Dead Letters [ Spring/Summer 2003 ]

DLa #018 For DLa #18, ThaneC wanted to create a parcel of "Dead Letters", which would include DLa art disguised as misplaced postcards, lost letters, and other forgotten artifacts. The idea was for each artist to prepare a few individually packaged items that were undeliverable for some reason. Artists were to embellish each item as much as possible, thereby bestowing an authentic "Dead Letter Office" aesthetic. The individual packages were to be combined and packaged as a single collection, which would then contain a letter describing the parcel's purpose. Each of these dead letter parcels would be hand delivered to random citizens by ThaneC himself, dressed to the teeth as an official United States Postal Delivery Person. Each random recipient would then receive a specific explanation, "This parcel is a collection of undeliverable mail […] You have been selected at random to receive the items contained herein as an effort to redistribute artifacts of potentially creative value…" After this, the idea was to secretly record the responses of each person as they opened and investigated their unexpected surprise.

Each finished parcel was a treasure trove of artistic creativity. A total of thirty packages were ultimately assembled and delivered to subscribers, patrons, and a few random victims citizens. Each package contained a plethora of lost chunks, ancient relics, and forgotten turds. Indeed, everything from decaying manuscripts and misplaced artwork to DLa issues and music compilations was found lurking within each unique, highly customized Dead Letter package. The DLa parcel included two issues of Dead Letter Art — Eastside DLa and Westside DLa each produced their own version of an actual printed issue of DLa #18. The Eastside 18 included a hodgepodge of miscellaneous art, while the Westside DLa 18 focused entirely on the ThaneC posse, featuring exclusive ThaneC sketches, drawings, and humour.

Many artists were involved with the overall project, which was thoughtfully orchestrated by ThaneC. In fact, not only was the entire DLa clan present and involved with the project, but a few special guest artists contributed as well. Ephrata rock star artist Gabriel Vrooman dropped a collection of personal drawings, while then five-year-old Joshua Starr delightfully shared his mixed-media masterwork, Pig Dragon. The DLa parcel also featured a custom-collage greeting card from Kalacakra and a digitally pimped Tarot card from Perishable. The Eastside Issue also features an unofficial DLa collaboration.