Ready Made Waste From Erni Bar-Trashpo King

[DKeys]

 

Received this great package from Erni. I will have to post the original packaging in a separate blog as Ning is being picky and won't let me post additional photos. The shampoo bottle has great smelling air from hamburg in it. I am honored to have some German Garbage from the Erni Bar Fan Club.  The CD of Fun Manchu may very well be complete trash as Erni says, but when I tried to play it I received an error message which I found to be quite poetic.  I got TWO large collages from Erni and notice he used the photo of a particular model that he likes. I'm glad to see the Off Scene Akademie is thriving and still rallying for the passage of the Pedestrian Speech Act. Walkers deserve a voice in today's society. Thank you Erni for this great and thought provoking package. The 'boobs' piece shows how you don't take everything too seriously even though garbage and trashpo are a serious matter!!!!!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

You answered your own doubt, De Villo: "I think underlying this is a very deep commitment to social and cultural change on the part of the artists." Which I doubt that you doubt, by the way! And I completely agree. That's likely what draws most artists involved to "do" art in this way. If you make even one person's day somewhere across the globe by sending something culturally meaningful whether individually or universally, humorously or seriously, who knows how and where that spreads? And it does spread. I'm finding it a hell of a lot more meaningful than sticking work in galleries for mostly comfortable people with money to see and only wealthy people to buy. Not that one can't do both and have it be meaningful, they don't preclude each other, but that open spirit of mail art is sorely lacking in many, probably most, other art venues.

With trashpo, we can start with Diane's succinct list of purposes when this group began (which of course I can't see now in "reply to comment" mode!); but they covered a lot of ground and values with relatively few words. One side of trashpo, which I think Diane loves most, is the minutiae of daily living -- lists and so on -- that reflect who, what, and where we are -- yet they're usually picked up in plastic bags by the garbage men, never to be seen again. They are records of our culture often more real (and with more lasting power) than what people tap out and edit on their computers; and they just disappear, which really would be tragic, if it happened wholly and completely in this electronic age. There is no other "hard (copy)" evidence. That's the rescue part, and the recycling and beautiful parts about this form of art, all of which are important to me as an artist and a human being.

Horrors have been a fact of life since the beginning of time, and you're right that now is no different; plus the grown populations (especially combined with the relatively shrinking percentage of but increasing power of the overprivileged few) mean more suffering. When someone finds a compelling and beautiful and unique way of communicating about the culture we find ourselves in, globally, it *needs* doing. For starters, someone has to make a non-political and non-corporate communication effort toward the people most at the mercy of those blights.

[DKeys]

Trashpo to me, is as absurd as it is relevant. Our sense of connection and community has broken down so significantly, that we all (speaking in general) walk around feeling as if we are in these self contained bubbles, with no consciousness that every thought and action has an impact on everyone around us and the planet as a  whole. We are all united by the mundane things we do as human beings-laundry, shopping, acquiring stuff, generating garbage, making lists, etc. I see it as a way to peer into and grab a piece of that person's bubble and forge a connection that was always there in the first place. I alwaythink of that argument of there are no original ideas. But if I find a handwritten list or note that someone intentionally or unintentionally discarded or a time sheet or something, that is a moment that I can document and that can not be repeated 

Nancy, glad for all the info on Tom Waits. His music has happy memories for me but he is pretty intense. He's kind of absurdist too I think

That's my 3 cents

[De Villo Sloan]

Nancy, you reminded me of something. On various different blogs - in and out of mail-art - I think I'm seeing a trend for artists and writers to become more outspoken in terms of politics and economics. I'm seeing increasing references to the art of the 1930s in the US. Human suffering is always a serious concern, but I see more and more commentary on economic conditions around the globe. I'm starting to wonder how useful we are mailing each other cereal boxes and writing that can't be read, although I think underlying this is a very deep commitment to social and cultural change on the part of the artists. Trashpo, of course, can mean anything. But in a lot of this material I do believe I see a commentary on wasteful practices that aren't viable and commentary on the junk culture and its values - a kind of social realism, also an effort to recycle and make something meaningful and even beautiful out of this, really, it is a horror we are witnessing.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

p.s. Definitely, trashpo is hilarious by its very nature, and also poignant. But what wouldn't be funny with Diane running the show.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

No conditioned responses, all riiiiight. I hate feeling like Pavlov's dog.

As a side note, yes, I like Tom Waits very much in small doses. I first saw him in the movie "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" (intense) and liked him. Then heard him singing "You're Innocent When You Dream" during the credits at the end of the indie movie "Smoke," and LOVED that song. Then rented a documentary about him via netflix and found him pretty exhausting over that amount of time. Hope you wanted a detailed reply, Diane!

Why? Was he mentioned in my garbage? I should be careful about what garbage I send out, but I'm not. I couldn't care less, really. I like to spill it. God knows what I just mailed off to Angie yesterday. You close the envelope, and poof, it's out of mind.

[De Villo Sloan]

Erni and Frank Zappa asked such a good question: Should Trashpo be funny? I don't believe you can avoid it. This material, for instance, draws so many reactions from each of us. I laughed when I first saw Erni had given DK a bottle of air - some of it was because it seemed so playful and absurd to bottle air, which is somethhing that is still free and everywhere. There is also a sense of wonder (at least to me) when you see all these unusual and mundane things put together. I would say never discourage anyone from laughing about it and finding humor. And never discourage that it might be very, very, very serious. Free interpretation! No right or wrong, no conditioned responses!

[DKeys]

LOL Nancy, you're always in good with me. Afterall-I've been collaging with your trash since you sent it. As a side note you like Tom Waits? I love him--29 dollars and an alligator purse. You learn a lot about someone from their garbage. Maybe that makes me sounds lonely, but I don't care:)  Erni, now I'm super curious picturing a graph of your pedestrian escapades like a subway map

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Yes, humor belongs in trashpo. I was just trying to get in good with Diane.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

The Pedestrian Speech Act could take weeks of contemplation. You must rate very highly with Erni, Diane, to receive German air. BUT it's a good thing you reminded him sternly at the end of your post that garbage and trashpo are a serious matter! Never forget that, Erni.

[DKeys]

That would be very interesting Erni-to map your walks like a musical score. I don't quite get the parallel of walking to speech, but it gives me the image of motorcyclists moving like bees in formation or birds.  I guess all of nature occurs in patterns and people are definately creatures of habit.