A
Questionnaire
About the Anthrax Scare
(For Mail Artists)
by
Mark Bloch
I have been involved since
1977 with an international network or "movement"
called "mail art." It is also known as post-art, postal art,
Arte Postale, or correspondence art. Strange and not-so-strange
but always heartfelt items are sent from artist to artist via the international
postal system. Ed Plunkett, the man who, in 1968, named the network's most
influential subgroup, the New York Correspondence School,
once said that
the activity began when Cleopatra had herself wrapped in a rug and delivered
to Caesar.
 |
|
Mark Bloch, dot matrx printer, computer-generated sticker, 1983
|
Nevertheless,
for over fifty years, envelopes,
packages, postcards, found objects, printed books and self-published magazines
have crisscrossed the globe freely in the name of "mail art." Clever
and curious rubber stamps heralding fictitious bureaucracies that mock the
"real" world and handmade postage stamps honoring the amazing and
the absurd adorn these mailings, supplementing conventional postal accouterments,
sometimes to the dismay, but often to the delight, of the U.S. Postal authorities
who gladly deliver anything that contains adequate postage and and a readable
address. Return addresses parody the worlds of art or business or government,
but the street addresses are always legitimate. Envelopes may be beautiful
or unconventional but they almost always contain sufficient postage. This
activity has been practiced for decades, in dozens of countries, by artists
circumventing or "sending up" (pun intended) the traditional gallery
system, as well as by school children and housewives that hear of "the
network," as it is known, via word-of-mouth or in do-it-yourself zines
that are part of the oeuvre.
So all was well in the
idyllic world of mail art ... that is, until September 11, 2001. Suddenly
the concept of a self-styled "network" had a different meaning.
The term "Al Queda," in fact, was originally just a list, a roster,
a virtual "network" of like-minded individuals around the world
that some disgruntled rich kid with an anger problem had scratched on a few
pieces of paper in a cave somewhere. He didn't even have a mailbox nor did
many on the list. A transient bunch, it would appear, perhaps hard to pin
down. But now we know that bloodthirsty terrorists comprise that network.
And the more they are pursued, the more "real" and less virtual
that network becomes. Today that original list has become a synonym for death
and destruction. Meanwhile mail artists, who tend to believe in using international
communication as a tool of peace, a model for cooperation and sharing
across state borders, have been aware of the power of such international networks
for decades and have written
extensively about it. But two months ago Al Queda gave networks a bad
name. Strike one.
Then comes the use of
anthrax as a tool of terror. Now someone was hitting us mail artists where
we live. For decades we've been downright fetishistic about the mail. We love
envelopes, postcards, postmarks, stamps, and mailing paraphernalia of all
kinds. The postman is our friend. "The mailbox is a museum" is a
popular mail art credo. Overnight, the international postal system became
an institution that illicits fear.
I haven't done much snail
mail in recent years. I've been using e-mail and the World Wide Web to make
art. But I still have a softness in my heart for the post. A trip to my PO
Box still brings me great joy as well as a fair quantity of zines, amusing
stickers and drawings, even now. Prior to September 11 I was thinking of creating
some mailings once again. I considered a return to mail art by sending ex-correspondents
around the globe little packages that show what I have been up to in recent
months. But suddenly that seems like a patently bad idea. I contemplated sending
art collectors mail art about my activities to see if I could gather a few
benefactors. Nope, I won't be trying that now. Even sending out examples of
my sporadic forays into journalism to major news organizations seems like
a questionable act now. So where does that leave us? Not just mail artists,
but all of us? We are so used to using the mail freely. After all, there's
a red white and blue mail box on every other corner. Those of us that are
not living in caves have the stuff delivered right to our home on a daily
basis. Just what does this mean for us and the future of my favorite bureaucracy?
Exploiting the current
situation would be easy for a mail artist. When I began this activity some
24 years ago, I chose the name PAN because it stood for Postal Art Network.
Ironically, I came up with an idea ten years ago or so about a new word one
could use to denote "art given as a gift." We have no such word
in the English language with so much attention paid to "art for money."
I decided a new word would help clarify things. I chose "thax",
as in " to give thax." There was no such word and it sounded high
tech and new. Well it is only natural that recently the thought crossed my
mind that I could make a big rubber stamp that said "PANTHAX" and
stamp it on my mail. But that would just be stupid. Stamping anything on one's
mail about now is just going to create confusion and therefore make trouble,
something we've got enough of right now. I am not interested in such things.
A friend of mine used to baffle me with a simple mail art gesture. He knew
I loved mail art so he used to write on the outside of his plain envelopes
"Plain White Envelope Trick." Clever then. But now, there'd be no
end to the havoc it might cause. I even hesitate to write about such things.
But I do because I want
to point out the extent to which the recent activities have cramped the style
of mail artists worldwide. Not just here but in other countries. So I decided
to send out a little questionnaire for mail artists, just to find out what
WAS going on elsewhere. Were my friends in the network feeling
as I am? What follows is the e-mail I sent out to hundreds of mail artists
and a few of the replies I got back within three days.
