12/4/2002: Sheep poetry
 

http://cellar.org/2002/sheeppoetry.jpg

Shown here is poet Valerie Laws. She is writing.

Well sorta. What she's doing is painting words on the backs of 15 sheep. After she's done, she'll climb to the top of a platform to see what poems the sheep create by milling around.

No, it's art. It's called the "Quantum Sheep project", had a $4000 (L2000) grant given to it by charity.

The ananova story

But apparently this picture is of a trial run or something, because the actual project is supposed to take place later. I'm not sure why they have to wait, or why it would cost money to paint words on the back of sheep and look at them from a platform. Frankly I think I could do it cheaper through technology, having taken a course on random number generation, but there is something interesting about having the process be organic.

And that's what the artist says too: "I feel this is an exciting project in which the landscape of the countryside connects with the inhabitants and creates organic poetry."

Ogg not understand.
Head hurt.
Why art woman paint on sheep?
Why? Why?
Griff will know.
We ask him now.
Feel better later.
Good. Good.

Time for some cow meat on bread, eh? Or rather, mutton. :)

No offense intended Ogg, however, your simple mind may not comprehend this. Its too big. You see, its funded, it is significant. UT would have people develop art on their own time/dime, appalling. I did a similar quantum experiment with chickens. "from step get Oklahoma verdi time many" Random? Pay attention! I think not. Embrace it Ogg, you will FEEL better, other peoples art will give meaning to all your huntin' and gatherin'.

Copy Cat
 

I just saw on CNN about a week ago a story on a guy who was doing black-and-white photography of words painted on cows.

Here's the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/Northeast....ap/index.html

I'm not sure if the lady copied him, or if he copied her....

Okay, here's what I would now like to do for my next poem...a living breathing art project.

--First, I need some sort of grant...NEA, Penn, Villanova, Pew Charitable Trust, whatever...

--Second, I'm going to need 37 Cellar Dwellars. Each of you will be painted with a word. The grant will help to pay you a fee for your time and the mess you will endure.

--Third, I will gather all of you at LOVE Park (15th and JFK Blvd., across from City Hall).

--Fourth, I will play a moshable song (something by System of a Down or Ministry) and you will be forced to mosh in a cordoned-off area. The music will then stop at a random point to be decided by me.

--Wherever you're all standing in the end, that is what the poem will be.

These are the 37 words that will be used:

Duck
Chasing
Tampon
Pixy Stix
Fiend
Crucify
Peanuts
Butterscotch
Crawling
Lifting
Vagina
Lilies
Bowling
Turquoise
Matador
Is
Ain't
Try
Teach
Pilgrimage
Incubus
Stutter
Pornography
Sleeping
Chasing
Writhe
Rose
Liberty
Pencil
Telephone
Jerky
Hanger
Vengence
Discombobulated
Vegetable
Subsist
Diarrhea

Anyone willing to donate themselves or money, kindly contact me by PM.

I might help you here, but on two conditions...
 

1. I won't get nekked for your art. If you wish to get nekked for your art that's fine. I will try to keep the pointing and laughing to a minimum.

2. I wanna be "discombobulated".

Re: 12/4/2002: Sheep poetry
 

But they can simulate all that shit now. Simply get a sheep to wear one o' them motion-capture suits, then create dozens of CGI sheep. You'd have to program in their basic thought process and whatnot, but I bet it'd be a rather believable simulation.

Well now. I will only participate in the cellar piece if I get to be naked, er... artistically nude, and imprinted as "bowling". The aesthetic randomness will have interpretive layers because, of course, my identity as "bowling" will effect my quality of movement. For instance I imagine I will want to spend much time in relation to, responding to, and in concert with the dynamics of "butterscotch". See, people *will* pay top dollar for this much fun. Virtual will not do. Ok, I'd be in as "vengance" too. I could tap into some unexplored emotional territory, but then "bowling" better watch out. Why look! I have a grant application right here...

I'm claiming "subsist" as my word right now. I would have went with "discombobulated" but sadly wolf already claimed that one.

I'm Sleeping.

C'mon, you slackers. Someone has to be Diarrhea.

For the record, I would like to state that I made no mention of nudity. :)

Griff has "matador."

Bushmills
 

Then you've agreed to my er... stipend?

Shhh! Not in front of everybody else damnit!

I'm Is

Few know this, but "Hey you, get off my Cloud" by the Stones was actually an old Scottish folk-tune, "Hey, McCloud, get off my Ewe!"

OK, I'll take "diarrhea" but I am staying as close to wolf's "discombobulated" as I can during the mosh.

An E's mine.

Is 'pornography' taken? I want it.

Skunks, the word is yours.

Arz, hmmm...we'll see. (Side note to self: Tell wolf to keep running away from Arz.)

Now, now...

I just think "discombobulated diarrhea" is not only amusing alliteration but also poetry on its own, and if we're all moshing together we'd be "poetry in motion."

:D

Technically, I think that would be poetry OF motion.

i think this sheep poetry idea is about the stupidest thing i have ever seen.

just commenting.

More like "poopetry in motion."

please oh please can i have pixy stix?

~james

Done.

Okay, so that everyone is squared away, here are the words that are left:

Duck
Chasing
Tampon
Fiend
Crucify
Peanuts
Butterscotch
Crawling
Lifting
Vagina
Lilies
Turquoise
Ain't
Try
Teach
Pilgrimage
Incubus
Stutter
Chasing
Writhe
Rose
Liberty
Pencil
Telephone
Jerky
Hanger
Vengence
Vegetable

I think you're going to have a hard time getting a taker for "tampon" ;)

One thing that might assist in making your art more "organic" in the medical sense ... (and it will reduce your budget significantly) would be to get a bunch o' bums ... uhhhh, I mean persons who are residentially and reality challenged who have issues with substance abuse and give them a buck each to mill around aimlessly.

