. 

Dear H H Birthday Boxers,

I was hoping to mail out something to all of the Birthday Boxers this week (the envelopes are all ready to go) but the printers are having problems  (or should I say I am having problems with the printers?) and so it will be a while longer.  They usually do a good job but when they get it wrong it is a nightmare!!  My stress levels are high as it is but at the moment . . . wow!

Thanks, Mary Anne! Looking forward to what you're going to send, but please take a deep breath and don't stress over it! ; )

Still plugging away; more frustrated than stressed, I think, but maybe, just maybe, I'm getting somewhere.  At least today's emails seem a step forward..  Fingers crossed . . .

I am trying to take a lesson from Christo:  dealing with all the nonsense of bureaucracy, rules and management systems, is part of the creative process,

Dear Mary Ann! Don't worry and just keep cool, these are just the things (bureaucracy, rules and society agreements) Hannah H. and her gang were struggling and fighting against. Many warm hugs and crossed fingers from Germany

Charlotte

Yeah! Bonniediva joined our group! Welcome, girl!

Greetings Fan club members.

Last year;s Birthday box was such a joy to be involved with that I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for something we could do this year?  The box was something of a last minute rush, and maybe all the better for it?, so I was thinking; what could we do if we gave ourselves more time?

Jennifer, I guess you already know that Anna Banana is very much appreciated here at IUOMA, too? 

If not, here's a link to an IUOMA group in honour of her and about Banana mail art:

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/group/bananas

Howdy 'Birthday Boxers!' I'm curious - are there artists still working on HH mail to send to participants? Looks like there are four I haven't gotten anything from. 

Dear Jane, I still am...

Dear Helen, looking forward to your awesome artwork. The HHBB has been a fun project to participate in. 

I love surprises and how wonderful to receive this authentic greek mailart with a touch of HH inspiration. Thank you so much, Maria Chorianopoulou!

Visual Mom, I love your whimsical approach to Bibi's kit. What a delight.

This arrived recently from Erni in Hamburg.  It doesn't announce itself but I think it was intended for the birthday Box project.

Received these Hannah Hoch ATCs recently from Mary Anne...she suggested a collaboration but I think I am going to store them in the HH Birthday Box for now.

I have just posted out a little something to all the birthday boxers so please keep an eye on your letter boxes . . .

Thank you, Mary Anne for such a nice collaboration and for sending the nice listing, a fun project it was!

Here's a collage I did with a nod to Hannah Hoch about the primary election in the USA... "A Woman's Place is ???"

The long awaited souvenir and commemorative postcards for the Hannah Hoch Birthday Box project from Mary Anne have arrived. I know that Mary Anne worked very hard on these and I am gobsmacked to add these to my birthday box. Thank you, Mary Anne!