E-mail is indeed faster
and, for the moment, safer. But it lacks a certain something when it comes
to collage and and postmarks and little guys in shorts that deliver to your
house. No one ever said "The In-Box is a Museum." Well maybe a spam
museum. But spam sounds good compared to anthrax, now doesn't it?
Mark
Bloch
The Panman
PO Box 1500
New York, NY
10009
markb@echonyc.com
PS A word about the this
document: The full text immediately below is the text
of the e-mail that I sent out. I have highlighted the questions I asked, especially
1-6 because they were the most relevant. Please note that in the answers that
follow I have included abridged versions of these questions to save space.
But I wanted to include something to provide context. Not all the artists
chose to answer all the questions.
The Questions:
Anna
Banana
how long in mail
art? early 70's
a_banana@sunshine.net
RR22, 3747 Hwy.
101
Roberts Creek,
BC,
Canada
V0N 2W2
Date: Tuesday, November
6, 2001 10:44 PM
Has
the anthrax thing effected you at all?
Yes, mail is much slower
. . . Item mailed in Oberlin on Oct. 22 didn't get here
until Nov. 5.
An express mail envelope,
mailed (with 3 day guaranteed delivery) Tues. Oct.
28, still isn't here . . . and mail has been and gone for today . . .
that's Tues. Nov. 6.
And of course there's
all the worries about white powders. . . . but I haven't
been affected by any of that . . . just hope some joker in the network
doesn't start putting flour in their mail . . .
. . .I figure anyone
stupid
over and out
anna
Please check our current
website for more detailed information on goods and
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Vittore
Baroni
Italy
Date:
Tuesday, November 6, 2001 9:37 AM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
Well, we all got a bit
depressed after that, ain't we? Our big dream of
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
I have not stopped, I
still mail out some top priority stuff almost every
day, but I send less "unnecessary"
mail everywhere, particularly the USA
because I think the
anthrax situation also
makes the Postal System less reliable from there to here
and viceversa (a book I ordered from California and was air mailed over
one month ago just
disappeared), and who
wants to spend money on postage for mailing that disappear
in black holes? I also think the postal workers in terrorist panic
can be helped by giving
less work to them,
particularly suspiciously weird pieces of correspondence like mail
art. I'm sure I'll
resume my normal postal rhythms as soon as the anthrax emergence is
hopefully over. Luckily,
I had no big mail projects or plans in store for the
forthcoming months, I had planned a break anyway, to concentrate on my
writings.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
I still get some pieces
of mail every day, so yes I receive less mail, mostly
from the States, but I'd say in the range of 30% less in general, 70%
less from the States,
so I still get a lot.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
It helped on a personal
level particularly with close friends and correspondents
from overseas (air mail being very expensive), but e-mail did not
diminish my snail mail output, it was mostly just an extra on top of it.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
I haven't noticed definite
changes in content in what I get, I still get very
arty envelopes
full of artistamps etc. My postman is well used to it. I try to send
out envelopes and packages that do not look too weird, but I still put
a couple of rubberstamps
or artistamps on
them, so it's not much different from what I send our usually.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
A tragic and terrible
terrorist act followed by a tragic and terrible war that
will solve no problem, only create more. Action should have been taken
(starting long ago!) agains
terrorist organizations, but not in this clumpsy and
ineffective way.
(please
indicate any other information you do not want posted)
the name is enough, if
somebody really want to reach me, they can find my address
and e-mail easily through search engines, I already receive daily too
much trash e-mail to encourage more by having my e-mail address posted
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John
M. Bennett
Doing
mail art since about 1974
bennett.23@osu.edu
Luna
Bisonte Prods
137
Leland Ave.
Columbus,
OH 43214 USA
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
I've found myself washing
my hands after handling mail, being somewhat more cautious about what I put
on the outsides of envelopes, and pausing a moment before opening anything
I don't immediately recognize.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
3)
are you receiving less mail?
2 & 3) I have been receiving
considerably less mail both from within the US and from outside. This means
that the amount of mail I send has also decreased.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
It hasn't substituted
so much as it has supplemented my mail - querying people if they've received
something or not, letting someone know I've mailed them something (or have
received something), etc.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
I no longer even THINK
about putting foot powder in my mailings... Terrorism as a subject has of
course become a topic in mail I send and in mail I receive.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
It's all quite horrifying,
but shouldn't be a surprise that it's happened. It's been predicted for some
time now.
7) any other information you wish to include:
be blank.
Doing mail art since about 1974. Unless you count the missives I threw overboard in the Pacific ocean back in 1951.
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FaGaGaGa
aka
Mark & Mel
mail
artists since 1982
corroto@earthlink.net
155 N. Washington
St
Delaware, Ohio
43015-1609 USA
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
My mail activities have
actually increased after this anthrax scare. I believe we have to increase
the MAIL ART in responce.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
I have found that i am
receiving LESS mail from all my contacts. I do not know the reason, but speculate
most mail artists mail when happy, as opposed to some (like me) that use the
NETWORK for social protest and comment on world issues.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
email (HATE IT, HATE IT,
HATE IT) has replaced communications I would make by phone to network friends.
