Mathias reviews the Yardmeter evening

Mathias has a way with words
and images as it turns out.

This is a fantastic blog, and I thought that before we got a mention.

Yes, Starlings! Yes!: Thanks to Brenda Iijima, Daniel Lin, Craig Foltz & Kristin D'Agostino

Part 2: Yardmeter 19 June, 2009

The second half of the exchange occurred in Brooklyn, NY at the third Yardmeter Editions event featuring poets Brenda Iijima & Daniel Lin, multimedia artist Craig Foltz & the rare fungal brooches. The crowd was very responsive and the project worked a treat.

Mathias was my lovely assistant in raffling off the 5 brooches.
Thank you to Shelton Walsmith and Mathais Svalina for hosting, and Jon Pack for the fantastic pictures!!

Not that you need any reminding...

Today is the last day of the show in the Southern Hemisphere.

There is a fun review of the show here on Tinker Tailor Maker. The qoute from Craig Foltz that Raewyn referred to is from a great story called Moving Upstream While the Mouth of the River Slowly Fades into the Background. You can read the full text on Craig's site > the Nouns page.

Some photos of the auction winners

until the real photo's from Kiti - the fabulous photographer - arrive, I will use these as place holders. The first is Raewyn Walsh getting pinned up by Kiti. You can just see Sophie with her broochin the background. And the second is an impressionistic Alan Preston.

Going once, going twice........ gone!

Just in from the first opening and fantastic auction!

Craig Foltz' work was really colorful and offset the monochromatic brooches wonderfully.

Nick Boyes is officially the best auctioneer I have ever seen. He was magnificent and made the evening incredibly fun and so very exciting. I hope to have the video footage cleaned up and posted in the next few days.

Five brooches were auctioned off and the winners after much suspense were:
1. Jonathan
2. Marie Erl
3. Alan Preston
4. Sophie Kaiser
5. Raewyn Walsh

Thank you so much to all the participants.
This is only the beginning.

ghost droppings

Rare Fungal Behavior: A project in two parts

What Is It.
This project explores the ideas of value added by travel and the relationships involved in commerce and exchange. It is a project based on audience participation. Objects will be auctioned off, sold, shipped overseas, curated by strangers, and touched by the hands of postal workers.

How Did It Come About.
Initially working with the idea of a hemisphere, the brooches began to look like basket fungi, tutae kehua or tutae whetu. These fungi were first explained to me as mysterious growths that always appear in the same places. Once your lawn has them, they always have them. Maori legend refers to them as ghost droppings because they mysteriously appear out of nowhere.

How Does It Work.
Of the brooches displayed, five will be auctioned off for co-ownership. The auction starts at 50 cents. The winner of the brooch will be granted co-ownership.

The brooches will then be transported to the Northern hemisphere where the same process will occur at a New York gallery space on June 19th. Brooches will be hung, auctioned and photographed. The details of both owners exchanged.

The new co-owners will fill in a form and have their picture taken wearing the brooch.

The winner of the auction will function as a mobile art gallery, displaying the brooch under sodium and fluorescent lights. Perhaps it will even see the light of day. These objects will live two separate but connected lives; one in the northern hemisphere, the other in the southern hemisphere. Like ghost droppings they will appear and disappear.

The brooches will be given to the NZ owners to wear from August 1 until Oct 1 2009. A send off party will be held and the brooches will then be mailed to the US owners to wear from October 15, 2009 – March 15, 2010, then they will be mailed back to NZ. It’s like pen pals with brooches.

A blog has been created to encourage interactive participation between the owners as well as documenting the process for interested parties. It is hoped that this forum will provide additional insights into the notions of art, exchange, commerce, and private ownership. Owners will be encouraged to comment on the blog and check in on the latest stories.

-words by kristin d'agostino, funned up by craig foltz