ninja star blast/2012

yes. that is. activities? seen more action than richie brokelman. damn right. eys. x

Record No. 8

Title: Little Red Corvette, b/w All the Critics Love U in NY
Artist: Prince
Date Sent: October 2, 2009
Sender's Name and Location: Darren Tuozzoli, Fairfield CT
Recipient's Name and Location: Christina Clugston, Red Hook NY
Notes: Despite being a bit afraid of Prince when this came out, I don't think I ever doubted its ability to make me sing aloud in the car - especially when the windows are rolled down. It's got every bit of drama that Meatloaf squeezed out of "Dashboard" and so much more! This is for you and your new canine... hustling down 9G, looking for some serious trouble.

Next HOLY COW is on me.

Record #7

Title: Hot Fun in the Summertime / Fun
Artist: Sly and the Family Stone
Date Sent: 9/7/09
Sender's Name and Location:
Amy Wong, Monrovia, CA
Recipient's Name and Location:
Darren C. Tuozzoli, Fairfield, CT
Notes: I realize this may be a little cruel, given that I inherited your turntable at your departure, however there is no person better suited to be a part of this project that you. Now you know why the clerk chased me out of the 45 section the last time we went to Amoeba. I didn't have any luck there - as it was my first time shopping for vinyl, I was overwhelmed. So I picked up an old classic for you at the flea market in Pasadena today. I miss you, friend. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Record #6

Title: Cold Cold Water
Artist: Mirah
Date Sent: Monday, June 1st, 2009
Sender's Name and Location:
Sean Gin, Berkeley, CA
Recipient's Name and Location:
Amy Wong, Monrovia, CA
Notes: Sorry this is coming so late but I hope you enjoy this. It's just a little acoustic Mirah to ease one's day :)

Record #5

Artist: The Blow
Date Sent: 04/22/09
Sender's Name & Location: Jesse in Berkeley, CA
Recipient's Name & Location: Sean in Berkeley, CA
Notes: I really like this song and hope you do too! Thanks Jason + Ester for including the adapters! =) I will forward them along. Sorry I took so long to send this too. It's been a crazy semester. Anyway, enjoy!

Jesse

Record #4

Title: Darling Dear
Artist: written by H. Gordy, R. Gordy, & A. Story
performed by .~*Jackson 5*~.
Date Sent: 03/26/09
Sender's Name & Location:
Jason and Ester in San Jose
Recipient's Name & Location:
Jesse Charles Endahl in Berkeley
Notes: oh, just something to dance to. so I hope you've learned some moves by now, old man. I'm sorry it's taken so long to send, I didn't have money for postage until last night. 10 45rpm adapters have been provided and included by Jason.

News from the Trail

The travels of the Phony Express have taken a short pause in California.

A couple of weeks ago, the second recipient of the project, Wei Hwu of San Jose, CA, sent me the following correspondence (which is an example of some fine mail art):



Wei's letter indicated her delight of partaking in the experiment (thank you too, Wei!) and the unfortunate circumstances that the friend to whom she mailed the vessel was unable to participate at this time.

Currently, she's working on retrieving the vessel, which will then be forwarded along to another unsuspecting participant!

Joel Alter

record #3

title: the lonely N (lowercase n)
artist: the dead hensons
date sent: 1/17/09
sender's name and location: wei hwu, san jose, ca
recipient's name and location: mike bates, san francisco, ca
notes: we missed the dead henson's recent debut at the annual science fair. admission was free with a homemade volcano or a robot. i bet it was awesome.
mike bates seems to love vinyl almost as much as he loves time travel and the internet. and that's a lot. i know this ep will be cozy on goettingen.

record #2

title: 59th st. bridge song
artist: harper's bizarre
date sent: 1/5/09
sender's name and location: michael neault, rochester, ny
recipient's name and location: wei hwu, san jose, ca

notes: The canvas box was in perfect shape upon arrival, but I imagine it will accrue some beautiful distress as it makes it way across the united states of america. I sent it along to san jose, california with a record by harper's bizarre. I'm very much enjoying the XTC record.

