I am wondering why mail artists are so far behind and generally unaware of the huge internet art collaborations happening right now?

Weird because mail artists are the fathers of mass networking art, and yet have little involvement in its natural evolution, some even denying that it is as such.

There are a few exceptions, (nervousness.org for example) but as a whole the 2 worlds seem very divided.

Ryosuke Cohen is a modern master to me, but holds not a candle to the "modern" version at

[uploadit.codeisart.com]
(beware it's truly uncensored)

Your Thoughts?

--sam

Dear Sci. Sam - I know this kind of ideas and concepts very well.
You will remember - the time you met international contacts to
x-change your ideas and art this had been the time me still being
a snailmailartist and founding a digital forum about this theme where
we met us.

I tried to teach you about all this channels of x-change and how to
handle it.

Maybe I did this very well or you are a wonderfull spritit that learned
this in one year I needed 10 years to find it to use it and so on.

Even in this time this kind of Ideas and Project existed.
I know this very well, for me this is old stuff.

It is a kind of very fast overspeeded brainstorming forgetten tomorrow.
so I am not interested in it.

One postcard from Africa Nigeria drawn by a child is more than
one click click - picture of one Internetdesigner.
I see the life of this girl some letters, telling about culture, Family -
sorry no family and so on.........

One is hardware for me, others software without some touchable
soul behind.

So - now I am a nontouchable (Cause no hardware sending out)
want to be - Mailartist - that thinks he must be an Moderator in
his Mailartmessageboard -

Oops - I am only virtually xisting

This seems to be the destination of

MERLIN

Ok - sometimes Merlin is real:



For myself virtually projects are too much to handle....
after I lost my database about animals in mailart -
my documentation failed online and offline -

Merlin

thank you Merlin I undertstand.

--sam

Mail art izz mail aart and internet art is internet art. Narry the twain (sorry mark) shall meet. --ed www.giecek.com

Sam

As far as I see it, mail art is about exchange and communication amongst many things. I see the postal network as a way of exchanging and communicating thoughts both through text and image. If the internet can allow for a simmilar type of exchange and or communication then it is as valid as what has become known as snail mail. The internet also happens to offer new and sometimes very exciting possibilities. however it will never replace some of the opportunities and sensitivities that tactile mail (snail mail ) art has to offer, so as far as I am concerned both may exist alongside one anotherquite happily.

As far as using the internet myself, well im afraid that I always seem to have little time on my hands for using it how id like, (im usually downloading resourses etc for my job) id however be interested in starting some collaboration work over the net with you or any other interested people out therelet me know !

best wishes

jc

Yes jc I would be interested in some collaboration work with you over the net, drop me a line at sam@scisam.com

--sam

Ryosuke is a Master of ZenArt.
Try to learn ZEN - start with ZAZEN.
Then you will feel how he works and how important
his kind of working is.

I know him and this I typed.

Also see all this problems/time - here just to keep only this
messageboard readable..............................................

The problem will become - there is much too much to handle
similarily......

Internetart is WONDERFUL - if all systems are payed everything
works well and chicks for nothing and money for free...........

Take your chance to explore all this areas and please post your
good x-periences here we want to learn and to share this too.

If I would dislike it I never would have set up some messageboard.

Thank you for your Ideas - Do the Job and give us the fruits!
OK - just a Joke- but so x-change interchange works.

My Job is for instance this board.

I love Sci.Sam - your Artworks are wonderful.

Merlin is spreading one wing protecting sam again.

Merlin, one time, in my past, I voluntered at a small zoo and local field and fauna organization (it was in Palm Desert, CA). Anyway, during our lessons to learn how to be docents, the teacher had mentioned about their one (older, long-time, dedicated) employee who raked the entire facility, and did a spectacular job in my opinion. The technique this employee used was like a Japanese rock garden! Some of the others in the class were making jokes and put downs about someone who would take a job like that, and I turned to them and said:

"You don't understand...He is the Zen Master of this facility."

Dawn Amato

From 1998 to 2002 I collected data about the effects of the Internet on the Mail Art Network. One returning theme in my interviews with mail artists was the concept of "touch." Correspondence artists continually use the word "touch" to express the physical and emotional connections engendered by their connections in the mail art communities. Internet communities also feel that they have special and intense connections that are deeply meaningful, but their exchanges are not necessarily aesthetic, utopian, and/or collaborative as they are at the basic foundations of mail art. However, new creative innovations and exciting collaborative projects are being facilitated by digital technology and global networks. Some mail artists dive right into digital networking, while other mail artists keep to the tactile exchange of physical artworks. On one hand, many mail artists do both types of networking and continue to explore varieties of new connections as opportunities arise. On the other hand, participants in the many new forms of networking originated on the Internet don't know about mail art at all. As the Mail Art Network becomes more wired and comfortable with digital communication and art-making, and the digital wired/wireless networks create more collaborative projects, I believe that Mail Art and Internet creativities will together evolve new networking strategies based on generations of Networked Art experiences.

I am not really very clear as to what scisam is asking....
I am very connected to the internet, I am on it everyday...
I used to be more active with the net though..used to have a mail art listing that I personally uploaded and maintained, But alas my life became more and more busy. So that has changed. I used to create mail art eveyday and send out, now it's once a week if I am lucky. Yesterday was a day with no mail art, I was sad.....