It's the spring chicken's move (or is it the old sock's) - from Dean Marks

[Marie Wintzer]

 

I don't even know where to start to explain the geniusness of this piece. First of all, although hard to tell from the picture, it is completely en relief, 3D and everything, and shipped as it is without envelope. Dean got the idea for this after a comment on one of his blogs where I said that I was not a poulet de printemps anymore (direct french translation for spring chicken). To which he replied une vieille chaussette alors? (directly translated to are you an old sock then?). Anyway... it's a long story of funny direct translations which made him start this piece. A few days later I would leave IUOMA, and you'll see where this is going. What he sent is a (fantastic) replica of a japanese game called dobutsu shogi (animal chess), which introduces kids to the rules of chess. This is what the real game looks like:

 

 

In English it is called "Catch the Lion", so the aim is to catch the opponent's lion. The dots on a given tile indicate in which direction(s) the tile can be moved. The lion here is Dean, of course. And there is also elephant-Erni and Giraffe-Val. And me, I'm the baby spring chicken. According to the rules of the game, once the spring chicken reaches the other side of the board it transforms into a hen! :-)))
The wordplay on it's your move= your turn to play = you leaving IUOMA = you moving out (déménagement, french) = your movement (japanese) etc.. is absolutely priceless. I don't know how he comes up with such things! The back of the card is also very funny, with the too-dangerous-for-3-year-olds-Cheryl-Penn-piece which can move in all possible and impossible directions! :-))) I can't stop laughing. Honestly, Dean....

 

 

And a few days later, the socks :-)) good old socks with holes. I wanted to wear them but they are irreversibly glued onto the paper, so you won't see the extent of the damage. Too bad. This silver technology for fresh feet was worth testing, I think. If it's the socks that make the man, will these socks make a Super Man? Somehow I doubt it...
Well well, the spring chicken will stay with smelly feet, but she has made her move (back) (in) (I don't know anymore)
:-)
Thank you Dean!

[vizma bruns]

And Cheryl can move all over the place! Or are those dotty indicators her dance moves??

[Valentine Mark Herman]

That's OK, Marie. Giraffes also move -- or at least move their heads -- up (to find food) and down(to see if their feet are still there), too.

Oh yes, welcome back. Your departure puzzled me, but it's good that it was only short-lived. Val

[Marie Wintzer]

Sorry for chopping up the photo, I wanted to focus on the cotton rich holes. The wood work is indeed impressive! Val, I hope you are happy with Dean's view that you move to the front, to the back and sideways :-)

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

I can answer that for you Marie.  Well I had to decide who went with which piece, and figured out that Val moves to the front, to the back and from side to side as you can see from the dots.  Where as Ernie always covers his four corners and never moves in a straight line in any direction.  It's all elementary my dear Watson  Herman.

  This was a fun wood work project.  I have a wood work shop deep underground the streets of Paris which I call Heaven ... or is that Haven?

[Valentine Mark Herman]

I sorted out my 18 month-old accumulation of IUOMA Mail ART yesterday and re-discoverd some amazing Dean Treasures -- bits of slate, sunglasses, cheese, mobile phone batteries, etc; they are ALL amazing, as, of course, is the man himself.

As is this latest peice.

A question for you Marie: why do you see me as giraffe? And Erni B as an elephant?

Val

 

[DKeys]

Dean brings the phrase 'pushing the envelope' to new heights. this is great!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

"One-who-does-not-use-envelope-no-getty-full-sox-sent"...so says ancient Japanese Zen or whatever..

Looks like the postal machine ate the tips off, eh? But both pieces are still Dean-greatness! Bravo!

And sooooo happy you are "back", Marie...and blogging :-) 

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

Very funny blog Marie it really completes the piece. But I swear, I never knew that Cheryl had Batman Trousers!  Where is the rest of it?  Was it cut off?  Here is my copy:

[cheryl penn]

I think its an engineering marvel that Deans pieces actually arrive intact through the mail.... I like the interplanetary quite exit ordinary freedom of the Penn Piece - I guess thats why its dangerous???? And those cotton rich socks!  MAN! They would go with my batman trousers.  Silver Banana Award for this haul :-)) XXX

[Marie Wintzer]

Glad you like it!!

Janine, les chaussettes sont collees' a jamais au papier, je promets. C'est impossible!! Je voulais les porter mais y a pas moyen!