OF FLAKES & FAKES: Richard Canard on the Crisis in Cerealism + Letter to KDJ on the D-KULT (Illinois, Florida, New York, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Richard Canard (Carbondale, Illusion, USA)

 

November 15, 2011 - If Richard Canard's wisdom could be placed between a book's covers, might we call it Poor Richard's Almanac? Ask Benjamin Franklin. I will dispense with the weak Tom Clark imitation now.

 

Still Poor Richard remains: Mr. Canard must look back with nostalgia to a time when personal correspondence was not fair game to post in the ether for any wandering eye to find. However, I want to blog this mail-art he sent me because who else, when breakfast food and its packaging is serialized in art, can make sense of it all? Here is another gem to ponder:

 

 

Along with all his other accomplishments, I am afraid Richard Canard will be remembered in the annals of mail-art (accidentally and as the result of the confusion of others) for inventing Cerealism - in the same way Benjamin Franklin is remembered for "inventing" electricity, although I suspect he is best known today for having invented money. Attributing Cerealism to Ray Johnson is just not garnering enough support or evidence. I particularly enjoy Richard Canard's wordplay that here shows a brilliant connection between Trashpo and Cerealism:

 

Many thanks, as ever, to Richard Canard and his seemingly endless "sensibilities of tolerance."

 

The Crisis in Cerealism and its stepsister Trashpo is the proliferation of fakes, from phony shopping lists to (incredibly) outsourced garbage. A most egregious example is D-Koder rings. I have written a letter to KDJ (Florida, USA) protesting the situation and will share it with you:

 

 

 

page 2:

 

So, with many thanks to Richard, Carnard that seems to be situation of Cerealism today.

 

MAIL-ART PSYCHIC

 

Doris gets her oats

 

A neo-flapper, Scotty

 

Dancing lessons in Diana

 

Ray likes the bicycle seat: "Bill me later."

 

You are living proof of cat pajama jojoba

 

Phyllis Wheatley

 

Which describes your relationship needs?

(a) affliction & attention

(b) no common interests

(c) rinse & wash

 

Nolaroids

 

Fruit loops - think outside the box

 

Andy says: "Yes, we have no bananas, Wolfgang. Lou, can you Read?"

 

Cats have nine lives. I end up with nine fingers.

 

[De Villo Sloan]

Who are Florence and the Machine? Like Echo and the Bunnymen? And yes, I don't know where the Trash People have gone. I suppose they think the letter is serious. Well, I'm going to stick with RC through the sunshine and the rain. Thanks CB. When you separate the wheat from the chaff it's usually just you and me.

[Marie Wintzer]

Those are fantastic letters, thank you for blogging them!

To be honest I only dropped in to check if there was a new daily utterance from the guy with feathers on his head. And there it is. I once saw a quiz where you had to guess wether some sentences were true lyrics from Florence and the Machine or random computer generated stuff. It was very hard. Same here. Cheryl, do you remember DVS once said about your art "I have no idea what she is saying but I need her to say it". Same here.

[De Villo Sloan]

I knew you understood. Marie says she doesn't get it.There's more than one way to skin a cat. Here I am buried up to my neck in cereal boxes.

[cheryl penn]

What about those of us in constant cereal crisis? Its a hard fruity loop for flakes to escape.  If there's a choice I'll do rinse and wash in nine lives wearing cat pajamas if thats ok?