During Wednesday’s class you were assigned: Future Talk, a mail art project. Each of you were given an envelope and asked to thoughtfully create a mail artwork that jump starts interesting and varied conversation about the future. Stamped addressed and filled envelopes are due next Wednesday. We will be photographing each of you with your mail art and will be sending them out right afterward! Please come ready to participate. Your mail art should evoke a response from the sender. These responses will need to be mailed back to you by March 31st in time for our morning class. We hope to have a group of you work on an exhibition of these works on campus.
THE FORMAT: Text, letters, images, photos, sound, instructions, small objects or more. Think about the formats of mail art we explored in class— the ‘add-on’, naked mail art, camera art, postcards, pop-up cards, or letters. Choose one of those forms or come up with your own idea. Consider what you want to get in return and let this influence your choice. Would you hope to get a letter, a drawing, an object, an action, a photograph, a sound recording?
THE CONTENT: How do you imagine the world when you are 80? If you hosted a think tank to study the future, what would you want to learn? Would you like to hear about people’s personal imaginings, fears, or hopes? Would you want to discuss the environmental issues that we (or our children) may need to tackle? The new technologies that will be part of our lives? (and our bodies) Or the future structures of our families and the different values that we may hold? Who would you invite to this event? Would you want to talk to, experts, friends or artists? Older people or those younger than yourself?
GETTING STARTED: Begin by asking yourself some questions. What do you want to say? Who do you want to speak to? What kind of response do you want to elicit? What format will this take? What will the respondents return? Do you hope for a specific format back? If you want to be surprised how might you set up your project for that?
Good Luck and have fun!
Alfred University 