It has neither replaced, nor supplemented my mail art.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
I have always been a POST
CARD mail artist, so nothing has changed. I choose PCs because the postage
rates favored this approach. In today's climate, post cards are easy and SAFE.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
Somebody told me that
war is God's way of teaching Americans about geography and other cultures.
While I certainly condemn the events of 9-11-01, I wonder if the Arabs actually
need another Burger King and blockbuster video in their towns. Fundementalist
religions twist the words of Allah and
Jesus just as much as capitolist twist govenrmental policy to do bad
things. When your religion butts heads with consumerism - we gotta brawl.
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DNA
WO MAN RAY
how
long in mail art? late 70's
810 O'Leary Rd. N.W.
Olympia,
WA 98502
Date: Thursday, November 8, 2001 4:25 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
3)
are you receiving less mail?
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
7) any other information you wish to include:
Hi Mark,
After many years living in rural settings and far away from a huge network of my dearest friends, I hold postal art in sacred esteem. I would much rather receive a beautiful piece of art through the mail rarely, than the incessant e-mail blurbs or manifestos that blur and curse my screen, leaving quite a bit to be desired. Living a simple yet artful livelihood,I continue in the network in a pretty selective way, but non the less intensly.Every piece of mail going out is Art if you infuse it with creative intent, spirit and colour !
I was also mentioned "Woman Ray" in an article in a recent Utne Reader (Oct 2000) entitled " Going Postal"about Mail Art. That was a thrill to see my postal art name in print and know that I was able to help along a fellow artist to make connections into the family network of mail artists all over the world. The "Plain white envelope trick", sent by my partner in crime, is quite funny and shows how the mail art bug has been contagious to all who I have been near and dear to over these past 24 years and beyond.......I have always sent colourful, artful packages and posts, since I was very young, and always had a stamp collection which has now grown in dimension to rubber stamps and accouterments of the mail art trade......
As for the Anthrax Scare. I personally have been moved to send MORE Mail Art if only to brighten up the faces of postal workers around the globe. They are aware of us and we have been lightening their load for many moons already. I always have great communications in the post office, while asking for more hand stamps or postal garb along the way to incorporate into my collage of stickers, drawings and stamps. I believe that their job is at high risk from mail tamperers and terrorists, not kind hands colouring and stamping their thoughts for PEACE, reaching out for networks of people wanting to play and communicate Art through the mail. However, I agree that we must be careful and conscientious and let the postal service know through our actions that we are on their side and do not want our freedoms lessened by this terrible string of events. Keep Posting for Peace, Namaste', DNA
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Dragonfly
Dream
how long in mail
art? on and off since the mid-1980's, but steadly since 1994
PMB#286, 223
N.Guadalupe
Santa
Fe,New Mexico 87501 USA
Date: Wednesday,
November 7, 2001 12:43 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
I have slowed down alittle,
but mostly it's because I have been very busy since completing my cancer treatments.
Life is precious and time is very valuable. I am doing more postcards and
no teasing/testing the post office. They have more than enough on thier plates
with the anthrax scares without me adding to thier fears.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
Yes, but again only because
of time.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
Yes, this I have noticed,
there is definatly a slow down, especially from outside the USA.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
None, I email all the
time, that has not changed.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
I'd say that the content
might be a wee bit more personal these days. I am also doing more postcards
and less envelopes stuffed with goodies...
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
It sucks.....the events
on 9/11 have devistated the country and yet it also has brought us together,
stronger. I am very unpolical but since then I have been watching the world
events alittle more closely. I was in NYC soon after the evnt and had to go
down to ground zero to see. I grew up in NYC and it was so very sad to see
the whole in the sky. The site was still burning and smoke filled the air,
sadness hung heavily in my heart. I snapped a few photos and cried.
7) any other information you wish to include:
I fear the postal system
will start seriously limiting what we can send. Our postal freedoms will be
curtailed I'm sure.
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Eleanor
Kent
how long in mail
art? Since about 1976.
544 Hill St.
San
Francisco, CA 94114
Date: Monday,
November 5, 2001 4:19 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
Haven't been very active
sending mail art recently, but I did muse on some
projects because of the events: like stamps that say "This letter
does NOT contain anthrax",
but decided it wasn't very funny after all. Also
did wonder how other mail artists were reacting.
Angry and sad that
such a peaceful activity as sending art through the mail has been so
corrupted. Gives a new meaning to "poison pen letters."
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
Not particularly.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
Haven't been very active
with mail art recently because this I was coordinating
a fabulous tech art show of 80 people for
Ylem: Artists Using
Science and Technology this September in San Francisco. Had been receiving
art from people all summer for September 4th opening and then returning
it by UPS and Fed Ex and US Post Office after September 23. Did
a lot of emailing and mailing in connection with the show before the
anthrax stuff.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
Well, I do a lot of emailing
anyway. Am doing a lot now because of arranging
for the online catalog of the show. (Only 4 people out of 80 artists
do not have email).
