Blind Reproduction

Blind Reproduction is a collaborative art and writing project between 13 artists, 13 writers, and one curator. Sometimes we like to call it Exquisite Poop, combining the names of two less elaborate surrealist party games: Exquisite Corpse and Eat Poop You Cat (the paper game), both of which play with hidden imagery. The artists were invited to contribute one of their smaller two dimensional works, and promise to make another. Images, titles, size and media information were then assigned to the writers, who were charged with describing the art as thoroughly and sincerely as possible, as if the work had been destroyed and needed to be remade, or as if it were being forged. Then, these descriptions were randomly assigned to the contributing artists, with a little tweaking to prevent artists reproducing their own work or that of someone working in media alien to them. The artists were tasked with recreating the artwork they thought the writer had described, without knowing the artist or seeing the original image.

The first stage of translation from visual to verbal varies hugely in style and focus, even given stylistic restrictions. Several different writing strategies were tried, each likely to be misinterpreted wildly depending on the artist. The artist's job is even harder and even more subject to the variations of personality and style. The resulting illustration of mis/communication varies from wondrous to farcical to tragic.

Participating artists:

Alexis Duque
Lorra Jackson
Brian Elig
Blair Kamage
Carly Bodnar
Robert Scott
Joseph Materkowski
Samuel Bjorgum
Lauren Kolesinskas
Jessica Daly
David Hollenbach
BMIP
Nick Musaelian

Participating writers: 

Casey Plett
Chris Heffernan
Allison Moore
Kaitlin Heller
Adam Kavulic
Zane Hart
Matt Keeley
Jamie T. Clark
Jon Boulier
Ammon Ford
Maddie Drake
Josh Crowley
Jenny Bhatt

Curator:
Janet Bruesselbach

Janet was inspired to do this project when she took blind gallery owner and retired professor Steve Cannon to art shows and tried to describe the art to him. She found that even conceptual work relied on an attentive visuality sorely lacking from a great deal of art writing. Not only that, but she decided that the spirit of absurd experimentation and attempt toward the art director's rare skill by a wide variety of creators would be worth building a show around. If all goes well, the 13 original pieces and the 13 reproductions, as well as the descriptions, will be shown March 10 - April 14, 2012 at Steve Cannon's space A Gathering of the Tribes.

Thus, we invite you to support our efforts to pay Mr. Cannon's rent and exhibition costs as well as giving very hard-working artists and writers their fair due. We'll also need to make and print a small catalog, and are offering affordable prints of each set of two visuals and a verbal: original, description, and reproduction. You can even get in early on buying a before and after pair of artworks, ready to hang with the description linking them. We'll even let you commission more work, in the form of either a description of the artwork of your choice, a small artwork based on a description you give, or another full iteration of one of the sets, all three artworks you then own. Pledge early to get your name in the catalog as a supporter in larger and larger font sizes depending on your contribution, as well as updates including the descriptions, images, and discussion of the process with the artists and writers. Tell everyone you know, and maybe this can become a series, with new writers and artists.