Special Project - AiOP Festival - 2011

Each year, Art in Odd Places (AiOP) produces a thematic public art festival along 14th Street from Avenue C to the Hudson River in New York City. From October 1-10, the 2011 edition of AiOP will center on the theme of RITUAL, including ideas of ceremony, habituation, myth, obsession, superstition and liturgy.

Walker Evans stated that, “New Yorkers are members of every race and nation of the earth. They are of all ages, of all temperaments, of all classes, of almost every imaginable occupation. Each, also, is an individual existence, as matchless as a thumbprint or a snowflake.” Inspired by this great American photographer and in homage to the amazing energy, beauty, and variety of New Yorkers, a special seemetellme series titled Fourteenth Street Saints for AiOP 2011 was created.

For this series hundreds of amazing New Yorkers were clandestinely photographed along 14th Street. Then 500 collages were created, incorporating their portraits into accordion-style “prayer” books, complete with gold paint, “rosary” beads, glitter, found papers and objects. These books were then placed, like relics, inside small clear plastic boxes backed by magnets. 50 of these works will be installed daily along 14th Street on scaffolds, signs, subway stations, and light poles, for passers-by to admire, take, and own.

(See the map of placements below.)

The acquiring of any work of art is a very personal and exciting process. When a one of these works is discovered the collector is asked to comment below or email a note to seemetellme@gmail.com or tweet using the hash tag #seemetellme.

Exhibition - KEDAR STUDIO OF ART - September 16-24, 2011

First gallery exhibition of seemetellme projects
Monsters, Saints and Cool Summer Dresses

KEDAR STUDIO OF ART
585 Broad Street, 2nd fl, Newark, NJ 07102 http://www.kedarstudio.com/
September 16th to 24th. Reception for the artist September 16, 7-11pm

Monsters, Saints, and Cool Summer Dresses showcases three limited edition See Me Tell Me projects - Monsters III, ed. 50; Subway Saints III (mini), ed. 50; and See Me Tell Me Shifts (Graffiti) ed. 25.

The gallery is inviting viewers of the exhibition to participate in this series and acquire these works. Collectors register their acquisitions on the tag replacing each work and comment at the bottom of this page about the new addition to their collection or by emailing their comments to seemetellme@gmail.com .

Inspired by the social connectivity of the Street Art movement, social media, the work of photographer Walker Evans and a desire to free art from its function as commodity, artist Amy Young has conceptualized a series of works nestled in the art of giving and sharing, titled seemetellme. Since June 2010, Young has placed hundreds of tiny seemetellme street art works in New York, London and Paris. Using low-art materials and a strict time limit (an important part of her process); Young creates each piece in less than five minutes. Anonymity is not part of her working concept as Young identifies herself by putting her website address or QR code on each piece before she places it in public view.

The Little Monsters series is based on the Greek, Roman, Romanesque, and Gothic Revival faces and gargoyles you see on buildings all over New York, Paris, London, Rome, Venice, and Athens. A selection of these images was made into Little Monsters by mounting them on the front of clear 2 x 1 x 1 inch plastic boxes and lighting them with LEDs. They are filled with silver beads to reflect the light and to rattle, when shaken.

The Subway Saints series is inspired by an obsession with (and daily immersion in) the subway. They are also inspired by Walker Evans’ great work, Many are Called. In 1938, Walker Evans surreptitiously photographed people on the New York City subway. With his camera hidden in his overcoat he captured the faces of Depression-era riders, each wrapped in their own unguarded private thoughts. Evans’ work represents portraiture in its purest state. Inspired by Evans, 250 clandestine images were shot in the subway. To create a Subway Saint each portrait was printed in color and assembled into an accordion-style book, complete with gold paint, beads, glitter, found papers and objects. Each book is placed in a 2 x 1 x 1 inch clear plastic box.

