Spam Art is Go
Posted on | September 14, 2007 |
I’ve rigged up a pretty good version of what I want to do with my spam based project. Spart is the name I’ve coined, rather unimaginatively. Since I’ve got so far with it, I think I’m going to give it a dry run, mainly to see what kind of result I get, and hopefully provoke a good reaction from the (potential) “victims” of my mailings. My previous post about spam and art is here.
Hang on! I got an email….. what does it mean?
Firstly sorry again if this has brought you to annoyance and if you wonder how I did this; your email address exists on the world wide web, somewhere. It doesn’t mean too much on its own. If you would like for your email address to be removed from the system, there is a link at the bottom of any emails you have received from me.
Contribute
I’m asking anyone who receives one of my spam emails (or anyone else) to contribute a short message to the project. These contributions will then in turn make up the content for my next mass-mailing. Ultimately I would like the system to be completely self contained - so all the messages that are sent are generated by other people who (at one point) received a message. I will then place the computer(s) running the system into a gallery, and display all outgoing and incoming messages that it generates. This is a little way off, b ut not impossible.
Use this form to add your message to the spam system. Anything that gets sent out will be moderated, so there’s no point including any obscenities in it. If you would just like to leave a general comment click here.
Cheers!
Tags: email > software > spam > spam-art > spam_project > spart > spiders > thoughts
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15 Responses to “Spam Art is Go”
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- Message from JoeIn a moment of desperation about the state of my kitchen and the amount of washing up present in it, I just spread honey on to my toast using a teaspoon. I thought you might like to know that.
September 15th, 2007 @ 5:21 am
This is only a peice of art if you know how you are contextualizing it, how it fits historically in installation, site specific or performance art history. If you have an intention, a creative goal, a purpose, a drive to push your viewers to think, contemplate, peruse or interact with your project.
It seems as though you state you want to create ‘art’ utilizing email but have no context for it. No hypothesis, process or documentation of your creative endeavor. How is this art if you have no concept? You only have a specified material you’d like to work with. I don’t think that in itself is art. What are you doing? Why are you doing it? How do you want to drive people. How do you want to utilize your materials??????
September 15th, 2007 @ 9:53 am
Dear Joe, I am a painter, and I have to face the mirror every morning with the thought that I have to keep my inspirational muscles toned. Art as a concept has deep emotional and spiritual bonds in Human history, everything from our vision of the divine, to our conception of beauty was first shown to us by the arts, and most importantly, by the artists. You are attempting to create art by using “trash”, which in context can be very interesting, but I think that you need a theme. Right now you have your materials (Spam), and you have your medium (Internet), now you need to create a theme which has a final product, which we all hope is art.
September 15th, 2007 @ 2:37 pm
Joe,
Here is some cool art you can check out. http://www.myspace.com/dalibor_moyzes
I don’t mind getting emails. Providing a back link to my website would be helpful to me to help promote my book. I’m in the process of including a photo gallery as well. Visit me at myspace.com/randalltowe to see some of my photos.
THX
September 15th, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Dear Joe,
I had an elderly friend who just died who took every piece of junk subsscribtion mail that fell out of a magazine, collaged it with pictures and caption (usually political sometimes just funny) and sent it (using the free postage included on the card) back to the distribution center. He was nearing 10,000 returns at his death. His theory was that those poor sods who had to process the subscribtions needed some relief in their life. Spamming the spammers just seems to make more spam, but communicating somehow with the actual people paid to make the spam process function could be interesting.
Good luck with your project.
Patricia
September 15th, 2007 @ 9:44 pm
My spam solution is to mix and match spam phrases and turn them into haiku. Here’s an example:
My college pictures
Enhance your anatomy.
Proven effective.
More here: http://www.madkane.com/humor_blog/2007/09/15/spam-haiku/
September 15th, 2007 @ 10:41 pm
Thanks alot for all the responses so far.
Haiku is an especially cool way to deal with it :o)
I just received this in my email;
“are you retarded?”
It was from an email address “@cox.net” - huh, ironic :o)
Still, thanks everyone, its really appreciated.
Joe
September 16th, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
well-though it’s just a study,goes to show that my euro marketing dollars aren’t going to waste because you’ve found my email address and website.
good luck with your study-though not exactly sure what this will prove-because in essence. you are still spamming;)
September 16th, 2007 @ 5:41 pm
Hehe, that is success as far as I’m concerned - I’ve made someone happy!
Spurred on by the responses I’ve been doing some further adaptations of this website.
There will be a page to submit messages on, these submitions will themselves be the content for messages I’m sending out…… my hope is that running it in that manner moves more toward the system being more autonomously creatove and hopefully underline that it isn’tjust spam… Spam with a twist maybe:o)
September 16th, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Hi Joe,
You seem to be gathering interesting materials, but your art now needs form and direction.
Check out my abstract paintings at .
Lynne
September 16th, 2007 @ 7:33 pm
Lynne,
They are some lovely pieces of work. It reminds me of the work that my granny produces. I’m a big fan of abstract painting, although often I’m flummoxed at how to comment on it. I guess practice and experience is the key in talking about art.
As for my work; you’re definately right. I’ve actually modified this page and the message I am sending a little, hopefully for the better. I want to make this work in a more Ouroboros-istic manner, I hope it will bring the idea together a little more cohesively.
Also I just got this in my email, as a response to my mass mailing - thanks whoever you are!
The inherent technical homogenity, that is the nature of web e-mails, conditions the user to discrern and evaluate information in a manner that is unprecendented in media before this.
Thanks for your words.
Joe
September 19th, 2007 @ 8:19 am
my music website interesting but foumd black back ground of this site very hard to read - I know it’s my eyesight but first thing
in the morning!
September 21st, 2007 @ 11:20 pm
Like you I have used spam to create “art” - in my case music an videos generated by the content/attachments of spam emails.
I was pleased to actually find something so positive in the reams of junk that my email account receives. I wish you every success in your work.
I was unsure what to write in the message for the email but I’ll think of something
Best wishes
Jerry
September 23rd, 2007 @ 10:22 am
You are not the only Spartist!
http://www.spartaction.com
or did you know this already. It’s not my work, (although I knew this man and his trundle wheel)….it’s from an article I read in Dartington Alumni magazine just this morning!
G’luck with your adventure.
September 25th, 2007 @ 12:50 am
I had a look- pretty far reaching stuff!
It seems like that time the word “spart” was used it was an amalgamation of sport and art. Rather than spam. Still, extremely interesting!
October 7th, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
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