You get used to the smell after the first couple minutes of exposure. Promise.

Strange as it may seem, the actions of Cellar Dwellars are nowhere near as random.

<h4>Sycamore</h4>
All of you guys are going to downtown Philli.....and will be dancing around with words on your backs?

Yer gonna need some security from the natives ;) I can help you out with that. Does anyone faint at the sight of an AK-47?

I'll paint my face blue and wear a clear plastic suit, no one will fuck with us.

Well, I suppose I could take Liberty, but what fun would that be?

Set me up with Incubus!

I will pay good money to see that (probably in the course of posting your bail).

No bail was required last time, I just had to surrender my weapon and chat softly with a nice calm man. His face was blue too.

I'd also like to request 3 words.


Try....Teach(ing)....Vengence. Can I pay extra for all three?

I can be your "poetic" badguy.

Whoa... PAY for a WORD! I think we've found a funding scheme, here! Syc, will it be ruined by evil monetary commerce? (or improved?)

"Do" or "do not". There is no "try".

Or "spoon".

Ooooh! The Woad Warrior!!

NO NO NO!!!

We don't want this to be a self-funded or patronage art project!!!!

What we need here is a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts!!

(Has anyone been saving buckets of urine? We'll need them for the grant application. By the time we get around to the actual project, there can always be a claim of change of artistic vision, and we won't use 'em. But the'll be essential for the application process. We might want to search attics for some religious iconography as well ...)

(*speaking in a very soft, even, calming tone of voice*)

Slang, the little blue pill is very important. You forgot that one again, didn't you?

And the thread goes out of control, like the bulls in Pampalona.

Bad Slang! You do NOT get three words! Nor will there be any payments for words! Damnit, we're going to milk this sonofabitch for all it's worth. Here's a list of possible donors:

--NEA
--Drexel University (have you folks with Comcast cable in the Philadelphia area watched DUTV--Channel 55? Talk about some crazy shit!)
--University of Pennsylvania
--The Walter Annenburg/CPB Project
--Pew Charitable Trusts
--Big Ed (You're damned right I'm gonna hit Big Ed up for some dough...he's an attorney.)
--WYBE (Channel 35...maybe they'll show it on the station)
--Will Smith (He likes to invest in the hometown)

The security offer is nice and all, but I dunno slang...you strolling around with an AK-47 in Center City may be a bit off-putting to some folk. :)

it's mine, dammit.

Thank God somebody claimed it, I was worried I'd have to do it in a drunken state. :)

I believe Brian wants to bring a helicopter gunship, so slang could use that platform and remain out of sight.

The sheep didn't get to pick what words they wanted to wear, so their actions are probably more random. Now if you teach a sheep to read organic poetry, then you have an art project worthy of my $.02.

It has never bothered anyone before. What the hell did I get a Pa "firearms permit" for anyway?

The goal isn't to spook anyone anyway, I'll just hang out in the chopper with Brian. If I need to, I'll repell down a rope and blast off some "protective fire" for you guys.


How's that sound? :)

strangely comforting, given that I'll be moshing and unable to correctly assess threats and cover myself.

Well, I still think you'll need a word...dangling from the rope overhead all blue and armed... how about "Jerky"? It has so many lovely layers of meaning.

<h4>Warch</h4>
How about " Jerky hanger" ;)

Syc has been pretty clear, if not downright touchy about individual participant word amounts! However, with Brian in the chopper you could maybe work out a little something- a jerky hanger or perhaps hanger jerky. (Homer voice) ummm, jerky.

Why don't you pipe down peanut gallery and fetch me that latte!

Better. :) Remember, these are city folks...for some of them, it's an all-too familiar sound...for others, they'd shit all over themselves at the sound.

All right!! The inclusion of random feces explosions guarantees NEA grant status.

you will need a blow up of a mass card of an obscure saint, however (St. Dymphna, perhaps?), to place on the ground in your mosh pit.

(glad I'm going to be in the chopper)

Oooh! Good idea wolf, but it can't be some obscure one...it has to be one that could get the Catholic church nice and riled up...and it has to be one that's well-known.

Why, St. Katharine Drexel...of course! That's brilliant!

How did I get in this? Much less into a helicopter gunship?

My pilots license does not allow me to fly helicopters.
I can fly a C-130 "Spooky" gun platform though. Multi-engine operations aren't too hard to fudge, kinda like IFR operations (for which I am also not licensed)

Brian

:( Thanks Brian, now I'm going to have to repel out of a balloon or some tall building

can it at least be a scary-looking black balloon? I don't think slang is a pastel rainbow kind o' guy ...

Being on the other side of the country, I will most likely be unable to attend the event. Nonetheless, I demand "Turquoise".

You should definitely use pastel colors. Give slang a peach-and-apricot balloon. It will constrast nicely with the blue face.

Oh come on Torrere, how about a road trip. There is nothing better than the open road, a large selection of music, and thousands of miles between you and your destination.

Oh? How much turbine time do you have? Do you know how to start one?

A herkybird has four... so you won't be too stressed if you lose one, I guess. :-)

<i>There's a story about the military pilot calling for a priority landing, because his single-engine jet fighter was running "a bit peaked". ATC told the fighter jock that he was number two, behind a B-52 that had one engine shut down. "Ah", the fighter pilot remarked, " The dreaded Seven-Engine approach".</i>

Yeah Torrere...what Cam said. Plus, we'll hit all the bars on South Street, get sloppy drunk, make asses of ourselves, and eat cheesesteaks. :)