Dear Curt Cloninger,

"We aim to flood the commodified market of the implemented concept with unimplemented concepts, thus critiquing and "devaluing" the implemented concept."

I am unsure as to how such material would "critique" so-called "implemented" concepts, particularly if the only difference between an "implemented" and an "unimplemented" concept was the act of implementation!

To me, what you're suggesting actually sounds like advertising. A smart ad exec comes up with endless ideas and ultimately implements very few of them. Those ideas which go unimplemented don't really "critique" the ones that make it to fruition, do they?

I would argue that context is very important here. Couldn't it be argued that the Web itself, particularly all of its passionate Lefty bloggers and opiners, already churns out an endless stream of unimplemented ideas on a daily basis? If you're going to deploy inaction as a strategy, you have to make it VISIBLE; I would say that to critique a given situation or institution, an inaction has to RESIST something that is being expected.

DQ











curt cloninger wrote:

> join this concept: The "_ This Concept" Project
>
> "I'm an idea man Chuck, I get ideas, sometimes I get so many ideas
> that I can't even fight them off!… Wait a minute! Why don't they
> just mix the mayonnaise with the tuna in the can… HOLD THE PHONE!
> Why don't they just FEED the tuna fish mayonnaise! Call Starkist!"
> - Bill Blazejowski (_Night Shift_)
>
> "Those who can't do teach. And those who can't teach, teach gym. And,
> of course, those who couldn't do anything, I think, were assigned to
> our school."
> - Alvy Singer (_Annie Hall_)
>
> ++++++++++
>
> PRECEDENCE:
>
> The Fluxus Performance Workbook:
> http://www.performance-research.net/documents/fluxus_workbook_screen.pdf
>
> ++++++++++
>
> CONCEPT:
>
> Why waste your precious energies "making" conceptual art when you
> can simply explain your conceptual art projects in the form of
> instructions posted to an art mailing list? Crank out twice the
> concepts in half the time!
>
> In their heyday, performance artists flooded the commodified market
> of the art object with implemented concepts, thus critiquing and
> "devaluing" the art object. We aim to flood the commodified market
> of the implemented concept with unimplemented concepts, thus
> critiquing and "devaluing" the implemented concept. (At least,
> that's our concept.)
>
> ++++++++++
>
> INSTRUCTIONS:
>
> Stop making conceptual art. Instead, explain your conceptual art
> projects in the form of instructions posted to an art mailing list.
> Post lots! Make a series:
> http://rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread111&text4621
> http://rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread066&text4539
> http://rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread616&text3617
> http://rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread569&text3615
> http://rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread231&text'185
>
> Always cite some prior art precedence, that way you are more likely
> to be taken seriously by people who take ciiting prior art
> precedences seriously. Always explain your concept, that way youare
> more likely to be taken seriously by people who take explaining
> concepts seriously. Finally, list your instructions, just in case
> anybody ever wants to "do" it.
>
> ++++++++++
>
> chicken in the breadpan pickin' out dough,
> curt