Safe travels, little guy!

Maiden Voyage. Record #1.

This afternoon the Phony Express departed into the vast waves of the Postal Sea. I nearly shed a tear. That feeling was followed by pure excitement! Can't wait to see the course that this vessel is set on.

*****

I decided to send the first record to my friend Michael in Rochester; something of a reciprocation for the incredible mail projects I've received from him in the past.

RECORD #1:

Artist: XTC
Title: "Life Begins at the Hop" b/w "Homo Safari"

Sender: Joel Alter - Brooklyn, NY
Recipient: Michael Neault - Rochester, NY

This record is pretty amazing. First off, "Life Begins at the Hop" is one of my favorite XTC songs. Secondly, the packaging is extraordinary: the record is clear vinyl and the plastic sleeve has a record arm printed on it.



Let's see what happens!

Joel Alter

Part Six: The Phony Express: Completed.

After hours of thought, designing, and assembly, I'm so happy to say that the Phony Express is ready for delivery! Thanks to everyone who helped with the production, ideas, and general support!

There will be a launch party at the Spencer St. Gallery (i.e. my apartment) in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, December 4th, and on the following day, the Phony will be mailed!

Please view an assortment of photos of the finished product below!


Joel Alter

Part Five: Naked mail.

Last night, after finishing work, I took a water taxi (http://www.nywatertaxi.com/commuters/ikea/) to Red Hook in Brooklyn to see my friend, Desira Pesta, a self-taught seamstress and clothing designer.

I contacted Desira about the mailing of the Phony Express. I came up with the idea that the vessel could be sent through the postal system with out being mailed in a cardboard box or a large envelope. I want to mail it unwrapped, but with a luggage tag tied to the handle. This tag would have a pocket on each side: one to bear the address of the recipient, and one to hold the postage. This would be an example of sending "naked mail." You can read a bit more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mail

Before we met to assemble the luggage tag, I did three things.

1. I visited Mood Fabrics in Manhattan to purchase some faux leather.

2. I picked up some plastic file folders from Staples. (We would assemble the plastic as part of the tag to cover the address.)

3. I designed a template:



In Desira's studio, we cut the pieces from the faux leather and plastic file folders. Desira used her superior sewing skills to manufacture a remarkable luggage tag. Thanks, Desira! You're amazing!

Pictures below:











To check out some of Desira's work, please visit her website at: http://www.desirapesta.com/

*****

Only a few finishing touches left and this project is ready to depart!


Joel Alter

Part Four: Letters were pressed.

The summer ended with an abundance of various engagements and a few weeks spent traveling abroad in India, but now I'm back to work on the Phony Express project!

Next order of business: The Logbook.

I called up my friend and old co-worker, Kenny Colvin, to help me with the cover for the logbook. He's been a graphic designer for many years and also works part-time at NYC's School of Visual Arts (SVA). In addition, he has recently started his own design and letterpress company called Giant Squid! Check it out here: http://giantsquidletterpress.com/

We met yesterday morning at the Letterpress/Lithography studio on SVA's campus to work on the cover.

The process:

Kenny made a plate of the carrier pigeon logo, while I cut the paper down to size. We then set the metal type (Garamond), added the ink, and began to press the letters and image.

Within a few hours total, we had an exceptional cover. Thanks so much, Kenny!


Joel Alter

Part Three: A vessel.

In the early weeks of June 2008, I began the design and assembly of the Phony Express vessel.

Equipped with a mighty pencil and a sheet of paper, I began my design for the vessel to be used to transport records across the country. Here's the template I came up with:


I had the idea that the case would fold out completely with two main sides: one to hold the logbook and one to hold the record. It would have a handle for ease of carrying and a metal clasp to lock it in the front.