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
Maybe I am crosser about
getting the stupid email petitions that are outdated,
but am also glad to get the funny forwards that cheer me. Humor
helps. Nice to get thoughtful
forwards. Interesting to hear other people
vent, and get a sense of how others are reacting.
Also I have thought about
the wisdom of sending the little hats I knit for
people by snailmail. I usually write "hat hat hat hat" and "Okay
to hurl this package" all over the big envelopes, but I wonder if
that would be considered
suspect. And I would hate to send a toy to a child
with anthrax spores on it because it went by a contaminated machine.
Sigh. How mean to have kind impulses
throttled!
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
Why don't people use technology
to make wonderful things instead of killing
or maiming each other? There are such beautiful tools for communicating,
creating and getting along! I
am angry and sad that people are so divided that they cannot reason
with each other despite
all the tools available.
7) any other information you wish to include:
My webpage http://www.ylem.org/artists/ekent/index.htm
AND
webpage of Ylem:
Ylem: Artists Using Science
and Technology
http://www.ylem.org
how long in mail art? SINCE about 1976.
Before that I just sent
funny things through the mail. Glad to find such
great and generous people in mail art.
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Jas
W Felter
how long in mail
art? Since 1970
jfelter@direct.ca
2707 Rosebery
Avenue,
West Vancouver, BC, V7V 3A3, CANADA
(please
indicate any other information you do not want posted)
I don't want any of this
information POSTED, except for the information 'about me'.
If I had realized you
were going to 'post' this, I wouldn't have bothered to complete it.
I thought you were just
collecting information for a survey (no names revealed)... or whatever.
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honoria
how long in mail
art? since 1989
honoria@mail.utexas.edu
2505
enfield road #15
Austin,
TX 78703
Date:
Monday, November 5, 2001 3:24 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
I am concerned that my
mail be completely non-threatening.
I send only
postcards
and if I have to send an envelope I use vellum envelopes that are
translucent -- the contents
are visible from the outside.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
I'm sending about the
same. My sending depends on receiving. About 5 mail art
projects a week and maybe
the same number of mailing relating to mail art
research asking for permission
to publish, clarification of interviews, or
sending away for international
books.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
It seems the same - my
volume is pretty low anyway, for a mail artist that is.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
Do you mean since 9-11?
I use both forms of communication
in the same way.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
I try to send messages
of a creative peaceful nature, pro-creativity
and
pro-respect.
I have sent and recycled mail art that directly responds to
terrorism such as David
Alvey's 21 card salute that I put another layer on and
sent to Canada. The mail
art network has been subversive in the past but now I
think we must examine
what we are FOR what we represent which is innovation,
interaction, world interconnections,
and emphasis on multi cultural exchange
and respect. We should
do everything to support the mail system that we depend
on.
Mail artists should be careful to mail responsibly and consider the
effect
each piece of mail may
have on already stressed systems.
I've participated in online
discussions on electronic message boards discussing
issues related to mail
art and anthrax. One example was someone made an 100%
anthrax free stamp and
sent it to a town in France where it caused a
disturbance due to the
fact that several people didn't know English words.
Reine Shad suggested a
new mail art school "the mail art school for respect and
peace."
I felt that the new school gave the right message from mail artists
so
I had a rubberstamp and
some stickers made with that message to distribute
through my routine sendings.
6) what are your personal feelings about recent events?
I am sad that terrorists
have chosen the postal system to deliver anthrax death
spores.
Many innocent people are hurt and affraid due to this basic means of
dissemination that enters
into their/our daily routine. The
distribution of
death through the mails
is an effective terrorist strategy. Because mail
artists have been an undetected,
under the radar network for many years mail
artists might have creative
insights into terrorists' use of the mails that we
may not even recognize
ourselves. We should think about how the terrorists
might be thinking in order
to add to the body of knowledge of mail
distribution. The forensic
experts and the employees who work for the post
office also have a lot
of expertise in what goes through the mails, who is on
the routes, what is normal
and what is not. I hope the investigators can pull
that information together
to locate the source of the anthrax mail, capture the
terrorists and stop the
use of the mail for distructive purposes.
I am sad we
are at war. I am sad that
there is so much hate in the world and that people
feel they have kill each
other to prove philosophical differences.
7)
any other information you wish to include:
Where are you going to
post this collection? I am very interested to see the
results!
You might want to post
this on www.crosses.net - there are a fair number of
mail artists posting there.
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jacqui Salter-Disler
how
long in mail art? early 80's with lapses jaquijade@yahoo.com
Jacqui Disler
1078 Bothwell
Bolingbrook,
Il. 60440
Date: Tuesday, November
6, 2001 6:52 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
1. no change
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
2.
yes no
3)
are you receiving less mail?
3. na
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
4. not enough
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
5. more postcards
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
6.
