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Monday, December 11,1995, 7:19 PM
julie wood writes:
ben,
you mean you'll return a work of art to ANYONE who sends you a
picture of themselves and their dirty dishes?
i would like to add to your photobook, i don't however, have a
camera. would you like me to draw myself washing dishes? or
perhaps a not-more-than-200-word-essay describing myself doing
dishes?
julie
Tuesday, December 19,1995, 12:15 PM
Ben Kinmont answers:
dear julie,
i'm sorry for it taking so long for me to get back to you.
yes, i'll be giving a piece to anyone who participates. and, yes,
if you'd like to, you can interpret a "picture" as including
a drawing, especially if you don't have a camera. or, as some have
done, you can buy a disposable camera. maybe a drawing with some
text at the bottom...i don't know, what ever you want to do.
However, it must arrive to adaweb no later than the 31st of december.
the address is: adaweb, attn: ben kinmont, 32 west 22nd st.,
6th floor, new york, n.y. 10010.
i look forward to seeing your picture.
yours,
ben.
Wednesday, December 13,1995, 7:05 PM
julie writes:
hi ben,
i wrote before, but you haven't gotten back to me yet...
i wonder is it too late to be in on this project? i'd
like to know what YOU think of how it's turning out? what
a concept!
i'll go ahead and send you my picture, although it's not
going to be a photo...perhaps you can still use it somehow,
hand-drawn as it will be.
julie
ps. you don't dilute Ecover? i always have. good stuff,
Ecover.
Tuesday, December 19,1995, 12:25 PM
Ben Kinmont answers:
dear julie,
yes, please send in the drawing.
and, again, i'm sorry that it's taken me so long to respond. i've been
very busy: i have an opening tonight of an archive from a project
i did in munich in may of 1994 (1 week on the street handing out
texts discussing the dilemma of the artist as visionary and offer-
ing to come to people's homes to wash their dirty dishes; then,
1 week washing stranger's dishes and discussing the art/life
dynamic).
then, i've also been curating and trying to get together the
documentation and artwork for the show which will be happening con-
currently with the distribution and exhibition of the photographs
and archive of this project.
anyway, i typically don't really know how i feel about a project
until some time afterwards. it really takes time to realize what's
happened, especially if the distribution and direct interaction
part hasn't fully happened yet.
but so far, i find the project very strange and wonderful while
simultaneously being a lot of work and sensable; i mean, i always
work with the idea of an archive and by having my correspondence
being written on the web, it allows me to document more than i
am normally able. and i also find the web rather useful for this
kind of distribution of an art object. we'll see...a lot has yet
to be experienced in realizing the project.
but thanks for giving me the excuse to muse about it. there will
definately be more later.
yours,
ben.
