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02/06/2006
Info : Junk mail as art material
If you work in collage, altered art or make gluebooks, don't overlook the plentiful and free elements that arrive (usually unsolicited) in your snail mailbox. Junk mail has a lot to offer the paper artist.
Photos & Clip Art
Nearly every piece of junk mail contains a picture. Sometimes it's just a logo, but more often there are photographs and usage of professional clip art. Once it's in your mailbox, it's all "clip art" for your personal use, so clip away! Weekly sales flyers are especially rich troves for imagery of almost anything money can buy.
Junk Mail Text
I think the best part of junk mail is the interesting phrases and sentences that one can find in it. To uncover those gems means you have to actually read the stuff, but you read it with an eye to using it in your artwork, which is a whole different way of reading, more like quick-scanning. Nearly everything that arrives has at least one interesting sentence or phrase to snip for later gluing. Here are a few examples from my scrapfile:
- ...amazing offer...
- ...from now on...
- Coupon must be presented at time of purchase.
- ...will never be the same...
- There are more details on page 2!
- ...your neighbors won't believe it...
- ...it's time for a change...
Then there are the advertising words to collect: free, free gift, only, bonus, %, limited, hurry, sale, save, offer, special ...etc. (Imagine doing a page that just repeats "limited time" in all the different fonts and color combinations from a multitude of mailed ads.)
For sorting and storing found text, I use one of those "magnetic" photo albums (with the plastic overlay sheets). Some of the papers don't stick in place very well while others hold on as if permanent, so it's probably not the ideal storage solution, but it does let me see my entire collection of found text at a glance. That view is extremely helpful when looking for an appropriate phrase without needing to search and search and search in the moment.
Paper, Paper, Paper...!
Mail advertising often uses some interesting paper or has cool designs printed on the paper. You can cut, tear or punch the best parts for decorating something later. And hey, no matter what it looks like when it arrives to you, it's paper, and that means it can be painted, stamped or collaged into any appearance desireable.
Coupons
Don't overlook the coupon mailings. They usually arrive in thick booklets or in their own stuffed envelopes. Big ones, small ones, b/w and color ones...there are coupons for everything you can think of (with very few that might be actually useful). Someday, I might build a book using only coupons for the paper.
Stamps
Collect the postage stamps, too. They're sure to come in handy to add a touch of color to an altered book spread, or if you gather a large number of them, the stamps themselves might become the focal elements of a collage. Collect metered postage as well and maybe even the printed prepaid squares.
Envelopes
Be sure to also save the envelopes from junk mail to use as "instant pockets" in altered books. Some envelopes have windows that allow a peek at the contents, a great place to slip in a decorated tag. Several envelopes with open ends can be adhered together accordion-style or bellows-style to form a book. Or use the envelopes "as paper" to create unique signatures for typical binding techniques.
Junk mail envelopes could also be used for storing snipped imagery; mark the envelope for its stored content and sort several in a shoebox as a makeshift file system. And don't forget that envelopes are paper too; many of them have interesting interior designs that may be just what your next collage could use.
Junk mail in use:
Here's an altered book spread that I made with (and about) junk mail. The spread is sort of a commentary on junk mail itself.
These two gluebook pages (09/04/05 and 09/13/05) were composed exclusively with junk mail material.
No investment required!
I began saving, perusing and snipping my junk mail only since September 2005. In addition to text and envelopes (and pictures, don't forget the pictures!), I've received seven fake credit cards, two 2006 calendar cards, a set of unsolicited address label stickers and a junk CD to this date, four months later. That only demonstrates that it doesn't take a long time to accumulate an ephemera collection from your mailbox.
You just need a very understanding spouse and/or family. ;)
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