Horrendous
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Mail art names include, but are not limited to:
ex posto facto, Anne Maybe, Dr. Victoria
Fluxbuxenstein
how long in mail art? 1991
parrthed8@yahoo.com
p.o.box 495522
garland, tx 75049
From: JJ <parrthed8@yahoo.com>
Date: Tuesday, November
6, 2001 9:39 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
They haven't been affected,
but I do wonder if my odd
mail worries the people
that handle it.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
about the same
3)
are you receiving less mail?
about the same--maybe
a little MORE from outside the
US
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
In general or since 9/11? In general it has been
helpful as a networking
tool--especially as I began my
mail art activity in the
early '90's. Now, not so
much.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
I had a stamp made that
says IN BIG LETTERS "odd but
harmless" that I've
been using since 9/11
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
Tragic.
No reason to add to anyone's anxiety...
7)
any other information you wish to include:
I like chocolate
=====
"Life is like licking
honey off a thorn." --Louis Adamic
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Juan
Guerrero
A mail artist
from Mexico
2ojos@ozu.es
Date: Wednesday, November
7, 2001 1:07 AM
DEAR MARK,
About your questions,
yes, personally I am receiving less
mail art in my box. Of
course now and for a while, snail
mail is becoming slower
than the normal (mexican postal
service is usually slow),
but I think that on the long way
(hope nos so long) thins
have to become "normal".
Also, some projects that
before were posible (like sending
soda cans and other extrange
packages) are not possible for
the moment, but I hope
that also these events will bring a
big development in technology
in the post offices to
distinguish between an
artist project and the terrorist acts
via mail.
For the moment, I dont
atempt to send anything out to the
normal to USA by mail,
but less see... at the end, I'm sure
this is not the end of
mail art.
Best wishes,
Juan Guerrero, a mail
artist from Mexico.
----------------------------------
Correo enviado desde http://ozu.es
No dejes tus ahorros en
cualquier sitio:
http://ingdirect.ozu.es
----------------------------------
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Richard Kostelanetz
P.O. Box 444, Prince St.
New York, NY 10012-0008
rkostelanetz@bigfoot.com
From: Rkosti@aol.com
To: <markb@echonyc.com>
Date: Monday, November
5, 2001 2:01 PM
In a message
dated 11/5/01 12:44:09 PM, markb@echonyc.com writes:
to
what extent has email played a part in replacing or supplementing your
snail
mail activities?
this, Mark, is the most
interesting question, if only because it's easy to
send graphic images, saving
snail mail for 3-D objects, I would guess. I look
forward to seeing your
results.
website: www.richardkostelanetz.com
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Jean
Kusina
how long in mail
art? 5-6 years, most actively the last 3
einstein629@yahoo.com
810 Clinton St.
Fremont,
OH 43420
Date: Wednesday,
November 7, 2001 4:42 AM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
The attack on the World
Trade Center left me, like
everyone, stunned and
mortified. For a brief period I
was unable to send mail
art. What would I say? My
main concern was for my
friends in New York-- all of
whom were, thankfully,
safe. I had been travelling
during this time and returned
home to be greeted by a
large and welcoming pile
of cards and letters. It
snapped me back into mail
art mode, and I was ready to
return to business.
It seemed important to exchange
with other artists.
The anthrax threat has
affected my mind more than my
mailing.
It saddens me that someone would turn
something that has brought
joy to so many into a
weapon, something to be
feared. Yet at the same time,
it makes me want to send
more mail art. I often think
of the Dadaists in these
bewildering days, and I came
across a quote from Jean
Arp: "Repelled by the
slaughterhouses of the
world war we turned to art. We
searched for an elementary
art that would save mankind
from the furious madness
of these times."
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
Actually, I am sending
more mail, although it seems to
be of a more personal
nature instead of to official
mail art calls.
Most of my mail has been within the
United States, essentially
because there seems to be
increased activity of
everyone trying to pull together
and lift each other‚s
spirits. I am starting to
branch out and send more
international mail because I
am finally at a place
where I have caught up with
those I felt needed the
most urgent responses and most
of those were here in
America.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
It seems that I am receiving
slightly more mail than
usual, most of it from
the U.S. A fair amount of mail
has come from individuals
that I have never
corresponded with before.
People seem to want to
connect with each other. Also, I find myself getting
re-connected with some
mail artists that I had not
corresponded with in a
while. My international mail
seems about the same,
and I have received several
letters of support and
shared grief for all that is
going on.
Words from overseas that say, "We are with
you" mean a great
deal-- not a political way, but in
a significantly more human
sense.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
Judging by the dates on
the cancellations all of the
mail, both foreign and
domestic, is moving more slowly
now.
E mail works best for information that needs to
be shared quickly.
It was indispensable to me during
the September 11th tragedy,
since I was on the road in
Mexico and Texas and had
no other way to communicate
with friends and loved
ones than those now
unforgettable "Are
you OK?" e mails. I certainly
would not want it to replace
snail mail, but at the
same time I am glad it
is there.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
I am really trying not
to let the current situation
influence my mailing too
much. I am still sending odd
envelopes and such, but
at the same time I am trying
to respect the postal
workers and not make their lives
any more difficult. I have put a couple of my
rubberstamps into semi-retirement,
one that read
"CAUTION: Handle
Only If Wearing Proper Protection"
and another that said,
"Toxic Yet Tasty". Previously,
these had always passed
unnoticed or at least without
fear.
