If you placed a piece of art in the world for someone to discover, where would it be and why? | Feb 6, 2012

[Chris Campbell 1,226]

One of my all time favorite pottery videos is of a potter who builds tiny primitive villages in hidden places ... walls, dirt piles, vacant lots ... then just walks away from them. The notion of leaving that kind of treasure for someone to stumble upon, for nature to act upon, for wrecking balls to destroy appeals to my creative mind.

 

So, if your mind works this way and you can imagine just leaving a piece to the whims of fate ....

 

If you placed a piece of art in the world for someone to discover, where would it be and why?

[Lucille Oka 22]

The ideal place to my mind is not where the vessels can readily be retrieved, but lost in a sea of debris only to be found after eons and eons have passed. However to this day I think of one piece in particular it was my first to go this way. It was a very pretty little candle holder I liked it. It was signed, dated, and decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphs, that’ll stump ’um!

 

[Denice 719]

I instantly thought about putting a piece in the Flinthills that we have in Kansas but on second thought any new object might disturb it's pristine beauty. I have been using my house as a canvas, it's located at the edge of town on a curvy country lane road, when cars round the corner they see our house slow down and point at the art work. I like to think that running across out house in an remote area is a nice surprise and conversation topic for people driving by, adding a little spice to their day. Denice

[Guest The Unknown Craftsman]

I've already placed art at many locations across my state, in an effort for people to find them. Some have discovered them, and some not, and some found them and walked away, disappointed.

Others found them and took them home, happy and pleased with their discovery.

I put them at art and craft fairs all over my state!

 

Someone who has been doing this for years is Josh Simpson:

 

http://www.joshsimpson.com/site/infinity-project.html

[OffCenter 87]

The ideal place to my mind is not where the vessels can readily be retrieved, but lost in a sea of debris only to be found after eons and eons have passed. However to this day I think of one piece in particular it was my first to go this way. It was a very pretty little candle holder I liked it. It was signed, dated, and decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphs, that’ll stump ’um!

 

 

 

I hope you remembered to put "BC" after the date.

[Guest JBaymore]

I have placed pieces of my claywork (along with press clippings, photos, and other documentation in sealed plastic packages) inside the walls of my home when I have been doing renovation work. Someday, hopefully far in the future, someone will be deciding that the ole' place needs some renovations and will eventually find those little "stashes".

 

In one place I have put a map of the property with the location of the noborigama and its associated (now 34 year old) shard pile indicated on it. This will maybe guide someone to doing some amature archeological work in the future.

 

 

Hum.... this original "question of the week" idea above might be nicely meshed with the concept of geo-caching. How about we maybe host the first "geo-cache permenant exhibition" located in places scattered all around the world????? Interesting.

 

best,

 

.......................john

[Mark C. 4,496]

back in the day (70s) at a clayton bailey workshop up here in Humboldt we all made and fired a made up giant animal skeleton and buried it in the redwood forest for some poor blokes to find in the future

As far as I know its still out there awaiting for national geographic to do a cover story on the new old find

This may take another 100 years to find

The why is more about -because we can than any concrete answer-this concept piece bridges art and sudo science.

Mark

[Denice 719]

I love the idea of putting pieces inside the walls, were installing a lowered ceiling this weekend I think I'll slip some work inside before it's closed up. Denice

[Chris Campbell 1,226]

In Philly during NCECA one artist built life size clay whales that were left unfired, outside in an empty lot ... Does anyone from Philly know how long they lasted or if they are still there? Well, not exactly hidden art ... but quite a surprise to happen upon them on a dark evening walk back to the hotel!

 

p.s. John ... if you want those instructions to survive, best put them on clay and fire them ... paper will be long gone.

[Idaho Potter 64]

Back in th 70's a group of us were on a beach north of La Jolla and an active tide had uncovered a (we thought basalt) rock--a really big one. We spent most of the niight (low tide) digging out more sand while several of us hacked away at the rock. It was naturally shaped to look like an Easter Island head lying on its side, so took little efffort to establish a sharper profile. We managed to not drown as the tide came back in. Several months later, a couple of us went back, and none of that rock showed above ground. I've often wondered if the tides had ever uncovered our "secret". Ah, youth, ever hopeful.

[yedrow 13]

On top of a stack of playboy magazines, in the basement of an unsuccessful bicycle factory, next to a bag of crushed aluminum cans, behind a sign that says, "Will work for food."

[Lucille Oka 22]

The ideal place to my mind is not where the vessels can readily be retrieved, but lost in a sea of debris only to be found after eons and eons have passed. However to this day I think of one piece in particular it was my first to go this way. It was a very pretty little candle holder I liked it. It was signed, dated, and decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphs, that’ll stump ’um!

 

 

 

I hope you remembered to put "BC" after the date.

 

 

 

Oh no! I wouldn't want to confuse them. I had already put quotes on the vessel from 'The Book of the Dead'

[Karen B 27]

I would put a colorful and evocative piece of art on the desk of every dreary office in the world to remind the people who work there of the soul and energy of the human spirit.