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While I was in Korea in October, I did my usual postcards and sent them to a number of people who were generous about donating to the school for the blind where I used to teach when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. These postcards were all made during my stay in Korea, using papers and stickers and found ephemera along with Korean stamps. Once they have been mailed and have some postmarks and other postal distress on them, they are more interesting. These are postcards prior to their maiden voyage to their new homes. Starting tomorrow, I will post one completed postcard per day for auction.
Mail art is an interesting newer art form. Starting in the 1970s, artists started using the mail system as their medium to make a wide variety of performance art pieces. Because there is a wide range of activities and a wide range of talent, medium or technique, it is a large sprawling category which is largely hard to define. It is considered to be a sub set of performance art and is also considered to be avant guard. If you do an internet search on Mail Art, you will be amazed by the number of people who are involved in it and how they do their work. One woman did her doctoral thesis at the University of Texas in Mail Art. http://www.mailartist.com/honoria/vita/
My method is unique to me. I like to have a post card with multiple cancelled stamps. I found that the fastest way to have this was to mail the postcard to myself multiple times. When it has enough visual interest, I usually add a few more elements which can cover all or part of the address. At this point it is a mailed collage. I mat and frame them. I like to think of them as small sound bites from a particular time. The images and marks reflect the time and the moment, but the do not usually have a specific theme. A pig can be composed sitting next to a coffee pot which is next to a Korean Flag. There is no particular symbology going on for me. I am simply using what is on hand, what I have collected and what I am drawn to with an eye for color, balance and design.
Are you wondering if we are allowed to do this with the approval of the US Postal system? Yes, lots of people ask that. In fact you can. I spent a good bit of time with my postmaster making sure that I did the postcards right because I did not want to lose them. If a postcard is regulation size and does not have a lot of added on thickness, you may mail it with $.27 in stamps. If there are multiple pieces of paper glued to the original or if there is some three dimentionality going on, you will need to use a $.42 stamp. Technically, the stamp should be in the right hand corner of the card. This is widely open to interpretation, and most postal workers will take care of your mail regardless of where the stamp is placed. If you want it to be hand cancelled, you need to request this either verbally or by marking your mail. Otherwise, the card will go through the scanning machine and often enough, the machine does not want to deal with our type of cards.
Be assured that what we are doing is legal and harmless. Some postal workers look forward to Mail Art as it gives them a chance to chuckle while sorting and delivering.
http://digitalmailart.blogspot.com/ This website has an interesting collection of mail art postcards. One of mine is in the collection and I am glad to see that it made it there without being damaged in any way. We were asked to use the theme of a mail box. I cut mine from some of the postcards that I had been sending for a good long time. There was a lot of texture to work with.