As luck would have it, the day the anthrax
story broke wide open,
I had just been to the post
office mailing a bundle
of unusual items. One was
hand sewn with estimated
postage, another was in a
clear plastic canister˜basically
a laundry list of
everything the post office
would be listing on
television as things to
watch out for. I still have
no idea if they all made
it or what havoc they may
have caused.
Those types of things I have eased off
on sending.
Even still, my theory is that if there
are letters to be concerned
about they are likely the
most innocuous looking
ones--plain white,
handwritten--not ones
with drawings and stamps designed
to bring attention to
themselves.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
Total disbelief.
7)
any other information you wish to include:
Every day I still look
forward to the mail.
Hi Mark-- Always good
hearing from you. Here are a
few thoughts I jotted
down for your survey-- I hope
they are useful to you. Your writings on the tragedy
touched me greatly.
I still can't imagine NY without
the Towers, much less
comprehend the fates of those
inside, and the ones who
are left.
Yeah, the anthrax thing
is a drag, but we mail on--
Love, Jean
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kiyotei (demidog)
how
long in mail art? 2 years
kiyotei@beer.com
p.o.
box 2786
carlsbad,
ca. 92018
Date:
Wednesday, November 7, 2001 4:20 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
Not at all. there are
too many other things to worry about, like cancer, car accidents, or being
struck by lightning. I was affected enough by the event to make art that day
and mail it postmarked September 11th! The art
has since been published in Wired. (Click for link)
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
to destinations within
the USA? to outside the USA? Have not changed my destinations. My mailings
did decrease a bit right after the attacks, because I was spending way too
much time in front of the boob tube.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
My mail has decreased since the attack - but this week seems to be picking up a bit. I suspect the same reasons as my own personal slow-down in creations.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
None, my emails are always
more frequent than snail mailings
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
I am sending more postcards
because letter mail is being delayed. I know this because I have sent both
a postcard and letter mail to the same person (on the same day) in Canada
and she told me that she got the postcard but not the letter yet.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
Sucks big time. Peace
is a lovely hope - but human nature is in direct conflict with this ideal.
7)
any other information you wish to include:
Have a Great Day.
P.S. I love
your page. Gotta get around to adding to my mailart resources page: http://www.art.net/~kiyotei/mailmarks.html
Kiyotei's
Den http://www.art.net/~kiyotei
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Leigh McCartney
pattyhitler19@hotmail.com
how long in mail art? 1 yr 2 mo
snail mail address
Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2001 4:03 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
I am afraid of sending
mail art to strangers and I won't send mail art
for
sometime to them. I don't know how they will react.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
I am not sending any at
the moment.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
I am getting none.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
Email has made me feel
warm and fuzzy.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
Nothing has really changed,
humor will always exist in my art and it is my
immortal formula.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
I am sad and afraid for
Americans, our lives will never be the same.
I am
remorseful for the innocent
victims, it is so unfair.
7)
any other information you wish to include:
I am a photo and video
art student
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Tim
Mancusi
San Francisco
timdada@earthlink.net
Date: Monday, November
5, 2001 11:15 PM
Mark,
Actually, I kind of stopped
answering my mailart over a year ago
because I was overwhelmed.
I know... not a really good excuse but
for years I was so on
it. I answered everything with a quality, hand-crafted
reply. I still answer
select pieces of mail but (more lame excuses) these days
I spend a lot of time
answering email. (And I'm a 2 finger typist.)
At any rate, I had entertained
sending out some massive fake Anne Thracks
type mailings but, maybe
because I'm getting old, I've decided I don't need the
publicity a jail sentence would bring. I've actually OD-ed on all the "9-11"
news and after some angry
response to my recent 9-11 observations have
found more solace in my
garden. Especially the poppies.
:-> Tim
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LaurieMikej@aol.com
mail artist for
about 12 years
Date: Tuesday, November
6, 2001 1:47 AM
Subject: Re: Mike James
has midlife change of he/art
Dear Mark-
I have been an off and
on mail artist for about 12 years. I did a few large mail art projects but
slowed down to nearly a stand still in the past few years. I was doing a great
deal of trading of video, audio, and CD material with people outside the mail
art community however, particularly in Europe until 9-11. I have totally stopped
this activity with people in Europe. Mostly because I do not want to jamb
up the mail system anymore than it already is but also because the person
who delivers my mail is scared shitless to be handling the material I was
receiving. I do not blame my mail person for not wanting to handle such material.
If I were in their place I would not want to handle it either.
My wife and I were in Savannah, GA when the Trade Towers and Pentagon
were hit. After we returned home it took me nearly a month to come to terms
with the reality of the situation. It made me reevaluate a lifetime of political
thought and personal philosophy. I had always thought of myself as being liberal
- a politically active liberal in the late 60's and early 70's. Less active
and a bit more conservative as I grew older but still voting a Democratic
ticket with occasional forays into liberal third parties.
