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Language:
English
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Published:
2023-04-23
Updated:
2023-04-26
Words:
1,361
Chapters:
5/?
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3
Kudos:
4
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34

The Art Cycle: Mail Art and Fanfiction

Summary:

What is considered art?
Is Fanfiction considered kitsch?
Why does it share characteristics with the Mail Art Movement?

Or

An exploration of the connection between Mail Art and Fanfiction and how technology may have changed how an "art" (to be contested) movement develops.

Notes:

A systematic postal system change not only the main facilitator of communication, but also the way we communicate. This is evident in the way Mail Art is constituted as a mainly ephemeral movement, where it is hard to archive how an artwork looked at any point at time or also how it developed.

Chapter 1: A Brief History of Mail Art - A Drabble

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Mail Art started as an art movement in the late 19th century after the introduction of the Royal Mail parcel post service, which meant packages could be send around cheaply.

This meant that people started to form Mail Art clubs where they send around parcels of albums or portfolios, including a notebook for comments, to each member.

Mail Art clubs allowed people to connect with like-minded thinkers without the barrier of geographical space.1

In the 1950s, Ray Johnson introduced Mail Art to the New York avant-garde scene.

Johnson, however, chose to focus on the communication aspect with the use collages.2

Please confirm you rec'd these photos, 1993

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