Project “Missing” 2015 (working title)

Project “Missing” 2015 (working title)

Hello fellow Artists & creative people,

During my EHS confinement I can honestly say that art has been my saving grace, my inspiration, expression and even a reason to keep myself going........

When I used to go into central London for my homeopathic treatments once every few months, I would steal into the backstreets where I found a wonderful little Art/graphics shop Magma where I could spend 10 minutes or so to check out all the latest illustration/graphics work.

It was there that I purchased a book called “1000 Journals Project”

http://www.1000journals.com/book/

This project involved leaving the blank journals in random places for people to fill in a page and then they, in turn, left it in a random place for the next artist. The last person sent it to the publishers. Quite a risk which is why I believe they created 1000 of these journals. Although we won't be following this part, it struck me that this visual journal would be a perfect format to tell/show our individual stories or at least an element of them – in many ways, the part that matters most – our thoughts & feelings about this....our unique(?) experience (I'm sure we can all think of other ways to describe this) – through prose, poetry, rants even....all in an artistic way and visually with colour or b/w.
Many people just meet the one EHS person in their locality and they assume that we are one of a kind & fall on stereotypes to explain us away. I want to show that we are from all over the world, we are unique, we are creative intelligent people with our own perspective on this situation that has been thrust upon us. We have feelings and we are real.

Often words fail us for the sheer hell we go through so this is a space to vent those emotions, but I would also like for each artist to dedicate a page to what they miss about their former lives, places they used to go, people they used to be able to spend time with, journeys they used to make. It could also be about hopes for the future, the places you have on your wish list. These ideas could be realised in collage work with e.g. a train ticket, theatre ticket, postcards, a tea packet, bit of a serviette, photographs etc. or of course drawn/painted. It would also be great to include something particular to your country and/or town which shows that this is an international project. A visual emblem of some sort – even a stamp, a sweet wrapper. We EHS are everywhere – it doesn't just effect some unknown people.....over there.....somewhere......it's happening in your town, in your neighbourhood.

The Missing Project will be running for 3 months (because it needs a time-scale). I ask Artists to cover one or two pages. Each finished page will be 12.5 x 20.3 cm in line with the 1000 journals project, so each Artist will ideally submit two of this size. Please give extra margin on finished measurement i.e. 3mm margin on all edges for the bleed. You can submit either as a PDF file or you can send artwork or collage pieces e.g. teabag slips, bus tickets etc. to me in the post and I will (as artistically as possible) arrange them on a page for you.

If you don't feel you are artistic don't let that stop you as it's your unique expression that I'm after This is what I found about the 1000 Journals project, it is fascinating just to see how someone expresses themselves in a different way (there's no good or bad/right or wrong way) & especially an honest scrawl across a page can carry such emotion to the reader to convey your experience.

Alternatively, you might want to include some of your artwork that you don't feel is related to EHS but it says who you are – that is welcome too.  I have also been asked can my relative/friend submit something because they see what I go through, they see through my eyes what it's like & how it affects me.  Yes – please ask them to send their art/words to this project.

(please email me if you want to discuss any aspect of your work or about sending in the post)

projectmissing@hotmail.com Please mark the email subject line Missing Project.

Do just drop me a line to let me know if you are planning to contribute so that I can gauge the book's size etc. & know how many people will be contributing.  

If anyone has additional ideas/suggestions for the book – please do let me know.
You can be named or be anonymous – it's entirely up to you.

The Missing Project runs from 25th April until 1st August (just a little over 3 months to give a date to remember).

During this period I hope to send off some of the samples to get a book deal. All the payments, royalties, profits will go to a White Zone Project in Europe. I can't consider anywhere in the world as I have no control/ ideas of location/ scope to involve 

Authorities, but perhaps if it is hugely successful we might have funds to do just that or if we get a zone set up in Europe it would be open to all and used as a model for international plights. Or it may be that it will bring awareness to all corners of the globe and that by itself would bring change (thinking big!)