MICHAEL LUMB.
1997.
MAILART 1955 TO 1995:
DEMOCRATIC ART AS SOCIAL SCULPTURE.
ABSTRACT.
This thesis evaluates the importance of mailart in the late 1990s, traces its development and examines the reasons for the changes that have taken place in the nature of mailart practice.
The first three chapters identify the phases of mailart as; Ray Johnson orchestrating his circle of correspondents and the New York Correspondance (sic) School, Fluxus and conceptual artists exploring the postal system as a subject for artwork and finally the democratisation of mailart through the considerable increase of participants as result of Mail Art Projects. Chapter four explores the politicisation of mailart and debates that took place between mailartists on the way in which mailart developed in the 1980s.
The final chapter identifies mailart in the second half of the 1990s as being open to all with the means to pay the postage. It argues that mailart networking, situates itself outside the Fine Art canon, by eschewing identifiable producers and products and has no ambitions to become part of that canon. The main focus of the thesis, using Beuysian theories, identifies the democracy of mailart, not only in accepting all who wish to participate and everything that they wish to use in their interactions with other networkers, but also in having no control system, no hierarchy, no judges or jurors and no selection of either its producers or its products.
The thesis discusses mailart as being non-judgemental, privileging participation over content and style. It argues that a mailartist is defined simply by participation, rather than training, experience, age, gender, race, religion or ability. The thesis demonstrates that mailart does not define its art by an individual sending (nor by something received), arguing that the artwork being intangible is not exhibitable because it is the network as a whole, a social sculpture, the interaction between peoples that is the artwork.
MAILART 1955 TO 1995:
DEMOCRATIC ART AS SOCIAL SCULPTURE.
BY MICHAEL LUMB
A thesis submitted in fullfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in the University of East Anglia, School of World Art Studies and Museology.
October 1997.
This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that no quotation from the thesis, nor any information derived therefrom, may be published without the author's prior written consent.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
I am indebted to all mailartists with whom I have corresponded, without them this thesis would not have been possible. I am especially grateful to the large number of networkers who have answered my persistent questions about their activity and the numerous people who have kept me up-to-date with newspaper articles and general writings on mailart, both contemporary and historical. Ongoing thanks are due to the many mailartists who have sent me their unwanted mailart, confirming my belief that although each networker has his/her own network, the overall work received is much the same. Finally I would like to emphasise that inclusion or exclusion of any networkers in this thesis is not a comment on the quality of their work or their importance as mailartists: such an idea is contrary to my belief in what mailart is, as will become clear from a reading of this work. Networkers have been chosen because they conveniently illustrate a point that I wish to make. In the firm belief that mailart is egalitarian and in the public domain, as well as being in support of Anticopyright and Plagiarism I have sought no permission to reproduce anything that is quoted or reproduced within this thesis, although all references are credited.