Yellow Skirt Journies On

Today I received my second reply in Leeds, from the yellow skirt I left outside Ace. There was a twist to this one, the emailer, Oliver, told me:



"We found your skirt, we moved it. Then we watched people study it out of the window, Finally someone took it."


Let's see if any more feedback arrives in my inbox from the skirt's travels.

Monday 9th May in Leeds

Yesterday I took most of my remaining stock down to the Woolgather exhibition, and installed it in a handy clothes alcove opposite my documentary photos. This way I will go in each day of the show and select some items from there to distribute in the city.

It's interesting and kind of strange to see the clothes hanging all together in this kind of context again (the exhibition space is an empty shop), kind of back in their original format. An installation of clothes in a retail space turned gallery... More musing to be done about that later.





Monday 9th of May was skirt day. I took three out with me onto the mean streets of Leeds. My first drop was this blue cotton skirt with buttons down the front. I hung this from the letter box of number 162 Briggate Street, nextdoor to the shop 'Second Hand' formerly 'Vintage', where my love affair with old things began years ago.




Skirt two - this mustard yellow number with buttons down the front, hung outside Ace on Duncan Street. The owner of the shop came out and asked me what I was doing, I explained briefly and he said "but somebody will just take it". I said yep that's the idea, he looked confused but agreed I could leave it there.

Skirt three - this extremely short, pleated, silky purple beauty. I really love this one. It was on my stall right from the very beginning, nobody ever bought it and I never understood why. I left it hanging on the shutters of a shop next to Pop Boutique on Central Road.






Just before I went home for the day I left this spotty dress inside the Woolgather show. Rumour has it somebody picked it up with a plan to take it to Copenhagen.....

Sunday's Scarf

Just one little silky gift for yesterday, tied around the tree outside the Woolgather exhibition. A little bird told me that a lady found the scarf and tied it around her head - please get in touch nice lady!

x

First Woolgather Response (and a memoir of Friday night)

Here's the first reply from the Woolgather garments - from Charlotte Healey, or more specifically from Alfred the puppy.


However....when I went to post this picture, I realised that I actually have no image of the scarf where I left it at the private view on Friday night. Amidst all the celebration I somehow managed to forget to take a photo, and I couldn't actually remember WHERE I had left it!

I emailed Charlotte and asked her to send me a written description of where the scarf was when she found it, so that I could make a drawing based on this, and the drawing would serve as the initial document in place of a photo.

In the end though Charlotte sent me such a lovely enlightening account of her interactions with my scarves that night, that I've decided just to publish the account itself.

Charlotte Healy to me

show details May 9 (2 days ago)

Well. It's a little bit of a story.

Early in the night I saw a beautiful pale blue scarf hanging on the shelves beside the loo upstairs. I read your note and thought it was a beautiful thing to do, and I was wondering if I should take it. The line moved forward and my friend and I were discussing it, and I lost my chance when a girl with short blonde hair took it and tied it around her head. I felt annoyed at myself for missing out on the chance to be involved in this. So then we moved down the stairs and decided to play on the drawing game, and I noticed another blue scarf hanging. I must confess I was in two minds about taking it as it was blue and pink, and pink and I don't get along very well, but I didn't want to miss another chance so I took it. Anyway, the night went on and it was all lovely and I had such good fun, and I completely forgot about the scarf in my bag. Towards the end of the night I was sat on the bench outside and I finished my wine and went to put my glass back inside, and when I returned to the bench a few minutes later an absolutely GORGEOUS orange/yellow/red/black scarf was tied up on the end of the bench. I took it and replaced it with the pink and blue scarf I'd found earlier on the stairs for someone who perhaps has a more tender relationship with pink.

I hope this is ok! I have already worn the scarf twice since Friday, and young Alfred has also worn it several times :)

Charlie xxx

ps. Thank you again for such a lovely gift! I truly appreciate it.

Woolgather Art Prize 2011

Hip hip hooray everybody......With Love From The Artist has been shortlisted for the Woolgather Art Prize! Click here to read all about it.

