1984. APT 8
Mail Artists, or, as I prefer, P.I.N.-U.P.s (Postal Interaction Network - Underground Participants), are probably not as diverse as they should be to really represent a broad range of humanity - but we still constituted probably the largest art movment from the most countries of any art movement that's ever existed.
More & more books by & about Mail Artists are surfacing. Some of them are very high budget, professionally done, full color, hardbacks like Lomholt Mail Art Archive, Fotowerke and Video Work. Others are more like this book: paid for willy-nilly, maybe using unemployment compensation or money from a not necessarily lucrative job, using photocopies & a tape + staples binding, with a few touches to liven it such as gold spray-paint marker & fold-out pages of a different size from the bulk of it, all-in-all a visually & conceptually meticulous & well-thought-out book that transcends material limitations. I like both types of books but can personally relate more to the unfunded or underfunded latter.
This particular book is about the 8th International Neoist Apartment Festival in London from May 21-26, 1984 (the movie from which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/fgQzQZNpgTY ) & a bit of the pre- & post- sprawl. This was the 1st "Apartment Festival", per se, outside of North America (unless one counts the Neoist Training Camp in Würzburg, West Germany in 1982 as an Apt Fest). The Festival was organized by Monty Cantsin (Istvan Kantor) & Monty Cantsin (Pete Horobin).
I attended it from BalTimOre, us@, with my lover Litvinov (Gail Litfin) & was very active throughout the whole event so the mentions of me in the book are extensive.
The picture in the upper right is of me wearing a goat mask. Litvinov & I went to the London Zoo wearing animal masks to interact with & have out pictures taken with the inmates there. The dog mask on Yantoh, the dog, is the same dog mask I used for "Neoist Guide Dog".
The picture of me at the zoo that the above is based on, taken by Litvinov, can be seen below. The goats seemed nonplussed.
Of course, this being a book, it was easier in this form to turn the pages & read things that appear sideways or upside-down in computer presentation.
This is the fold-out schedule of the festival. "The POPULAR chapati circus" was, in fact, so unpopular that it was boycotted by Andre Stitt & his friends (who were, nonetheless, outside in a car as I remember), ignored by the contacts at the London Musician's Collective (who went across the street to a pub), & not even paid attention to in its entirety by some of the participants (Clive Fencott & his collaborator Steve left after their performance) - but, of course, unpopular events can be historic.
This was the DATA decade for Pete & the above & following DATA sheets are a typical manifestation of it.
Pete's drawings helped stylize the book & give it a particular 'look'. From left-to-right above are Monty Cantsin (Istvan Kantor), Monty Cantsin (Pete Horobin), & Monty Cantsin (tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE).
Again, left-to-right, Monty Cantsin (Pete Horobin? - who didn't dress like that at all but who seems to be presented here as a sort of circus impressario), Monty Cantsin (tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE).
The above being images from Litvinov & t,ac's "Neoist Guide Dog" (the movie from which can be witnessed here: https://youtu.be/vM92UGWzMPM &, in a poorer transfer, at the end of the earlier linked-to Apt 8 movie).
Here we are at the Greenwich "Prime Meridian of the World" from left-to-right: tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE; Litvinov, Home commuter, Ho Robin, Monty Cantsin, Annmarie. Note that I'm missing from the photo below (which means that I took it) & that Andy Stenhouse is missing from the drawing above (which means that it's based on a photograph that Andy took):
Andy's barely visible between Monty & Annmarie.
These are images from our action at Lambeth Pier, from which we were forbidden but we went to anyway. There's super-8mm footage of this in the Apt 8 movie.
idioideo at verizon dot net
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