The See Me Tell Me Shifts are based on the thin, simple, summer dresses worn by fashionable New York women. For the first two series of See Me Tell Me Shifts the little dresses were decorated with patterns found in museums, galleries, and art fairs and heat transferred onto the surface of paper. But the imagery for this newest series is the street art and graffiti seen in London, Paris, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Chelsea and SoHo this spring and summer. The front of each dress is made from Japanese rice paper cut in the shape of a shift or sundress. On the back is a snippet from a shopping bag.

36

DONE
Thirty-sixth series: Transit Trinkets. Everyone likes to get dressed up - especially our dusty, dirty, smelly metro. I imagine the subway as a rather brash, little bit loud, big-boned, bohemian girl from Brooklyn with a marvelous accent so I fashioned her some nice clunky necklaces and bracelets. Just in case the subway cars get jealous I am making them some bracelets and anklets as well. (Shhh don’t tell the buses and ferries.) This work consists of multicolored plastic beads and/or bells on colored or elastic string. Their clasps are made of magnets. I will be installing this series in the subway stations and on the trains all summer long from mid May to the end of August. You will find them attached to station stanchions or wound about the hand-handholds and poles on the trains.

Did you collect one? Tell me about it.

35

DONE

Thirty-fifth series: Rock, Paper, Scissors, non-editioned.

Rock, Paper Scissors is a game for two or more people played using the players' hands. The two players each make a fist with one hand and hold the other open, palm upward. Together, they tap their fists in their open palms once, twice, and on the third time form one of three items: a rock, a sheet of paper, or a pair of scissors. The winner of that round depends on the items formed. If the same item is formed, it's a tie. If a rock and scissors are formed, the rock wins, because a rock can smash scissors. If scissors and paper are formed, the scissors win, because scissors can cut paper. If paper and a rock are formed, the paper wins, because a sheet of paper can cover a rock.

These works consist of a 3 ½ x 2 inch poly bag or on a magnet sheet. Inside or on top are photographs of my hands in one of the gestures printed on either cardstock or fine white and colored papers. I have hand colored or embellished each of the images. At the top of the work is the statement “Your Name Here: _________ ." On verso is the seemetellme QR code, three photographs of hands, and the title and web-site address. This is a non- editioned series because it will be done in many medias and in many sizes. It will appear in variations and configurations: either singly for your own personal game against the world (pick your opponents wisely), in doubles as a mini-war, or in a triples as a statement by me of a political or societal statement. I will be placing these works all through the summer in New York city.

Did you see one? Tell me.

34

DONE
Thirty-fourth series: van Gogh’s Chair inch by inch, set of 16 
When you visit museums abroad you see afresh art works you have been viewing by illustrations for too long. When I was in London last month I saw van Gogh’s Chair at the National Gallery. Amazing! This work was painted when he was working in the company of Gauguin for nine weeks in Arles. The bright yellow ladder-back chair with its cane seat was one of the twelve simple chairs he purchased when he furnished the Yellow House. The chair sits at a three-quarter view and his pipe and tobacco lie on the thatched seat. It stands on a red and orange tiled floor next to a closed turquoise blue door. A box of red onions, bursting from their wrappings, is in the corner. The colors are amazing, the characteristic icing-like impasto wonderful, and the sweet genre scene so personal. I examined the work inch by inch. And so I provide it to you in the same way. These works consist of a 3 ½ x 2 inch poly bag. I printed an image of the work at 8 x 10 inches and cut it up into 1 inch wide strips for the front image, included even finer detailed image in the center, and put a full image on verso. There is one sequin butterfly inside as a prize. I will be placing the works from April 30 and May 1 in New York City.
If you see one tell me.

