Messages From a Box - by Vincent J. Tomeo

Last Friday, before the onslaught of a three-day Occupied weekend, a man came to visit the i Think Outside My Box project on The Highline here in New York City. Click the link to read the poem he was inspired to write. The reference to Paul Klee is more than welcome:)

S e p t e m b e r  1 6 ,  2 0 1 2

M e s s a g e s  F r o m  A  B o x

 

On the eve of the anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, Han Fei Tzu remains as relevent as ever

"In particular it (the Legalist Philosophy) emphasized the encouragement of agriculture to provide a steady food supply and of warfare to expand the borders of the state and insure a tough, alert and well disciplined population. It called for the suppression of all ideas and ways of life that impeded the realization of these aims. Vagabonds and draft dodgers, merchants and artisians who deal in nonessential goods, scholars who spread doctrines at variance with Legalist teaching, cavaliers who take the law into their own hands - all were to be unmercifully quashed and the people to be kept in a state of ignorance and awe."

On the eve of the first anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, 09.17.12, I find this passage from Chinese philosopher Han Fei Tzu written over 200 years before the birth of Christ. Han Fei Tzu was a prince in the ruling house of the state of Han. A representative of the Fa-Chia or Legalist school of philosophy he produced a handbook for the ruling King of Han. Ironically the King did not heed his advice yet his adversary the King of Ch'in took Han Fei Tsu's writings to heart and defeated the ruling king (Fei Tzu's cousin), ascending to the throne in 246 B.C.

In this modern translation of Han Fei's basic writings, Burton Watson of Columbia University treads dangerously close to what many feel is the state of our American government today - an administration that spens half of the citizen's tax dollar on the war machine whilst occupying 50% of the entire world's military spending as 28-33 million Americans find themselves out of work. Plans for Occupy's anniversary span over 3 days in lower Manhattan beginning September 15th and ending on the 17th in a grand general assembly in Zuccotti park. We can only hope that revellers, the media and the public in general take this opportunity to refocus America towars a peaceful and profitable future - not the prophecy of a  more than two thousand year old failed oriental philosophy.

Now Anyone Can Sit Outside My Box and Think Outside Their Box

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Beginning last month, I Think Outside My Box (iTOMB) has gone Interactive - enabling anyone to sit outside my box and think outside their box, painting their thought of the moment. Given that each person works with exactly the same materials, paint and a 3"X3" piece of cardboard, I find it enlightening just how different each person's interpretation is. What makes up your box and how do you think outside of it?

©cupy T-Shirts Now Available on Ebay

Scan this QR code and order the ©cupy T-Shirt from Ebay.  

Only 7 left of this original limited edition design.

Occupy's Next Top Model Sports Our LImited Edition T-Shirt

No expense was spared on our t-shirt model -  not a single penny

Appearing tan rested and ready to paint, our model sports the Occupy t-shirt in moss green on brilliant white. 100% cotton (s/m/l/xl) available as shown or in purple, red or black in shades that match the box colours. $30 + shipping and handling. Please send email to order with your size/colour specs and delivery address.

Limited Edition Occupy T-shirts Now On Sale!

Occupy T-shirts. Red, Green, Black, Violet on White. S/M/L/XL 100% heavy weight cotton

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The Occupy t-shirts are now in and dare I say, they are positively smashing:) 

Playing a small joke on the concept of occupying intellectual property, the shirts are made of heavy weight 100% cotton and available in S/M/L and XL. (Sorry XXL-ers but Mayor Bloomberg thinks you should drink fewer sugary sodas.)

All on white, the pastel colours vary from PMS Super Warm Red to Moss Green, Soft Violet and of course, your garden variety Bauhaus Black for the hipsters on the block.

To order please me email with sizes and quantities. $30 each + shipping and handling. I'll return mail to confirm final price and payment (PayPal) details.

Quantities are limited so order quickly. Upon request I will be happy to sign and date each shirt.

Up Against It: Turning Lemonade into Lemons:)

Paul Cabezas and David Everitt-Carlson, Munch Gallery, 21 July - 'Up Against It' - Photo: Populist

As many of you are aware, all the art requested of me for the Up Against It Show by Munch Gallery curator Billy Miller was lost to mysterious circumstances the week before the show, so at submission deadline time, I had nothing to deliver as promised to the event. What to do? I was essentially out of an exhibition before I ever got in. But in the spirit of struggle as described by Billy and feeling truly up against it, I spent a day or two grousing and then set about coming up with a replacement piece for the exhibition. Quite the job considering the then limited timeframe and the need to relinquish any space that had been reserved for my installation at the show. What to do again.

A thumbnail idea

And the new rules were as such: Come up with an idea that would remain true to the original spirit of over-articulated protest signs and do it with no space available on the gallery floor or walls. Hmmm. The pencil drawing on the left was sent to Billy along with an explanation that 'performance art' had always been part of the concept - I would simply make as many signs as possible to fit on a jacket and wear the art, taking up the exact same amount of space as I would as a participant at the opening. Problem solved. Billy throught it was a good idea as well and we agreed that after the show the jacket could be placed on a hangar and hung from the ceiling with fishing line. Problem solved. Now all I needed to do was make the art. Enough art to have it work both as clothing and as signage meant to communicate.

Full mental jacket

The finished jacket ended up being a thrift store Jos. A. Bank's with all signs relating to the original Occupy Wall Street call for financial transparency and justice. The coat itself contained 22 signs including one on the inside breast pocket with the inscription "Wanna Buy A House?" (Please place tongue firmly in cheek.) Reactions from attendees were certainly mixed, in one way because people were not accustomed to dealing with walking art, and another in that they were surprised and pleased to see humour used in the context of protest. So with all logistical problems solved the only question now to be asked would be, "But is it art?" Up Against It runs through 11 August.