FOE 13 - Flying around the world!

But for the colour, this beaded focal could very well pass for a star up in the sky.....or could it be a flower?....Or a star fish?

Choosing/making this as the foundation for our project was intentional. About a dozen talented artists from across the world are coming together to create this piece which we simply call FOE 13 (Freedom Of Expression 2013). We have no pattern to follow, no design to guide us, no blueprint, just our individuality and creativity. Ideas could be from anywhere - sky, earth or sea.

From the daily madness around us, it would appear that intentions and ambitions are being fueled by hatred and misunderstandings. There seem to be great awareness of how different we are in every way conceivable - religion, race, class, beliefs, life choices, demographic location etc. And sadly, the strong attachment to how different we are, and especially to the belief that we/our ways are right and everyone else's is wrong only seems to tear us apart.

The FOE project is a celebration of our differences, but with it is also a healthy dose of respect and acceptance to our differences. It IS OK to be different. It is OK to hold unto your ideals and hopes and passion and such, but in order to rise to greatness, tolerance is necessary; it is important to respect the next person's individuality and difference too, and we intend to show that this is possible by this artistic OOAK piece we are about to create.

Having no idea precisely what the finished piece would look like or even be, we are depending on our individual sense of tolerance of each other's differences and individuality. The item is now on its way to Europe where it will  travel from one country to the next, to be worked on by the various artists participating in this project, then forwarded down under and beyond.....

Each person can only decide what they will add to it after they receive it and see what additional work has been made. Tolerance of the previous artists' contribution is paramount. Acceptance of their contribution will be the guiding force to make us all know how, when and where to add to it and pass it forward. No one's contribution is necessarily better or worse, it is only different. And this difference and individuality is what will come together to create the piece we are projecting.

I have no doubt that the finished item will be a testimony of what tolerance, acceptance and individuality can achieve if/when we are willing to work together. FOE 13 is on its way to an interesting journey, to conjure the imagination, creativity and individuality of Artists from different walks of life, taking with it a little bit of them. Stay with us as we chronicle this journey.....and more so as we feature each artist on this very blog.

FOE 13 begins.

Hello and welcome to our blog! This post launches the first of many artistic projects expressing individuality and the freedom of artistic expression.

We are beginning this project - FOE 13 - with 10 participants from across the globe.The initial idea was to have 12 artists to work within the span of 12 months but we have had two people quitting at the very last minute and since we don't want to delay the project or cancel altogether, we have decided to make minor adjustments to original plans and go ahead and start!

I am so excited!! The artists participating in the FOE 13 are as follows;

Carol Dean Sharpe
Christine Wilson
Eliana Maniero
Jacquie Champion
Megan THomson
Naan Pocen
Olga Dillow
Regina Jiron
Sveltlana Sametis

These are people whose works I greatly admire and respect and I am sure you all will appreciate them too if you know more about what they do. Which is why every participant will be featured individually, so do drop by and read more about their art, where they are based and who they are!

FOE 13 will be the creation of ONE ITEM. We shall begin with a piece of beaded item which will be mailed from one member to the next to add her impression and pass it forward. Each addition is to be decided by each individual, it is not going to follow a specific pattern or design and there is no limit or restriction besided the request that it would involve beads.

We call the project FOE (freedom of expression) specifically because individuality is important and greatly encouraged and we hope that with this project we can show that harmony can be achieved even with individuality.

Do return in a couple days to witness the launch of this project and watch it evolve.

INSPIRATION

I have been thinking a lot lately about how to map out the next step of our project. All  but one contract have been submitted which means I have everyone's location and should be able to assign bits to everyone. The only delay I have considered really is the distance between us and the nature of the project we have at hand. 

I must admit, when I proposed the idea, I didn't thoroughly consider what it would mean to each participant, receiving the work, adding their bit and forwarding it to the next person, I didn't consider that the heavier/bigger the item got, the more it would cost to send it out, and everyone will be allotted the same amount to do their bit.

So while considering how to manage this fairly, I was delighted when Megan (one of our participants) brought my attention to a blog that had successfully carried out a project quite similar to the FOE we are about to carry out. I was super excited to see it, simply because of its beauty and especially because it was not created by only one person but a group of talented people from all over Poland, then put together by the project coordinator.

Seems to me there, our problem is solved!!!

It is delightful to find artists across the globe having a common idea for different projects. This idea was not originally mine. As I had already shared with Megan (who was OK with me sharing this link with the rest of you), I can’t (won't) claim total originality, the idea came to me after I got invited by a group of artists some years back to participate in a collaborative piece, but unlike what we will be doing, what I was invited into was going to be a water colour painting. Unfortunately that project didn't take hold because the originator/sponsor found it too expensive after calculating the cost of mailing from one person to another. Still, the idea of having ONE item created by MANY artist was so inviting that I have harbored the dream of doing something like that, but affordable.

What ‘reminded’ me again to give it a go, was partly the monthly Etsy Bead Weavers' Challenge’s and some talk show I saw on You tube about freedom of expression 2 years ago, so I thought to give it a go. I am excited to see that the idea isn't totally alien after all! This makes me even more excited about ours!

Ours will be worked with beads, so it shall be slightly different from this but it is so encouraging to see that individuality can come together in a common art and speak so loud. I want this to be an encouragement to us for what we are about to embark. And may the freedom of our individual expressions be spoken as loudly.

WELCOME

We are happy to have you visit us.

We believe a little introduction is in order. This page was created specifically to launch the first of many artistic projects expressing individuality and the freedom of artistic expression.The first project will be a collaboration between a dozen artists from various locations around the world. The idea is to create ONE ITEM. One item will be worked on and mailed out to the next person to add their contribution to it, and then pass it forward until within the span of 12 months (one year) the item should be completed by all participating artists. The idea is simple; to allow various artist share their individuality in a common project, which is why we will be working without a script. 

The reason is simple: it is aimed to challenge participants to portray their individuality in a group scenario.The proposed start date for this one is 1st May 2013 and we shall simply call it F.O.E 13. 

We shall launch the project with a blog posting on that very date (May 1st 2013), by introducing all participants. We shall also post a photo of the first item that will be the foundation of this project (The very item we will all add our individuality unto).

In the months to follow we will blog about how it is evolving and what it is saying to us through its metamorphosis.  And in between the blog reports, we shall also have individually assigned posts to all participants; featuring them in an interview about their art in all its aspects. We will also provide links to their websites, blogs and shops, to be sure you don't miss out on all the goodies they are about.

Hopefully, a year from the start date of the project, we will have the grand finale; showcasing the completed work with a synopsis of all the changes it went through. The item will then be auctioned and you shall all be invited. 

All proceeds from this project will go right back into it. This is the first in a series we hope to continue. Therefore part of the proceeds will go towards the very next project* in the series and the rest will go towards the publication of an ebook (about the maiden project), which each participant will be entitled to a free copy of. 

*Future projects may not necessarily be bead related. This is a place for artists from every field. Stay with us through this journey and enjoy the learning experience of individuality coming together in an agreeable way. INDIVIDUALITY IS GREATLY ENCOURAGED HERE.

P.S. Find and join us on FACEBOOK