33

DONE
Thirty-third series: Free Ai Weiwei, ed. 20

When I was in London I went to the Tate Modern and saw he Unilever Series: 
Sunflower Seeds by Ai Weiwei. The conceptual and politically based artist had engaged Chinese craftspeople to create for him 100 million tiny porcelain sunflowers, each handmade, hand painted, no two identical. He filled the entire main floor with these little works of art. The whole art world had been chatting about the work, there were many reviews, and other piles of sunflower seeds were turning up at art fairs. I liked visually how the work filled the huge turbine hall in a gentle sand-like way and loved all the metaphors it set off crackling in my head. Anyway, soon after we got back the artist, boarding a plane to Hong Kong was arrested, disappeared, taken into custody – no one really knows because no one has heard from him. I have signed all the petitions for his release, I attended the sit-in over by the East River, and like the rest of the art world I am watching the news reports to see outcome. Worried. So this series is my reaction to the whole mess. The work consists of a 3 ½ x 2 inch poly bag, color xeroxes of the work in turbine hall printed on fine papers, red string, and a scattering of (real) sunflower seeds. On the back are a couple of QR codes (Quick Response specific matrix barcodes) that hop right to The New York Times articles discussing the issue - this one from April 6, this one from April 11, and this one from April 20.This work will be placed from April 24 through April 30 in New York.

Did you see one? Tell Me.

32

DONE
Thirty-second series: Looting London (A Mudlark along the Thames), ed. 10
As you know from my tweeting I traveled to London recently. We visited the British Museum with all the great Mesopotamia, Egyptian, Roman works and more. And of course they have the great Parthenon Marbles pillaged from Greece in the 1800s – quite the controversial objects. Well in that spirit I decided to gather a few artifacts of my own. While I was visiting the TATE Modern off the new Millennium Bridge I saw a silver ladder descending to the Thames beach. I went down and began gathering 17th to the 19th century pottery sherds and pipe stems on the shore which I then spirited all back to America. I was feeling rather proud of myself until I discovered that this is called “mudlarking” and just everyone does it. I guess I am no Lord Elgin. This little series consists of a 3 x 3 x ½ inch clear plastic box, sand, a potsherd or pipe stem, a transparent picture of the Millennium Bridge and Saint Paul's in the background and the usual ART sticker and label with the title of series, edition number, and address of the blog. These works, in contrast to the SAINTS or MONSTERS should not be opened as the sand will spill out. They will be placed on April 24 in New York.
Did you see one? Tell me!

31

DONE
Thirty-first series: Little Monsters II, ed. five series of 50 each.
You know those great 19th and early 20th century Romanesque and Gothic architectural ornaments of faces and gargoyles you see on the buildings all over New York, Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Athens? Love them!! I have been known to climb up to the upper stories of nearby buildings just to get a look. So I shot a selection of these images and made them all into more little monsters. I mounted their images on the front of little clear 2 x 1 x 1 inch 2 x 2 x 1 inch boxes, darkening the backgrounds with gaffer tape and lighting them all up with LEDs. Then I filled them up with silver balls or clear beads to reflect the light and rattle wonderfully. (If you find one of these works and want to reserve the light, open them up and reinsert the tab.) I will be placing these works all through the summer in New York city.
Did you see one? Tell me!

30

DONE
Thirtieth Series: Subway Saints (mini), edition 50. People riding the subway are in an ethereal acquiescent perfect state. They are waiting with great faith to be taken to their destination and are calm and quiet during their journey – for the most part. While sitting across from them I was inspired to photograph some of the more beatific and make them into art. For this series I took their faces and sewed them into a book of hours accordion style book. This series consists of a 1 3/4 x 1 x 1/2 inch clear plastic box, my printed photographs, cotton paper, beads, glitter, a magnet, and thread. They will be placed from March 4-April 4, 2011 in New York, London, and Paris.

Did you see one? Email Me.

29

DONE
Twenty-ninth Series: Exhibition Postcards, edition 50.
You know, sometimes you just have to drop back, calm down, check out some Rauschenberg and some Johns and do a few assemblages. Concentration on color, texture, line, and a little humor can straighten up any untoward New York day. So here are 50 little combines for you. They consist of a 3 ½ x 2 inch poly bag, some papers I have collected over the years, thread and sequins, beads, a scattering of found objects and old gallery exhibition or announcement postcards. They will be placed between February 15 and May 31, 2011.
Did you see one? Tell me!

