The Office Assistant - Catching up on the backlog
Thankyou to everyone that called out a cheery 'hello' this morning. The comfortable routine is back in place. Walking 40 and Working 40. (Yep - I really am walking my commute and it really does add up to 40 miles in 5 days.) Have you ever looked at yourselves as you walk into the lobby - what a bloody miserable lot you all are. Nobody seems happy to be back at work, or expresses it through their facial expressions. It makes me want to launch the Loaded Smile ever more frequently. Every aspect of this nascent community is appreciated though - from the friendly frequent visitors to the small clusters that insist on ignoring me 6 times a day.
The key question today has been 'what will become of this (quilt) at the end of the installation?' I don't quite know just yet, but Drummond navigated me to the office of Commissioner Sam Adams, where I met Jesse Beason. Word on the street is that Sam is a keen supporter of the Arts, so it seems appropriate that all enquiries be directed to him somehow. Apparently Sam was in Australia last week, and left for the Czech Republic today. He doesn't need to travel so much to find me - I am right across the street. "Hey Sam - if you are in Czech, can you bring back my studio boots? They are in the second drawer of the white dresser." If anyone has any inspirational ideas on what to do with this huge, growing quilt, then email Jesse - :-) The stats for the work to date are impressive - 30 square meters and counting, weighing in around 15 pounds right now. The plan is to try and hang it up on Wednesday, before I get lost underneath it all.
Perhaps another way to look at this project is to ask "is all of this work in vain?" Which might be like asking "are you spending your life in your job in vain?" What does "in vain" actually mean? Take it all one step further and the conversation always arrives at Iraq - "have soldiers died there in vain?" What would be your reaction if I sat here for another month and methodically dismantled my work, pulling each square apart and rewinding the plastic back onto the spool? Would that work be 'in vain?' And if I did, wouldn't that get right up the nose of these same people who comment that this project is a 'waste of time'.
Whilst pondering that one (thanks Al!)
Ellen and her purple hat checked out the volume of the work. 
Susan told me how she has moved departments, and life started to feel better (with some interesting circular feedback from people that had worked in that department too!), whist 
Charles checks in on a regular basis - in his designated role of Supervisor. For the record, the plastic is reclaimed - not recycled. It was sitting on a loading dock when the kidnapping took place, in broad daylight, saving the spools from certain death in a land fill. Now it is very happy to live quietly as an art project.
The key question today has been 'what will become of this (quilt) at the end of the installation?' I don't quite know just yet, but Drummond navigated me to the office of Commissioner Sam Adams, where I met Jesse Beason. Word on the street is that Sam is a keen supporter of the Arts, so it seems appropriate that all enquiries be directed to him somehow. Apparently Sam was in Australia last week, and left for the Czech Republic today. He doesn't need to travel so much to find me - I am right across the street. "Hey Sam - if you are in Czech, can you bring back my studio boots? They are in the second drawer of the white dresser." If anyone has any inspirational ideas on what to do with this huge, growing quilt, then email Jesse - :-) The stats for the work to date are impressive - 30 square meters and counting, weighing in around 15 pounds right now. The plan is to try and hang it up on Wednesday, before I get lost underneath it all.
Perhaps another way to look at this project is to ask "is all of this work in vain?" Which might be like asking "are you spending your life in your job in vain?" What does "in vain" actually mean? Take it all one step further and the conversation always arrives at Iraq - "have soldiers died there in vain?" What would be your reaction if I sat here for another month and methodically dismantled my work, pulling each square apart and rewinding the plastic back onto the spool? Would that work be 'in vain?' And if I did, wouldn't that get right up the nose of these same people who comment that this project is a 'waste of time'.
Whilst pondering that one (thanks Al!)
Ellen and her purple hat checked out the volume of the work. 
Susan told me how she has moved departments, and life started to feel better (with some interesting circular feedback from people that had worked in that department too!), whist 
Charles checks in on a regular basis - in his designated role of Supervisor. For the record, the plastic is reclaimed - not recycled. It was sitting on a loading dock when the kidnapping took place, in broad daylight, saving the spools from certain death in a land fill. Now it is very happy to live quietly as an art project.
4 Comments:
Welcome back.
When people do not take time to search for a meaning in art, they will not find it. The time you are giving us deserves reciprocating with much thought. Your insight is validating for me. Thanks Zen.
And ignore those that don't seek comprehension.
On the reclaimed plastic, "good on ya" Zen. The slogan goes "reduce, reuse, recycle". That is, first REDUCE so waste is not even created, second REUSE so there is no reprocessing costs, and last RECYCLE when all else fails. So lets find a happy home for the quilt and savor the reuse once again. JIM
HI Anonymous #2,
Thanks! There is such a brooha about the plastic - but only from those that have never bothered to find out how it came to be. I am enjoying the audacity of those that judge, from their safe perch, without ever taking the trouble to check their facts. Nothing is as it looks......thankfully.
zen
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