Postcard Collective Fall 2012

One of the best parts about the Postcard Collective is the wide range of items I receive in the mail in addition to forcing myself to create an image 3-4 times a year. The postal clerks have admitted to reading them (thanks for being honest) but I never know if they mean mine or those that are sent to my box.

Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order) by James Luckett, Camilla Oldenkamp, Amelia Morris, Brittany Eaton, Julia Bradshaw, Chris Toalson, Jonell Pulliam, Camden Hardy, Laura Hruska, Cat Lynch, Any-Thuy Nguyen, Cindy Morrissey, Emma Powell, Liu Miao, Daniel Marchand, and Kathleen Ryan. 

There is a new call for entries for Winter 2013 if anyone is interested in submitting!

Cat Lynch's Postcard Collective Interview & Letterbox Project

Another Postcard Collective interview is finally up! Cat's two contributions over the course of the last six months are some of the most fascinating items to reach my mailbox. Read more here.

Once upon a time back in November 2010, I contributed (belatedly) to Cat Lynch's Letterbox Project. Earlier this month, I received this in my mailbox announcing its completion.

See all of it here (including contributions by Laura Hruska, Kathleen Ryan, and Hannah Barnes).

Snow Part 2

Rune Guneriussen, Evolution, 2005 (Thanks Laura for the link!)


Paula McCartney, On Thin Ice in a Blizzard


Mike Rebholz


Alec Soth, Untitled, 1995


Joseph Cornell, Untitled, 1967


Doug and Mike Starn


Deborah Parkin, September is the Cruelest Month


Daniel Marchand


Justin James Reed, The Real Unknown

Robert Adams, "Summer Nights, Walking: On the Colorado Front"

The Denver Art Museum is the first venue of Robert Adams: The Place We Live, A Retrospective Selection of Photographs. In this first post about Robert Adams (thinking about home and place), I was partially inspired by Laura's post on night bicycle riding.

All images are from Robert Adams, Summer Nights, Walking: On the Colorado Front, 1976-82.

Just in case I lose this cake over the falls...

...here is a photograph. "Hey Laura, wanna come over and pose for me wearing a white dress, a blond wig and holding a fake cake?" turned into "Crap! Hide from the census taker and ooh let's spy on my cop neighbors through the blinds in the living room until they all go away."



I have way too many rules with this project. Even the photographs that don't involve a cake in the water need to be photographed outdoors in the sunshine. Thanks for squinting into the light, letting my cats sniff every inch of your clothing/props, and putting up with my idiosyncrasies Laura!

H-E-L-L-O! Show Volume 3: The Wrap Show

The last dress rehearsal before Maura and Mark take the show to a festival in Austria 4th May! Tonight's guests featured: Amelia Morris, Drew Deboy, Jon, Laura, and Steve.

The Wrap Show featured more Fluxus events like "An Homage to Christo" in which Laura unwrapped something in the giant wig I wore last week (based on Jeanne-Claude's hair - the object was a bottle of cayenne powder). Maura also went through her laundry describing how each article was dirty after Yoko Ono's original performance piece. In addition to the usual "underpants," t-shirts, and socks, there were a lot of washcloths.



After a dinner of delicious homemade mac and cheese, salad, bread, and giant strawberries, it was back to the costume closet. We were in search of covering Jon in costume from head to knees. These two versions would eventually come together as one in the performance "Stage Fright." The fake butt returns in the form of boobs.





Laura in her pink grandma sweater (other fascinating aspects of her costume include a fake beard worn as a garter and plaid tights). She also had a pair of bikini bottoms on over the tights.



Here's Drew in a dress and one of Laura's wigs with Larry in the kitchen.



In addition to cutting up a coat length wise in the performance "Fashion," Amelia also operated the camera, participated in two telephone skits, and sang.




The music intro with Jon, Drew, and Mark.






The first telephone fluxus event featured another over-the-top performance from Jon saved by Amelia on several occasions. Jon's task was to call random phone numbers and ask who he was talking to. Once he got a name (it took 4 calls for someone to reveal Steve), he would then call someone he knew and ask for Steve.