19. (re-visited)

DONE
Nineteenth Series: See Me Tell Me Shift (revisited). This series was started during fashion week. These little dresses are decorated with the patterns I find in the museums, galleries, and art fairs I visit as well as the images I find on the street. 50 will be made. They will be placed February 10-February 25, 2011 in New York. Each collage consists of a 7 to 4 inch long piece of cloth cut in the shape of a shift or sundress. The image is heat transferred on to the surface of the cloth and the dress is hung on a handmade wire hanger. On verso is the information label with the title of the series and the number in the edition.
Did you see one? Email Me.

28

DONE

Twenty-eighth Series: bound numbers, edition 20.

This is the second of my bound series. The first was the twenty-second series called bound alphabet. Wrapping, binding and tying and is a method used by outsider and visionary artists as well artists of the Congo and ancient Egypt. In each case the string, rope, thread, ribbon, amulets and trinkets threaded in and among the windings attract and concentrate spiritual power within the object empowering it to fulfill its intended purpose. Each collage consists of a 2 x 3 ½ inch poly bag, a refrigerator magnet number, found and purchased string or floss, beads, buttons, sequins, bells, and other various objects. Before the making process the number was photographed and a color xerox was made on Japanese paper and placed in the background. On verso is the title of series, edition number, and address of the blog. These collages will be placed January 26, 2011 in New York.
Did you see one? Email Me.

27

DONE
Twenty-seventh Series: See Me Tell Me Nomad, edition 5.
Instead of being something to keep this work wants to wander around. If you collect a Nomad, sign and date the sheet inside and record your pick-up here on this blog with a comment below. Then take the Nomad with you for awhile and put it in a new location somewhere else in the subway system for another collector to pick up. This work is a cross between a message in a bottle and a geocaching travel bug. Let’s see if we can keep it going all over New York. The Nomads consist of a 3 ¾ inch x ½ inch diameter plastic tube with a black top. There is a magnet glued to the back of the work and there is red string tied to the top of the tube. So you can either hang the work or attach it to a metal surface when you send it along. The Nomads were started on January 15, 2011 in New York City.

26

NY series DONE. Paris and London series DONE
Twenty-sixth Series: Subway Saints, NYC edition 20, "e" edition 50. People riding the subway are in an ethereal acquiescent perfect state. They are waiting with great faith to be taken to their destination and are calm and quiet during their journey – for the most part. While sitting across from them I was inspired to photograph some of the more beatific and make them into art. For this series I took their faces and sewed them into a book of hours accordion style book. This series consists of a 2 x 1 x ¾ inch clear or colored plastic box, my printed photographs, images stolen from art history, rice paper, beads, glitter, a magnet, and thread. They will be placed from January 15-February 7, 2011 in New York. A special "e" edition of the saints will be placed in Paris and London from March 25-April 4.
Did you see one? Email Me.

25

DONE
Twenty-fifth Series: See Me Color Matching My World, edition 100.
Armed with a pantone book, my little notebook, and with a nod to Spencer Finch I set out to specifically identify the colors I come across. I took photographs of scenes and then noted the time, date, and location. Then I PMSed (color matched) the most interesting color in the scene. Sometimes that hue is the dominate color, sometimes it is a tiny accent or an accidental color. These works consist of a 3 ½ x 2 inch glassine envelope with a color specifier chip attached to the lower right corner of the outside of the envelope and silver glitter on the lower left corner. Inside is a photograph of the scene and on the verso a second image of the scene and a second specifier chip with the title of the series, the edition number, the date and location of the photograph, and the PMS match description. The envelope is sealed with a little sticker of a photograph of my eye. These works will be placed between December 15, 2010–January 29, 2011.

Did you see one? Email Me.

24

DONE
Twenty-fourth Series: Little Monsters, ed. 13
You know those great 19th and early 20th century neo-Romanesque / Gothic ornaments of faces and gargoyles you see on the buildings all over New York? Love them!! I have been known to climb up to the upper stories of nearby buildings just to get a look. I imagine them patiently watching the city evolve and coming to life when we are not looking. So I gathered together a selection of these images and some of their antecedents and made them all into little monsters by adding mouths, tongues, and bindings. These works consist of a 3 ½ x 2 inch poly bag, red wrapping paper, Japanese paper, string, thread, ribbon, sequins, and beads. And while these works look great tucked away in their baggies they are also wonderful when removed so you can see what is inside! They will be placed between December 15, 2010–January 4, 2011. Did you see one? Tell me!

