IDEA//

"Everywhere in the minutiae of our material culture, we encounter reminders of the availability of authentic experiences at others times and in other places.... Picture postcards circulate throughout the world tying tourists together in networks and linking the tourist to the attraction and to his friends at home." MacCannel 1976.

This project aims to distribute 'collectable' physical art objects (in the form of postcards) created by members of the digital networked community (digital tourists). It is also an attempt to foster community and collaboration around dplanet:: (www.dplanet.org) by creating a POSTCARD_network and a feedback loop (POSTCARDS are displayed on dplanet:: so many of the POSTCARDS include previous POSTCARDS which have been displayed).

This project was inspired by a conversation I had with Marcus Neustetter, a
Johannesburg-based artist. We discussed the value of the 'art object' in digital culture and the potential manifestations of digital art in the physical world.

[Inspiration was also derived from etoy's share concept which "...is a
radical transformation of art ownership in the digital age. The rigidly
limited number of etoy.SHARE-UNITS available on the art market replaces the idea of the (physical) original art masterpiece."]

We also discussed the desire to avoid the dplanet:: community sharing common experiences in collective isolation. Using postcards as the medium of delivery seemed perfect.

"Postcards allow people to keep in touch without having to actually say anything. A notable thing about postcards is how trite the messages often
are: "The weather is great. Wish you were here." A letter like that would be
ludicrous, even rude. Yet the main point of a postcard is its subtext: I'm
thinking of you, just checking in, making the rounds remotely. The picture
on the card takes the place of the message. It lets the sender express a bit
of his or her taste like sending a little gift." - Inhabiting the Virtual City, Judith S. Donath.

This project also deals with the environment in which digital art or design
is viewed. Curators and gallery owners go to great lengths to ensure a controlled setting for viewing traditional art. As web-based screen designers we have no say in the way our work is viewed, we have no control over the physical location, monitor settings, light conditions and so on. Part of the excitement of web-based design is the notion that hundreds of people in different geographical locations can be viewing the same thing at the same time in their own unique environments. Revealing in these variables is fundamental to this project.

AT THE GENCOR//

While the (physical)_POSTCARDS are being exhibited at the Gencor Gallery in
Johannesburg, photographs will be taken daily of the POSTCARDS in situ and
posted on www.dplanet.org, which in turn will be displayed on a monitor in
the gallery space.

This increases the feedback loop, giving SENDERS and future RECEIVERS a
glimpse of the POSTCARD_journey and allows the gallery audience to become
part of the project. The gallery audience is also invited to take a more
active role in the project by fulfilling the BRIEF and submitting their own
POSTCARD direct from the gallery space.

dplanet:: will also be online in the type01 multi-user environment MU-MUT
for the duration of the exhibition.



BRIEF//

Take a photographic still life of your environment.

This environment can include anything you like, but it _MUST_ include a
monitor which is displaying the dplanet website.

Your still life will be made into a (physical) postcard which will be sent
to another participant, chosen at random from the list of participants.

Write a message to the recipient of your postcard.

Send the following to postcard@dplanet.org:

1. The photograph in jpg format (640 x 480)

2. Your message

3. Your physical postal address

List of Participants

+ Andy Jonez
+ Brandon Gerena (www.squeo.com)
+ Christian
+ Daniel Achilles (www.precinct.net)
+ Daniel Mcskelly (www.ultrashock.com)
+ Enrico Trujillo
+ eyeRiz (www.eyeriz.com)
+ François Naudé (www.altsense.net)
+ Geoff (www.oculart.com)
+ Harri Paavolainen
+ Innovative Design Research (www.designerarmy.com)
+ James Widegren (www.threeoh.com)
+ Jemma Gura (www.prate.com)
+ Joe Shepter (www.adobe.com)
+ John van Rensberg (www.sparky.co.za)
+ Kato (www.cma3.com)
+ Lebogang aka tommy (www.mode03.za.org)
+ Michael Schmidt (www.k10k.net)
+ mishx (www.zero-two-one.com)
+ Nicky Furlong
+ oLMo (www.leftloft.com)
+ Pascal Bompard (www.truelife.co.za)
+ Paul O'Neill (www.bindii.com)
+ Pierre Odendaal (www.urbanexpress.co.uk)
+ Roger Semple
+ Shirley Musikanth-zachs
+ snowchyld (www.slycer.org)
+ Stuart Barnes (www.onreturn.co.uk)
+ Tom Roope (www.tomato.co.uk)
+ Urs Mueller
+ Walt Presley