The World is a Town - from Sue Bowen and Vaida Sirusaite

[cheryl penn]

The World is a Town Project has had some really great contributions - I REALLY appreciate everyones participation - IUOMA friends make the world a small town :-). I have had various queries about this project so just to repeat: In 2009 I made a bridge book titled The World is a Town based on the Novgorod Codex - "the only whole medieval  object of its type from the entire Slavonic world (Dr Zalizniak).

 The codex consists of three wooden tablets containing four pages filled with wax on which its owner wrote numerous texts during two or three decades.  As it is a hyper-palimsest - meaning its multiple writings give it the effect of an over-used piece of carbon paper, much of the text is indecipherable. BUT some of the translated text reads The World is a Town. 

I have commented before on the post modern views of othering, the global village and fragmentation etc as held by this man so long ago. I have cut up this book and sent it out as mail art. All the responses I receive will be collated and form Volume 2 of The World is a Town. This week I received TWO contributions - and I am HOPING for more :-)

For Sue Bowen - The world is a closed place alright - it requires opening-up and discovery to gain any enjoyment. But, when you take the time, its a world of possibilities ;-).The Open Me First Card told me that I could open up Sue's piece any way I wanted.  Let me tell you - anywhichway - this piece worked.

Beautifully drawn, stencilled - kind of world map work.  Latitudes, Longitudes, a world of beauty and color for those who wish to view it that way. Complex of course, but what isn't?

And from Vaida Sirusaite - another beautiful piece with her elegant stitched circle those of us who have been lucky enough to receive have come to know. The World Circle.Its a composite work made of glue and thread - that which tries to bind us all together while we constantly pull apart. It DOES open like a book - SOMETIMES :-) - Sometimes its good to be closed too in The World Town.  Especially when one is faced with an Iago - a betrayer.  Just because he was passed up for promotion he destroyed the Moor? MAN! Time to withhold in the World Town then. 

And yesterday, two other pieces arrived from Vaida - a FAB book object: - La Distance - How I long. We look in constant search, dont we, to find the THING to complete us. And often its an isolated business.

"They expect to allay their fears, fulfill their dreams" ...Best then to find an anchor, some glue and threads of friends to keep everything together.  After all YOUR world Town? Its what YOU make of it.

Thank you both for your wonderful work - I feel really touched :-) X

 

[Marie Wintzer]

I wanted to ask, I know you are absolutely chuffed with this project now, but after working on the book for 7 months and then mercilessly tearing it apart, have you ever regretted doing so at some point?

[cheryl penn]

P.S. Sue and Vaida - thank you again for your FABS ;-) XX

[cheryl penn]

Thanks for the comments :-) - Sure, for sure, its a changing place, filled with puzzles and complexities and changing orders. I often use the term palimpsest - its that and mmore  - the writing of experiences and relationships over and over to create a world town we can successfully function in. Nancy and Marie -  - going back to the breaking up discussion - this is a CLASSIC for me - this was a book that took about 7 months to make, 1 second to decide to break up as mail art, and  BEGIN breaking up,  and about 7 months now to send into the world.  Its a process based world for sure:-) X

[prettylily]

Cheryl, I am delighted you figured out how to open my folded piece.  It is constructed so that pieces may shift; as our world is constantly doing.  The torn pieces that I rejoined are symbolic of our changing world. I like Lisa's take about the puzzle theme.  That is something I had not thought of.  I was focused on constant movement and change, of life, in our towns and world.

 

It is so interesting to see the many interpretations, of a common theme.  Vaida's piece is a wondeful example of the threads and connections we have.  Bravo!  It's a beautiful work.

 

Thank you, Cheryl.  You offer our community many opportunies for self expression.   It is very appreciated!  Thank you for blogging it.  <3  And please keep tossing these interesting projects our way!

 

Also, a HUGE thank you to those of you who have left comments.  It always helps me with future works.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Every look at Sue and Vaida's works here is striking, lovely, and meaningful.  I love them.  Thanks for blogging these, Cheryl.

[De Villo Sloan]

And Vaida is so talented too. Excellent contributions to your project, CP-SA.

[cheryl penn]

Hello you two :-) - thanks for commenting - Lisa - your Asemics  - you saw DVS's blog? - Its really FAB :-) - Sweet Pea - your see-through piece - that was AMAZING! - Remember - I saw through my world to yours?  And Lisa - the play your son wrote :-) - I've had really great contributions for this project.  I know - I'm stuck a bit with bindng it all - as with Heart Matters - how to collate all this fantastic work so that I can give each piece full credit - BUT a plan is afoot :-) X

[Marie Wintzer]

You are still getting such fab work for this project, Cheryl!

Vaida!! Love how she replicated the codex. I was thinking about a way to do something similar but I didn't hack it. So much to admire here...