Peta's Proposal

Hello collaborators!

Firstly, my thanks go to all who have sent their amazingly creative and inspiring sounding proposals up to this point.....I'm laughing and doing little jigs of enthusiasm, excitement and anticipation at what will be a fantastic year of collaborating with each and every one of you!

Secondly, a bit about me: I live on the Capricorn Coast on top of a hill in a mudbrick house that I built with my husband, Bruce. We have 360 degree views of the coast, islands and the mountains and bush. We have about 98 acres of natural bush which has lots of 'wildlife' living on it. For four days a week I work as a School Counsellor at a Catholic Secondary school in Rockhampton. The remaining three days I work in my art studio as well as clean and maintain the house, facilitate collaborations and organise workshops for Flying Arts. Bruce and I have three married daughters and two very beautiful grandchildren. We also have a very active and adorable Pointer called Sirius!

Thirdly, about my book.....it is titled:
"Cabinets of Curiosity"
(or Omnium-gatherum)
It is I guess, a hommage to Joseph Cornell, an artist whom I have admired for many years now.
As most of you would be aware, I love to collect stuff; objects, ephemera, old disused, preloved, new and natural 'things'...I'm a hunter and gatherer of found objects.....for this book I'm asking you to think about what you gather?, what arrangements of 'treasures' do you have hiding in your drawers, in old shoeboxes or perhaps displayed artfully on your shelves? Or perhaps what new collection are you beginning?
Maybe you have an actual display cabinet or an art corner where you assemble and display objects which you consider to be curious, interesting, meaningful, beautiful, amazing or....?

It is these objects (and idea's), which I am inviting you to incorporate into my "Cabinet of Curiosity" - (Omnium-gatherum).
I have assembled thirteen (one for sign in), 'cabinets', please fill one of these 'containers'/'cabinets'/'boxes' with your own elements, objects, diagrams and curiosities in your 'own' Joseph Cornell style.
Feel free to work on both the inside and outside of the 'cabinet' and to alter it's shape or add pockets, windows etc...AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT EXCEED THE EXISTING LENGTH AND HEIGHT DIMENSIONS...the reason for this is because I have planned for all the 'cabinets' to be housed in a lidded wooden box.....for reasons of weight I will only be sending the 'cabinets' around not the box - however I will include some photos of the box so you all have an idea of how it looks!
Also, as you will see the 'cabinet' I have completed is quite 'fat', if everyone's cabinet turns out this fat I will have to find or make another box to house them in !! I felt as originating artist that I could perhaps take the liberty to have a fat 'cabinet'!

Also in keeping with the Joseph Cornell style, I would like to use postage stamps on the outside of the wooden box, therefore I am wondering if you will all assist me with this by using stamps when you post the book onto the next artist and by placing the stamps that are on the parcel when you receive the book into the envelope provided. I don't mind if the stamps have some paper attached to them from the wrapping of the parcel, this will only add interest and postmarks which I love! I would love it if each of you could choose a different stamp/s from those already gathered in the envelope :-))

Peta