In Flux Mona and Urban Boekie - from Cheryl Penn

[Marie Wintzer]

I wonder how Mona would have reacted back then had she known the extent of her future fame. Which woman has provided more inspiration, undergone more transformations through the ages? Cheryl once again found the perfect starting point for a mail art call. What is an original artwork?
There is only one Mona, yet there are millions of it. There is one original Mona, and it is currently exhibited at the Louvre. But what about all those reworked, repainted, cut-up, distorted Monas? If they are not originals, are they not original?

According to the definition of the word original that Cheryl printed at the back of her painting, a derivative is not an original. Fine. Is it then un-original? I think one could go in circles endlessly in this semantic labyrinth, but the underlying questions remain. Is it original? Is is copied? To what extend can there be such things as "hybrids"? (cf Cheryl's printed text).

Cheryl's In-Flux Mona is heavily processed. Cracked skin, highly contrasted, colorized, and maybe the first vispo Mona around? (my favorite part is the printed IN FLUX on her chest). She doesn't look a thing like Da Vinci's painting, yet it takes us less than one second to identify the woman depicted. It is Mona alright. She just has been through Cheryl's creative process and is therefore an original artifact. Oh nooo, isn't that what she has always been? Back to square one... :-))

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Cheryl also has a Zalop City project (currently on hold), and this Urban Boekie came along with my assigned Zalop House, which I yet have to fill.
The book is bound with my favorite thick red thread, the same binding Cheryl used for the Crimson Giant or the Heated Heart book, for instance. This to me always indicates connections, arteries, flow of life, and in this particular book, flow of people, roads and crossroads. In this modern times Babel we are constantly using Tracks and making Tracks. In and out of the City, a constant flow that barely slows down at night. 

Like the Heart, the City is surrounded by Walls, hiding or protecting the contents. The book cover is designed in such a way that we can have a glimpse of what is going on Inside. Glitters not quite hiding Concrete. Go Forth, take the M4 and go South. Aren't we always pushed to go Forth, and don't we always want to go South? All these Tracks but Is there a Way Out?
I like this book a lot for the great use of photos and its very clever design, not to mention the countless metaphors the City can stand for (and have you noticed the word OTHERS tagged on the walls of the train station?). Cheryl, thank you for always sending the best of works and inspiring us with the most engaging mail art calls. Chuffedness is at its best on this side of the planet :-))

[Marie Wintzer]

Red!!! Fantastic!

[E]

http://galeriedesmona.blogspot.com/

[Marie Wintzer]

Glad you like it, it's fantabulous work. Katerina you are the queen of hijacks, keep them coming!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

You have beautifully captured Mona from Cheryl in amazing photos, Marie!

How it unfolds and reveals the questions!

Me have one too, but did not successfully blog as well.

Now we, "moaners" must make an answer to Cheryl's Mona-in-Flux...

[David Stafford]

Beautiful Mona

 

[PIRO]

Cheryl as always great work ..... Beutiful blog Marie !!!!

[cheryl penn]

Can I borrow them? :-) XX

[Marie Wintzer]

You're the bright one AND you send fab art. It's really easy to make a blog out of it. The camera wants to click and the fingers want to write :-)) Semantic labyrinth, did I write that? I'm laughing now :-)))

[cheryl penn]

Hello CB - MAN! You take such great photo's and write in such an interesting way I think I would be the not too bright one if I DIDN'T send you mail art! "Semantic labyrinths" - GREAT! I'm definitely finding a place to use that!  ZALOP  City - yes, you've reminded me - I'm on it :-) - in fact I've had quite a few reminders lately, I'd better REALLY get on it - thank YOU Marie :-) XX