But as I have surveyed the situation that America now finds itself
in and compared, as best I can, past historical situations, I find that I
am really not a true liberal at all. I realize that I have been naively mistaken
about many things in the past, particularly the importance of cultural identity
within a capitalist framework and the limits of freedom.
I believe the current situation to be an inevitable clash of civilizations.
Wars of this kind have been fought for centuries. Americans will never again
experience the freedom they once had but I do want my country and my culture-
as shallow and vapid as it might be- to survive. I feel a world war of some
type is inevitable and I hope the US wins it.
So yes, the murder of nearly five thousand people has affected me and
my relation with the mail quite a bit.
PS- Mark-I was hoping
that you survived the attack. Good luck in NY. You are going to need it in
the months ahead.
Best, Mike James
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mark
pawson
mark@mpawson.demon.co.uk
how long in mail
art? 17 yrs
Date: Monday, November
5, 2001 11:20 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
no effect
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
same as always
3)
are you receiving less mail?
same as always
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
I tend to use e-mail for
more buisness/work-related matters--the instantness is
hard to beat!
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
no change--I've been busy
with 2 projects that were in the pipeline long before
sept 11 and
neither has been changed or adapted in any way.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
I'm glad it wasn't me,
I'm glad it wasn't anybody I know, I'm glad that all my
friends in NY are OK,
I have looked again at my holiday photos of NY from
September 2000.
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Pawel
Petasz
how
long in mail art? since 1974
petasz@softel.elblag.pl
Chopina 6,
82-300 Elblag
Poland
Date: Thursday, November
8, 2001 5:18 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
the Poczta Polska was
already extremely unfriendly and arrogant. Little more can be provided. Rise
of postage perhaps.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
no
3)
are you receiving less mail?
no
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
replaced letters
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
less creative envelopes
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
shit happens
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Carlo
Pittore
216 Post Rd
Bowdoinham, ME
04008
pittore@gwi.net
Date: Monday, November
5, 2001 10:24 PM
I
feel Mark Blockish and can't answer your questions as asked, because
I
don't think like that,
and it wouldn't be fun.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
I've not changed my mailing
habits.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
I am not receiving less
mail; perhaps even more. Also from abroad.
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J.
Massa
how
long in mail art?: 18 years
J.Massa@wanadoo.fr
From: J.Massa @wanadoo.fr
<J.Massa@wanadoo.fr>
To: Mark Bloch <markb@echonyc.com>
Date: Wednesday, November
7, 2001 7:02 AM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
3)
are you receiving less mail?
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
answers
to 1/2/3/5
I am kind of (re)tired from Mail-Art, so I didn't write that much
before the recent events
anyway.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
it helps to keep contact
when you're tired of sending mail...
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
about the towers etc...
it continues to be absolute sci-fi for me. I
don't arrive to believe
that possible
about the anthrax I feel
very concerned by those postmen. In France,
generally, postmen are
very kind people. Their work is so important to link
people, especially old
people, etc. I feel about the same way for postmen &
firemen...
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Reed
Altemus
how long in mail
art? 11yrs
POB 52 Portland,ME
04112
Date:
Monday, November 5, 2001 3:17 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
Really, there hasn't been
any effect on my mailings, although I know it has effected other mail artists
mailings.
I think some are waiting
for the anthrax scare to calm down before they get back into it full swing.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
No, I'm sending about
the same- same to outside the US also...
3)
are you receiving less mail?
Well, I was quite suprised
to hear Micheal Leigh comment that this is "the best time to be in the
mail"
but, if you know how Michael
is you know how hard core he is about snail mail- it's probably up to him
with his level of involvement
to find something interesting or funny to do regarding the whole alarmist
scenario we're witnessing
now. All this stuff happening now was probably happening before, it
just wasn't "newsworthy"until
the WTC thing. As usual the media are playing the public's emotions
for all they can get.
Scared people make obedient people.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
I actually get *a lot*
less email than ever before. Back when the Internet was like the wild wild
west (please excuse
the cowboy metaphor, I hate cowboys) it used to be fairly interesting, but
now that cyberspace has been
tamed, coopted etc. I have a much greater interest in snail mail because nobody's
doing it now! I'm
devolving!
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
The collaboration continues,
my magazine Farrago is getting lots of submissions and it keeps me fairly
busy mail-wise.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
I personally feel that
it was a crime against humanity and that the people who perpetrated
this crime should be brought
to justice in an international court. The war means innocent people
will be killed which is *also* a crime against humanity. As Ghandi said "An
eye for an eye
leaves the whole world blind"
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Reid
Wood (State of Being)
how long in mail
art? Since 1981
reidwood@oberlin.net
271 Elm St.
Oberlin, OH 44074
Date: Monday, November
5, 2001 9:05 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
am somewhat more cautious
in opening mail, but it has not changed my mailing
patterns yet.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
I am not sending less
mail, and I still have plans to send out my large mailing
for New Years.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
It's difficult to tell
if I am receiving less mail. It seems to come to me
in spurts during normal times, and it
is hard to tell yet whether there will be a long term diminishing.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
It hasn't replaced my
snail mail activities, and it had already supplemented
those activities before 9-11.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
Not substantially. It
did have an effect on some of what I sent out immediately
after the events, but ultimately
I think the best approach is to try to continue being who we
are.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
I am still trying to get
some sort of closure on them (if that is possible).