The second telephone performance was treated like a panel discussion. Maura, Amelia, Drew, and Laura called someone they knew and asked them to describe what they were wearing. The unexpected part of this was when Drew's brother and Laura's friend asked the same question back. The audience then heard Drew describe his dress with fringe, wig, and plaid underwear and Laura in her sweater, tights, and beard garter in a nonchalant manner. High on the amusement scale.



Behind the scenes preparing for "Stage Fright." Steve, Mark, and Amelia led Jon, Laura, and Drew in front of the camera. They were unable to see due to being completely costumed from head to knee.



Jon, Drew, and Laura then fumbled around on stage for the duration of a polka song.



The most fun performance of the evening to watch (hearing was another story) Jon, Steve, Drew, Laura, Mark, and Amelia singing a song that they all knew the most lyrics to at the top of their lungs. Renditions of the Beach Boys, the Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Happy Birthday were among the choices.



The music outro featured Steve as a keyboard table for Drew (he asked us all to call him Papau afterwards since he was the senior member of our group that evening).



In the meantime, stay tuned for more cakes!

H-E-L-L-O! Show Round 2: Chance

I'm noticing that one of the beauties of this project and working with Maura is the email instructions we receive the day before (see below). It changes a little bit depending on who shows up. Jon bailed this week but Laura and I were there. Maura and Mark's neighbor Nathan came later in addition to his mother Robin and stepfather Steve (the "locals" as Maura calls them).

This week it worked! Unfortunately the "mystery skype guest" went to bed early and missed his part of the show. It recorded (yay!). It was only 14.5 minutes long but much improved over last week.

"The Chance Show:

Tonight’s show will feature selected event scores by Eric Andersen one of the first fluxus artists. It will also include a call-in guest via “Skype” who will perform one of the scores with the group.

EVENT SCORE: The Chance Show (tentative)

1. Intro(mov) : Cut with live feed of music intro

2. Music Intro Live (Mark & Jon) Play whatever they like for as long as they need.

3. Text Feed: welcome inserted simultaneously over the M & J

4. Opus 46 (1963): (Everyone) 5 sec approx

5. Larry and Dave Take a Walk (mov): Cut to video 1 minute

6. Opus 9: (Steve) ?

7. Local Ad (mov): Cut to video 30 sec

9. Opus 11: (Laura)

10. Song with picture (mov.): 2 min Maura’s choice

11. Skype Guest: Intro name, occupation, where are you? Tour the room you are calling from. 4 min

12. Opus 21 (Maura & Jacinda) We will flip a coin to see who gets which letters

13. Diploma From Home (mov) 1:30 min

14. Opus 21 (everyone & skype guest) (TBD)

15. Poem performance Nathan (maybe)

16. Music Out (Mark & Jon)"


Reviewing the program CamTwist and everyone's Opuses with me before starting.

Opus #17 with Maura:

Opus 17: (1961) Eric Andersen

1. Two persons are situated on the stage.
One of them pronounces the sound "A'

2. (optional)) The person who started with the sound "A" is only allowed to pronounce the sound "B". The other person is only allowed to pronounce the sound "C".

3. The performance is finished when one of the persons pronounces the sound "D".

We flipped a coin and I won the toss. My sound of "D" sounded like "duh."


Sound Check: the lights were really bright tonight.


The order of events....


Costumes again! Gotta love Laura's tights (Larry does).


Laura loaned me her poofy wig (wow gravity).


Blending in.


Waiting for the others to come up to the attic.


Laura's Opus #11 featured getting rid of a dead plant and substituting it with a live one.






My favorite photo of the evening (I was quick to realize that I cannot operate Cam Twist, the video camera on occasion, and my Canon so out pops the i-phone yet again). Unfortunately, I did not get any of the group photographed or Steve and Robin performing. There was too much to operate at the same time.


Polka song (note: this week Mark's tail is Laura's missing tight).




Maura and Mark made vegetarian pasta with asparagus, tomatoes, and capers in addition to chili for the meat eaters. After the broadcast, Mark and Steve are hanging out in the kitchen discussing how badly Larry will have diarrhea that night due to Steve feeding him meat and beans.


"... but that's okay," says Steve. He brought some Tums in a glove because he was out of sandwich bags.