When you're a mailartist the postman (or mailman if you prefer) becomes one of the most important people in your life. But here's a question, is he friend or foe?
He brings nice things including: mailart, birthday cards, presents, parcels.
But equally he also shoves these our way: bills, tax notices, junk mail, losing the mail.
So, here's a question - has the postman's role in your life changed since you began making mailart?
I scoured the web and found a few funny (or tragic stories depending on your outlook) about postal services. Check some of these headlines out:
Postman jailed for theft
Family risks losing mail delivery because cat scratches postman
Postman dumped 400 letters in field
A "byline on using data from the mailart365 project"
A couple of things I've sent since we began the mailart365 project don't seem to have shown up and the very reason I wrote this "question everything" on the subject of the postman is because Mim mentioned a package she sent never reached Andy... and a card she sent a while back is yet to reach me. Maybe, just maybe, at the end of the year we could look back at it in numbers (provided we have the data) and see what proportion arrived, what proportion didn't, how long it took on average and rate the mail service based on our experience... let's see! Andy - any thoughts on this one?
L-plate
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Thanks for visiting Mailart 365. This site is an archive of mailart produced by artists doing mailart 365 from December 2010 to August 2016. As of July 2016, we moved to a new and more modern site at www.mailart365.com. Come on over and check us out there
January 18, 2011 at 11:55 PM
I've also had a post from JJ not arrive from Australia :-(
In my opinion mailart is about calculated risk and the risk is part of the excitement. We take risks when we decide to send it, picking out the most "appropriate" piece for people we have never met, then stake our stamp on it, gambling with the postal odds. We know that it may not make it, but if it does, the journey completes the piece.
There is a "postcard" show on at the moment in London by Gilbert and George that everyone I know has invited me too (I'm starting to get a reputation for this sort of thing). Apparently they use postcards to make some art, but in my opinion this is not a mailart show, and I would even be reluctant to call it a postcard show. I'd certainly not call them postcard artists, as they have not POSTED the pieces. They've not taken the risk we do as mailartists. They obviously wouldn't give a shit about this conclusion, but for me, I've turned down all invites to this show because I'm not interested in what you can do with postcards that don't go anywhere. I'm interested in the connection that people make or try to make with other human beings, and the postcard is a way to try to make this connection.
January 31, 2011 at 1:59 PM
I somehow missed this post and discussion but I DID receive this piece of mail art! It was waiting for me when I arrived home on Saturday night, for our trip to New Orleans. I posted the image on my IUOMA blog, and you'll see that the postman on the envelope lost his head, assuming he had one when he started his journey. Yes, we take a risk. I've had 2 pieces returned to me so far, errors in addressing (mine) and 2 pieces missing as far as I know. There are some people who haven't responded that they've received the card (not MA365 people.) I've had 2 pieces damaged that I know of, so far. It IS part of the risk we take with our art. I agree Andy, the work is about connecting with people through what we send out. My mail carrier, Clyde, had the best smile ever.
January 31, 2011 at 8:01 PM
I love the postal service yet loathe them at the same time. Its a grey area and sometimes a black hole into which we send our beloved art, letters, birthday cards etc. I have received mail without postage stamps or any evidence that it visited a post office at all. And yet on others the evidence is overwhelming! I would like to think that the postal delivery persons who deliver to my home enjoy what they do and take a sense of pride in their work and maybe even get a chuckle or smile from the things I send as mail art. Pieces that are not received at their prearranged destination I like to think have been hijacked by mail art connoisseur's possibly at your local post office. And in the back of the post office where commoners are not promitted they have a gallery and as soon as they close the doors, PROMPTLY at 5pm ,they pop open a bottle of bubbly and enjoy our hijacked art with a bit of baked brie and crackers. :)
February 12, 2011 at 11:13 AM
Ha! So funny about the postman losing his head, Mim! Glad you got the card :)
Rani - I love this description of interacting with the postal workers :) You're right, there could well be some kind of organised syphoning up of global mailart by our seemingly innocent postal service workers... perhaps one day all us mailartists should unite and organise a raid on the authorities? ;)
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