I think there is some sense of everyone
waiting for the next shoe to drop, but in spite of the commentary
about how we will never be the same I
don't think that has proven true (at least to the extent stated by the
commentators). We are
different, but there
have been other catastrophic national events that have changed us.
Maybe those people who were jerks are
less jerky now, but there are lots of people I knew before the events
who were caring, who were concerned about
community, who reached out to people, and they are still that way.
I don't know - as I said
I'm still waiting
for some kind of closure. The
one thing I am concerned about is the reactions of the government and
what we may give up in personal freedoms
in the hope of gaining personal security.
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Reg
(R.F. Côté)
how long in mail
art? Since 1994
rfcote@iquebec.com
12465 Avenue
de Troyes
Québec,
Qc G2A
3C9
Canada
Date: Tuesday, November
6, 2001 6:21 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
Mail (large enveloppes
or parcels) coming
from outside Canada took
longer to arrive and were
covered with red stampings
from Canada customs. For
the past 2-3 weeks, large
mail items are coming in
faster.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
No, as a matter of fact,
I increased my
invoices. I don't know
why?
3)
are you receiving less mail?
No. Coming in steady.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
No change!
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent orreceived?
No change for the content
but better
sealed/packed.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
Disturbing but life is
gotta go on...
7)
any other information you wish to include:
Sending postcards seem
to be a ''safer'' way
to send mail art or any
other regular mail.
Surprisingly, I did not
hear comments about promoting
the sending of postcards
instead of enveloppes.
check my mail art call
at:
http://www.graffiti.eboard.com
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Rod
Summers / VEC
how long in mail
art? since 1972
rodvec@planet.nl
Florijnruwe 52C
- NL-6218 CE Maastricht
The Netherlands.
Date: Wednesday, November
7, 2001 6:10 AM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
The whole event was very
depressing. I increased my output of mail-art, both
digital and analogue to compensate for the inhumanity of others. I always
wear full ABC protective clothing when opening any mail from John M. Bennett.
Some of my best friends are sheep but I stopped kissing those that come in
envelopes.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
I increased my snail mail
output, email remains about the same.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
No, about the same as
normal, only now it comes through in lumpy batches rather than being spread
throughout delivery days.
4) has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
I view them as two very different forms of communication, both good.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
Not a lot. I'm sending
out more CDs at present but that is because I have published three new CDs
since August.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
I am deeply saddened
that humanity has sunk to such depths, there is definitely a case now for
species extinction, we don't deserve to live on such a beautiful planet when
we behave in such a dastardly manner.
7)
any other information you wish to include:
Christians Jews and Moslems
all worship the same god, The name of that god was on the lips of both the
perpetrators and victims of the IX/XI atrocity. Religion is pathetic as are
the people who require one.
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Ruud
Janssen
how long in mail
art? since
r.a.cjanssen@freeler.nl
Date:
Wednesday, November 7, 2001 4:15 PM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
I have cut down on snail-mail
a lot. But that has been the case for over a year already. The attack on the
WTC has nothing to do with this. Contacts to USA are more influenced by the
increased postal rates of a simple envelope.....
3)
are you receiving less mail?
No real changes.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
Mail in general tends
to go electronic. My (good) old contacts in snail mail still are there. Not
everybody of our generation has e-mail. With the new generation (e.g. my students)
most is done electronically.
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
The quality of snail-mail
has improved. If I send something out by snail mail, it is never a quickly
done piece.
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
It is a tragical event
that the world realizes that there are these sick persons that have no respect
for life. The world has changed.
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Umbrella
how long in mail
art? 26 years
umbrella@ix.netcom.com
P.O. Box 3640
Santa Monica,
CA 90408
Date: Tuesday, November
6, 2001 4:40 AM
1)
how have your mailing activities been affected by recent events,
i.e. anthrax?
Am too busy, so I am doing
much less.
2)
are you sending less mail? within the USA? outside the USA?
Less everywhere, but not
because of anthrax.
3)
are you receiving less mail?
No, but my business generates
a lot of mail, mostly books.
4)
has email played a part in replacing or supplementing snail mail?
e-mail is communication
for me, not art
5)
how has the CONTENT of your mail changed- sent or received?
A lot about the tragedy
and touching my friends around the world about it
6)
what are your personal feelings about recent events?
I've already written you
about my impressions on 11 September and a bit
later.
I am still having a videotape in my head of the events, but at least
after 5 weeks of nightmares,
they have finally disappeared. I
cry a lot
more when I see details
on TV.
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