23

DONE
Twenty-third Series: Artists’ Birthdays, December, ed. 26, one for each artist
This series is a celebration of artists I admire on their birthdays. Each collage consists of a 2 x 3 ½ inch poly bag a selection of images and details of images by the artist, a note on the artist or their quotes, and specific colored sequins. On verso is the name of the artist, title of series, edition number, and address of the blog. The artists were born on the following December days - 1st Minoru Yamasaki, 2nd Georges Seurat, 3rd Gilbert Stuart, 4th Wassily Kandsinsky, 5th Walt Disney, 6th Alfred Eisenstaedt, 7th Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 8th Aristide Maillol, 9th Roy deCarava, 10 Roger Brown, 11th Mark Tobey, 12th Edvard Munch, 15th Ray Eames, 16th Edward Ruscha, 17th Paul Cadmus, 18th Paul Klee, 20th Calvert Vaux, 21st Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, 22nd Jean-Michel Basquiat, 23rd John Marin, 24th Joseph Cornell, 25th Paul Manship, 28th Stan Lee, 29th David Alfaro Siqueiros, 30th W. Eugene Smith, and 31st Henri Matisse. Did you see one? Tell me.

22

DONE
Twenty-second Series: bound alphabet, edition 26.
Wrapping, binding and tying and is a method used by outsider and visionary artists as well artists of the Congo and ancient Egypt. In each case the string, rope, thread, ribbon, amulets and trinkets threaded in and among the windings attract and concentrate spiritual power within the object empowering it to fulfill its intended purpose. Make a wish. Each collage consists of a 2 x 3 ½ inch poly bag, a refrigerator magnet letter, found and purchased string or floss, beads, buttons, sequins, and other various objects. During the process the letter was photographed and a color xerox was made on Japanese paper and placed in the background. On verso is the signifier letter, title of series, edition number, and address of the blog. These collages were created alphabetical order will be placed in alphabetical order December 2-5, 2010 in New York. Did you see one? Tell me.

21

DONE
Twenty-first Series: ARTFOREVERLOVESEEMETELLME, edition 10. This little series is the result my discovering, staring at, and researching various Yayoi Kusama works. I am a huge fan of the obsessive nature of art making. I get caught up in the inception of the project, the defining of the goals of the work, the rigorous gathering of the materials, the intense happy almost mindless creation of the work, and the release. In this mode I decided to make a tribute work of my own to Miss Kusama the ultimate obsessed artist. These works directly reference her airmail sticker series. Each collage consists of a 2 x 3 ½ inch poly bag, stickers of the word ART in various fonts, colors, and sizes in 5 layers, punctuated with a drift of silver glitter. On verso is the signifier word, title of series, edition number, and address of the blog. Signifier words for this series are: accumulation, fireflies on the water, happenings, infinity, mania, kusamatrix, obsession, polka dot princess, repetition, and self-obliteration. These collages will be placed November 26-28, 2010 in New York. Did you see one? Tell me.

20

DONE

Twentieth Series: First Homage to Joseph Cornell.

I particularly adore Cornell. Of all his series some of the simplest and amazing are his galaxy or constellation works. The edition will be 10. They consist of a stark adobe window through which a dark dark night sky is viewed sprinkled with stars individually and in clusters. So I decided to make my own galaxies as my first homage to Cornell. The work consists of a round plastic box 1 inch tall by 1 1/4 inches in diameter with a slide-on lid. Inside I have brushed the walls of the box with gesso to approximate the adobe. Beyond that I have painted the indigo sky speckled with stars. A ceramic face was placed in the lower right corner and a drift of sand and one bead in the bottom. On the outside sealing the box is the information label with the title, edition number, and blog address. On the verso is a magnet as these works will be placed on metal. Did you see one? Tell me.