Petition Book
If you could ask anything from anyone what would you ask for?
one question + 100 hand made books + passed from trusted friend to trusted friend then returned when it could no longer be passed on
Why collect petitions? Petitions are proactive, a voice spoken and a request for change made. Nothing is gained without asking first, of oneself.
The actual pads are recycled paper from the myriad of mail, bills, ads, etc, that bombarded me on a daily basis, a great metaphor for life in the land of the living and the only good use I have found for most of it. There is something about continuing the life of something that has been stopped. It's not resurrection necessarily but redirection.
There's an element of voyeurism, people are interested in reading what others have written, wondering who wrote it, the kind of life they live, etc.
The vast majority of 'petitions' have an an element of self reflection that is reached quickly, as though the thought is bubbling near the surface waiting to pop through.
The human mark is still powerfully evocative and important. Each person has their own, unique mark making and I like being reminded of it even if it is, at times illegible.
There is something about hand written words that are mesmerizing. They are a physical representation of a persons mind willing the hand into action. It has movement, style and sentiment. It takes time to write something by hand and care to make it legible. Often times that writing outlives the writer, yet they are still in the marks made.
Are we heard, not just the words but the content, by anyone? I can't answer for anyone but myself.
The choice to participate in this project, in the stream of possible alternatives, is a statement in itself.
Note: Collecting petitions has been used throughout history from ancient pharaonic Egypt to western 18th C Europe, South America and more as a way to approach the powers that be, collectively or individually, to take action and exercise justice. It is a point of connection between people, their desires and each other. However, it takes a recognition that something is amiss. In the busyness of modern life, the question was meant to create a space to wonder about personal desires and connect to each other about them.