The materials were purchased in separate trips to Dick Blick Art Supplies and Home Depot (which is wonderfully close to my house). These materials included:

• Bookcloth
• Binder's Board
• PVA Glue
• Binding Tape
• Paper
• Screw Posts
• Metal Clasp
• Screen Door Handle

A brief rundown of the assembly:

First, I cut out the pieces of binder's board and glued them together. Then they were bound with the binding tape to ensure support. Next, the bookcloth was added, followed by the inside paper. The handle was added and finally the metal clasp.

This was done over a few weekends and owes quite a bit to patience and precision!

More to come!


Joel Alter

ps. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the design/assembly process to share, but there'll be many of the final product!

Part Two: An idea was born(e).

It's called the Phony Express.


It's a case designed for the mailing of 7", or 45 rpm, records. A logbook is included in the vessel and will be instrumental in tracking its journey. In addition, this interactive blog (accessible by all recipients) has been constructed to serve as a feedback forum and for others to view the project's progression.


Its mission:

"The Phony Express is an experimental mail project which aims to form a kinship among audiophiles while simultaneously promoting the longevity of the vinyl medium for recordings.

The project's main focus is the successive transmission of 7" records, which will establish a material connection between its participants through postal dispatch, thereby creating a cartographic account of cultural exchange."


Its tagline: Get a record. Send a record.

Participants will receive a record from a preceding participant of the project. To continue the chain of transmittal, they'll choose a successor and send them a record. In the interest of maintaining a steady flow of distribution, contributions will need to be mailed within 2 weeks.


Its logo (paying homage to the carrier pigeon):

Part One: It started with a piece of driftwood.

I arrived home one summer evening from work and went to check the mail. My (then) Brooklyn apartment building did not offer such lavish things as mailboxes. All of the mail for our building was placed in a heap on a board atop a broken radiator for the tenants to sort. Thus, the daily ritual of getting the mail became a recurring treasure hunt. On this particular day I sifted through the envelopes and didn't see anything too exciting. With my roommate's Netflix DVD and a bank statement in hand, I turned to go back to my apartment.

Then my eyes pulled me back. They saw some vibrant red and blue colors on what appeared to be a piece of driftwood. Was I dreaming? As I moved closer, the colors took shape and formed a mosaic of a chameleon on a tree branch!

This was amazing! I couldn't believe it. But what was it doing in the vestibule of my building? With curiosity I turned this specimen over to discover that it was addressed to ME!


I learned shortly after that this piece of wood had drifted to me all the way from Bass Harbor, Maine. It had been constructed by my friends Abby McCarthy and Michael Neault while they were vacationing in the region; and what may have started as a summer afternoon activity for them, led to a piqued interest in mail art for me.

These two artisans have continued to demonstrate their talents to me in the areas of mail art and design by sending me several items over the years, such as party invitations, elaborate mix CD packages, and, most notoriously, a reusable envelope made out of corduroy!

You can view some of their projects on Michael's website:
http://snoreandguzzle.com/

*****

Having been inspired by my friends (well, let's face it, I usually am!), I took my baby steps into the world of mail art. I was intrigued by, and began to experiment with, package design, which was only appropriate due to my concurrent acquaintance with the art of bookbinding. I was informed of where the "good" art supply stores were in NYC and began to fashion a string of various creations.

Through research, I uncovered such incredible enterprises as the P22 Mail Art Project from Buffalo, NY (http://www.p22.com/projects/mail.html). Those guys tried to mail a piece of TOAST!

I attended the Mapping Correspondence: Mail Art in the 21st Century exhibit at The Center for Book Arts (http://www.centerforbookarts.org/), which also proved to be a guiding light for my mail art and bookbinding experiments.

*****

Being sufficiently equipped with a prerequisite knowledge of mail art, I commenced work on a grand concept; an experiment laced with ambition, that would not only encourage participation in a diminishing form of communication, but would also preserve the existence of a dwindling medium for another form of art.


Joel Alter