Monday, March 20, 2006

the great monday give-away™

it’s monday.
you know what that means…
yes, the great monday give-away™!
this is where you help me
get rid of stuff that i have accumulated.
i heard some politican on npr say
that one is defined by the stuff
they have trouble getting rid of…
so this will give you insight
into my personality i suppose...
and an insight into
all the junk that i still have
in f.pea’s attic!
before i start with the free-for-all
and the rules
for the great monday give-away
let me tell you about the religious experience
i had this weekend...

okay,
it wasn’t religious
but it was for me.
it was a arteligious experience.
this happens when you see art
and it inspires and touches
your innermost core.

so the national gallery of art
has a dada exhibit right now.
see this exhibit.
i went this weekend because
a friend from seattle was in town.

it was really busy
so i will need to go back.
there were too many people.
a large portion of them
apparently never learned art gallery etiquette.

dada.

so i knew about the dada movement…
i mean, i learned about it in art history
and i even saw some dada pieces in books
and at the kunsthalle in berlin.
you never really know why something
that you have seen before all of a sudden
really speaks to you.
i won’t go too much into the movement.
you can read about it here.
essentially dada was the anti-art movement
and evolved as a reaction to WWI-
the “collective homicide”…
it was about the dehumination of modernity.
dada rejected reason and logic
because that was what brought them to war.


so you can see why this speaks well
for the current period in history
as it did for the time in which it arose.
besides the context of war and dehumination
brought on by war and its aftermath,
three other aspects of dada spoke to me:

first,
what was termed readymade (sound familiar?!)
or the reusing of everyday objects
in a context to convey the nonsense –
the absurdity of art and culture.
is this art or a urinal?
this is a foundation for modern art today.

second,
their motto was anyone could dada.
art expression was encouraged in anyone
and everyone.
this was not the art of the bourgeois.
not art to simply decorate your wall.
but the political and apolitical.
the anti-asthetic.

third,
it seems to me that this movement
embraced women artists.
two women artists were particularly prominent
with whom i was transfixed:
Sophie Täuber and Hanna Höch.
their work is so amazing.
i particularly liked their dolls:
Hanna Höch:

Sophie Täuber:


i really cannot say enough about this exhibit.
i am incredibly inspired by it
and cannot wait to return to spend more time
examining work more closely.

finally, what you all have been waiting for…
there are only 3 rules
for the the great monday give-away™:

1. if you want something, leave a comment.
if it is the first comment, the item is yours.
please be nice and only claim one item a week.

2. items are free (see #3).
if the item is particularly heavy,
i will state that you need to pick up the item
or send me the cost for shipping.

3. there is only one cost to you
for the item you are about to receive
from the great monday give-away™:
you must send me a postcard
in the form of a photo, painting, collage, etc.
of the item in its new habitat/home.
obviously i can’t make you do this
but it is a small price to pay for your lovely new item
(and it's bad karma besides).
i will post your picture, collage, etc. on my blog,
so it will be fun for everyone.

let’s begin.
the great monday give-away™:

1. vintage blue traincase taken!

lovely mellow blue color.
nice and clean with no stink.
unknown designer.
belonged to martha in some small town in TN before me.

2. vintage American tourister purple suitcase


rare color!
~ 16 inches tall and 22 ½ wide.
inside pink, clean with no stink.
purchased at value village.
pick-up or receiver pays shipping(~$15-$20)

3. chococat purse taken!

hello kitty cuteness.
cell phone holder and 2 compartments.
plastic soft material and clean.
~11 inches tall and 8 inches wide.

hope they all find good homes!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

my name is martha, and the case has martha on it ... i live in tennessee and the case is from tennessee ... therefore it is destined to be mine ... it is my destiny !! mjh nashville, tn

Anonymous said...

dada was a very cool chapter in art history. i got really into a dada poet, tristan tzara (what a great name). you may want to check him out. logic has always been useless in art, and i am glad they articulated it so well. i also have a great love of silliness and the absurd in art, and the dadaists were masters of this. the later ones became rather tiresome, though. like all movements, it had a lifespan. wish i could see the show.

f. pea said...

thanks for the art & inspiration! i see that you still have some giveaway items left. my sister would go nuts for the chococat purse - can i claim it? i will happily give you some postal moulah.

bugheart said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Hi! I have been looking for a suitcase like your purple one for a bank heist I am planning. Nothing says "I'm serious!" like a classic hardshell suitcase. The eggplant shade gives it a little flair. Give this little thief a shot - it could could lead to the biggest break (in) yet! Send you surveillance vid later, promise. Thanks for reading!

A COLLAGE A DAY said...

I need something to make a collage out of

Anonymous said...

Love the purple suitcase! If the bank robber gets arrested before sending the postage/shipping, will you please consider giving it to me? It would have a wonderful home full of raggedy vintage suitcases where it would reign supreme in all its purple glory. I like to use vintage suitcases for collage, but this one is just too "too" and I believe it will stand alone. Thanks for your consideration. Jeannie lovemyjunk@email.com