ILSSA Plead for Skills 7.7.09

Note: Yes, Constant Reader, I know this long on verbage, short on pretty pictures but I hope you'll indulge me.)

Earlier this year I joined an arts community called ILSSA - here's the descriptive straight from the website: 

 

IMPRACTICAL LABOR IN SERVICE OF THE SPECULATIVE ARTS (ILSSA) is a membership organization for those who make experimental or conceptual work with obsolete technology. The goals of ILSSA include: (1) the establishment of a Union to foster community, solidarity and peer review; and (2) the formation of a Research Institute to support new ideas, communications, and resources.

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Impractical Labor is a protest against contemporary industrial practices and values. Instead it favors independent workshop production by antiquated means and in relatively limited quantities. Economy of scale goes out the window, as does the myth that time must equal money. Impractical Labor seeks to restore the relationship between a maker and her tools; a maker and her time; a maker and what she makes. The process is the end, not the product. Impractical Labor is idealized labor: the labor of love.

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AS MANY HOURS AS IT TAKES!!!

 

How could I not love this?  It's like a modern day William Morris call to action for personal hand-craft.  I'm fortunate that my job is calligraphy and I do love calligraphy.  My job doesn't always allow me to cut as loose as I'd like sometimes so I was thrilled when ILSSA released the Please for Skills, which read, in part:

 

Greetings Impractical Laborers! We are writing to invite each ILSSA Union Member to participate in our first collective project. This summer, on the 7th day of the 7th month, we will celebrate our own version of the The Festival to Plead for Skills. The festival is derived from the Chinese holiday of Qi Xi and the Japanese festival of Tanabata, in which celebrants wish for the betterment of their own craftsmanship. Instead of wishing, the ILSSA festival will be a holiday of practicing.

We are inviting all ILSSA Members to observe the first annual ILSSA Festival to Plead for Skills by practicing a skill. This could involve using a new tool, working in a different medium, or honing your technique – it's all up to you! As a framework for this event, each ILSSA Member is invited to make 50 objects (no larger than 2 inches in height, width and depth) as iterations of their practice. Conceive of this project as something you can complete entirely on the day of the Festival. We imagine Impractical Laborers across the land, practicing together in observance of the holiday on July 7th.

After the Festival, we ask that each ILSSA Member mail the resulting 50 objects to ILSSA. We will then compile the objects into 50 custom, handmade enclosures that will house one object from each participant. One copy of the box set will then be mailed out to each ILSSA Member as a commemorative archive of the holiday and a physical manifestation of our collective action.

 

My muse dope slapped me on the head and told me I MUST participate.  What better excuse to take a day for ME during the very busy wedding season!  It was a salve to the soul.

 

I started out with paint palettes I need to "clean" and painted backgrounds.  Once those dried I lettered - and forgot all about my camera to document that process.

 

I was listening to The Pogues when I was painting - anyone familiar with the kickin' Irish punk band will maybe see the influence (this was "If I Should Fall from Grace".)  My studio was quiet for the lettering and it started out pretty controlled, but then my inner James Dean decided a little rebellion was in order and I pitched the lines.  I'm amazed at how straight things stayed.  I didn't worry too much about layout or ascenders & descenders colliding since everything was getting cut up anyway.  (The words are the lyrics to Modest Mouse's "One Chance")

 

I knew this wouldn't be enough for my 55 so I went

back to the pile and found another background:

 

This was painted to the much calmer "Lorelei."  Since the painting was calmer I wanted a contrast to the above (crazy painting/ sedate lettering, sedate painting, crazy lettering) so I broke out my ruling pen and just let 'er rip.  I love my rowdy tools!  The words are lyrics to Modest Mouse's "Ocean Breathes Salty."  In both cases I wanted words that I knew backwards and forwards so I wouldn't worry about transcription.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning everything was dry enough for the cutter.  Now I have my pile of squares, ready to be mailed...  I sincerely hope there's a second annual Plead for Skills, I'm on it like stink on a monkey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alesia Zorn

Local 503 Shop AZ

Comments

[Natty]

okay nevermind! :)

[Natty]

thats "The Ocean breaths salty"

"Your body may be gone Im gonna carry you in
In my head in my heart in my soul..."

But great idea!!

[Anna]

I too immediately thought of William Morris- I like.

[Bev]

Very cool project! it will be most interesting to see what is contained in the return box.

[CJ]

This would have been so fun to participate in. Cept I would have had to use green beans as the seventh day of the seventh month was Mahket day