My proposal for the competition was: to present a documentary display of the project so far in the exhibition, and more importantly, to be present in and around the gallery and Leeds city centre for the duration of the show, leaving garments for the public to find.

The exhibition opened on Friday night, and I took the opportunity to begin my distributing at the private view.

As I only had a little handbag on me and wanted to be as discreet as possible, I started with a bundle of pretty scarves.

Number one - a pale blue silk scarf tied around a speaker upstairs in the space, just opposite my photos.

Number two: this heavily pattered orange and green scarf, tied around the door handle of the exhibition space.

Number three : a blue white and pink scarf on the middle landing of the stairs, next to Nikki Hafter's drawing game. (slight blurriness of images here suggests that at this point the wine may have been flowing).

Another pale blue silk scarf, this one with paisley pattern in red and pink. I left this on a shelving unit in the corridor upstairs which leads to the toilet. (wine theory reinforced here).

This pink scarf tied to the bannister downstairs. I can confirm that the bottles in the corner are not an installation, just further evidence of the fun times being had by all at the opening.

It must have been getting late by this point. One final pale blue scarf, tied to the bench outside the exhibition. I have no idea who these bare feet belong to!

parting gifts

just before catching a plane back to the UK, I left two little gems for some lucky Toulousains to find.

this sweet little vintage t-shirt with yellow flower details, on a door opposite my favourite cafe on Place Roger Salengro.

and then hanging from a derelict shop front on Rue Saint-Pantaleon, this pretty fluttery red and purple floral dress.

I wonder if I'll hear from these last two french offerings. As always all I can do is keep checking my inbox with fingers crossed, and keep daydreaming about what might have become of the things which have vanished without trace.

Last week I received this message from one of the students I've been teaching in Toulouse; it turns out he was with Alexandre Lapostolle when he found my beige dress, and they had in fact taken the pictures together.

I am basically anonymous in the process of withlovefromtheartist, and my student found out by accident that theperpetrator of the dress and his teacher were the same person. By this time I had just finished working at the school, so our dialogue about this has taken place through email - with the same kind of mysterious remove as other WLFTA interactions. Seems kind of fitting.

This gave me insight into one unexpected coincidence which had arisen as a result of the project. I love the idea that he and I had sat in a classroom together and interacted, unaware that we had essentially collaborated artistically.A really cute message - enjoy.

WithThankfulnessFromTheCoincidences

	Inbox		X

Reply

Dimitri ALBANESE to me

show details Apr 20 (7 days ago)

Hello Jo,

my name is Dimitri, I was in class with you this Wednesday morning.

I'm not sure you'd given to us your adress in order we write to you whereas we're not in England.

So, I'm sorry if this e-mail seems unpleasant.

I only would tell you I'm aware of your artist work and that I was with Alexandre Lapostolle when we decided to bring back the beige dress at Place de la Bourse in his house to take photos. At this time, I was totally unaware that "withlovefromtheartist" was yours.

Alexandre Lapostolle sent to me the explanations you'd given to him about your artistic project. I found the concept very interesting, but even at this moment I didn't know you were the intelligence of this work. However, Alexandre told me the founder of "withlovefromtheartist" was English, and it made me think about Tracey Emin and the presentation you'd made to the classroom.

A few days before the exposition at L'Hôtel Du Barry, Alexandre sent me a video coming from your blog where you're explaning some of yours artistic projects (the one about forgotten socks you're photographing after is great!).

Thanks to this video, I realized the founder of the blog and you were the same person!

Thus (maybe this word is more used in commentaries or class works...) I imagined the encounter between two persons, who had found one of yours aristic clothes, and you although you were not aware of our part in your artistic way. I think it is interesting because it gives the impression artists and nobodymen can cross their path without recognizing each other inside the artistic pattern - they create coincidences between people, through the clothes you're leaving on your way and curiosity.

Alexandre was invited to the exposition - he is the tall fair hair boy I stayed with. He was a student of Mme Pacaud the last year.

Right now, I'm a little disappointed insofar as I wasn't able to say it instead of writing it.

Thanks you for classes you've given to us!

PS: Sorry for mistakes!

Goodbye,

dimitri.