Hamish Fulton's "Slowalk"

Hamish Fulton has an exhibition in NYC right now. Fredericka sent Nancy and me this photograph that bears resemblance to our workshop exercise at Clemson (and it's orange).

A List on the Burial/Artist Correspondence Project

Sarah Hobbs, Untitled (Perfectionist)

Who would I send correspondence to after burying an object for in the UK? My initial thoughts include:

1. Nancy Holt (address = check)
2. Ed Ruscha (duh = address = check)
3. Richard Misrach (address = check)
4. Suzaan Boettger (email address - will need to find physical address)
5. Fredericka Hunter and Ian Glennie (address = check)
6. Michael Heizer (need to find address)
7. Rebecca Solnit (will need to find her address).
8. Lucy Lippard (will need to obtain mailing address)

How uncomfortable would some of these people feel to receive this correspondence from strangers (Ruscha, Heizer and Solnit would fit the "stranger" category as I have interacted with the rest at one point in my life)? But do I really care? Yes... but will I do it anyway? We all know the answer to that. How many lists will I make before then? Will I save them? Will I count them? Will I photograph them? Will I dig myself into a hole? No pun intended. No I'll keep thinking about it until it's "perfect" as fortunate or unfortunate as that may be.

Nancy Holt's Burial Project

Nancy Holt, The Last Map Used to Locate Buried Poem Number 4 for Michael Heizer, 1969-71



Nancy Holt, Buried Poem Number 4 for Michael Heizer The Double O, 1971 & Buried Poem Number 4 for Michael Heizer, Dark Angel through Double O Arch, 1971

From Phaidon's Land and Environmental Art:

"These poems were private artworks. Holt dedicated the poems to five different people (Michael Heizer, Philip Leider, Carl Andre, John Perrault, and Robert Smithson) and chose the remote sites according to certain physical, spatial, and atmospheric qualities which would evoke a particular person for her. The poems were buried in vacuum containers, and the recipient received a map which contained all the necessary information for the poem to be found and dug up. The map provided Holt with both a physical location and characteristics which she could relate to a specific person, as well as a symbolic space in which to construct the meaning presented in the poems. Along with the instructions on how to find the site she included details of the history, geology, flora, and fauna of the site as well as maps, pictures, and specimens of rocks and leaves."

I have been thinking a lot about Holt's Burial/Mapping project recently as a way to incorporate artist correspondence with interring objects. We are working hard researching the second leg of our journey and I of course, want to continue exploring the object in remote locales. I am not interested in writing poems or cataloging the flora and fauna of the environment but I AM intrigued by responding to something within that place and referring it to the artists who I will send a letter to. The artists will be ones inspirational to our project yet there will be no response anticipated.

Artist Correspondence: Our First Response

Lucy Lippard wrote us back! She wants to see our project! Yay! Obviously the trick is to have Nancy write all the artist correspondence as I tend to scare everyone away (or they sic the director of their foundation on us based on a letter I wrote to James Turrell).

"Hi, sorry so long answering but was out of town yet again. Love the Three weeks piece, and am curious about what the images are. Can you send me some? Thanks, Lucy."

I stole this yesterday...

Elise and I have been researching up a storm lately. In the next week or two... the results!

Clemson Part 6: Bonus Features

You know when Nancy and Jacinda get together there are always "bonus features." This trip they featured multiple trips to Nick's and a boat ride to the Experimental Forest with Anderson. First Nick's. Here's Andrew telling Nancy "the story" (a mere minute of 15 in which Nancy was sitting on the edge of her seat the entire time):



If I ever hear Van Halen's Panama again, I'm going to pull a Christina Hung by leaping over the bar, ripping everyone's tabs off the wall and running into the bathroom to lock the door behind me emerging a few minutes later remarking that they were "a little damp." I think we heard that song 25 times which was 25 times more than I ever needed to hear it since oh... 1984. Nancy, Sarah, and Zane:



Andrew, Jacinda and Todd:



Andrew, Zane and Christina:



Roar! I was a little opposed to seeing my least favorite color EVERYWHERE in Clemson. The tigers on the other were fine.



Anderson bestowed Nancy and me with the greatest gift: a trip to the Experimental Forest on his boat! Leaving the dock in front of Anderson's house:



JR and Anderson:



A little red earth:



The beach near the Experimental Forest shortly before seeing the bald eagle:



Nancy barefoot (a la Sun Tunnels):



Anderson skipping rocks (Nancy skipped her first rock ever this trip!)



The Sultan of Zanzibar:



Nancy driving the boat FAST:



On the way back:

Clemson Part 5: The Exhibition at Lee Gallery

Here are some very low-resolution and bordering on out of focus images (Anderson is sending me some better ones next week). The day before peeking through the window for the first time at the burial wall:



Yay! The polaroids made it in the show (they were missing from the Texas Gallery exhibition).



Images at the main entryway:



Detail of the big wall:



In the back corner:



Artists' Books:



The objects are tucked over on the left as well as the videos:



Nancy and I have discussed our work as a pair on three occasions, each time with a different approach. This time was most successful. We eliminated the chronology and chose one image each from the major locations. We also decided not to talk about the history behind the pieces for the first time but came to the conclusion afterward that we need to say something about them (i.e. where they are located, who made them, etc.). We will have that opportunity at our next talk on 12th March in Atlanta.

Clemson Part 4: The Workshop

Participants: Ashley Wood, Kelli Butler, Brooke Buckley, Alan Babcock, Gene Ellenburg, Zane Logan, Tom Schram, Todd Stewart, Anthony Collamati, Christina Hung, Sarah Butler, and Anderson Wrangle.

Location: Clemson University Botanical Gardens (photograph by Anderson Wrangle)



Exercise #1: Take a walk in complete silence with one other person for 30 minutes. Pay attention to sound and group dynamics.

Photographs taken on the walks by various participants. Christina Hung and Anthony Collamati (photo by Anthony).



Christina and Anthony returning from their walk in silence.



Photographs from Zane & Ashley's walk (later joined by Brooke and Kelli). Photos by Zane Logan.







Anderson, Nancy, and Jacinda's walk.





The wasp nest in the tree that I wanted to point out to everyone but did not because they had already passed it and I didn't want to break the "code of silence."



We returned to Alan rolling down the hill.



Todd filmed by Anderson (he arrived late and spent his walk in silence looking for everyone else). Photo by Zane.



While everyone started their walk, Anderson, Nancy and I unpacked all the loot plus a much needed cooler full of water. These were the items that we collected at the yard sale as well as additional ones provided by Anderson (rope, extension cord, ladder, tarp, rider's crop, etc.)



We covered it up because it was a hot day and we didn't want the metal objects to get too much sun.



Exercise #2: Pairs of people choose a few objects on the tarp and they have three minutes to create a sculpture. One of the people in the group must use their body in the final product. After the three minutes are up, they return their objects and have two minutes to create a sculpture. Repeat and then one minute sculptures (in the style of Erwin Wurm). Time begins (photo by Anderson).



Anthony and Christina:





Ashley & Zane:







Alan and Christina:



Alan and Gene:





Brooke and Kelli:







Ashley and Brooke:



Tom, Todd and Sarah:







Todd, Gene, and Tom:





Zane and Kelli:



Anderson Videotaping through the Christmas wreath:



Exercise #3: Walk in slow motion toward your partner, tell them a secret, walk in slow motion backwards looking them in the eye.



The End (but not before a game of tug o' war with Anderson's rope): Gene, Alan, Anthony and Jacinda (by Anderson Wrangle).