An Evolver Open Source Floating Gallery

I have a proposal, an idea. The following is my best argument why it should be done. This is a little bit of a technical argument/explanation, so feel free to join in or give ideas. And please talk to me because I can't write out everything.

The idea is to first create an agreed-upon standardization, and then use the new tools of the creative commons licence and digital sharing to create a floating art show for Evolvers. It would actually take precious little amount of commitment and energy... and it could be really cool, and everyone could express themselves and share their art with the public. And make money from abundance, not scarcity.

When I was in Vancouver, they had this event called the art box show, and the idea behind it was everyone gets a small wooden box, like 10 inches square but an inch on the side so you could hang it on a wall, and the instructions are that there are no rules as to what you can do with the box, then they have a fancy gallery thing, you know with free wine and such, and sell them for $100 bucks each. Anyway the basic idea is that everyone agrees on a standardized starting point to work with, and then that allows their own creativity to shine as well as creating something of a commodity that was easily priced. I'm suggesting that evolvers do something similar, just free of a physical location or specific event, and miniaturized.

I am also suggesting that this be based around digital art and that everything contributed be shared somewhere (probably a flickr group) under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence. The reason being, that the finished piece must be something that anyone, anywhere can more or less easily print up and make.... even remix... unlike an original painting or sculpture. Of course you might have a painting, and make a print of it. These little squares could all be anonymous (or names/credits on the back), they could be all contributed by different individuals, or there could be ones that are remixed or situations where authorship are blurred. So why would an artist want to do this? First of all it's like a public floating gallery (we are all curators) with aspects of a "brand" (you know, the evolver brand?).

I believe that the format should be square 4x4 or 4x6, and it should be printed on some kind of eco-friendly paper and ink, and have some kind of frame or mat, that is where people can get more or less creative. I say squares because you on a wall, they look better stacked not just right to left but on top of each other as well. But no glass, because of the weight. It should be something that is easily transportable and you should be able to throw the whole thing into the compost pile.

How could you sell these prints? First of all for a spore, you could make it part of the admission and everyone gets one complimentary, and you could set up a small wall or table in the spore and display the monthly or quarterly prints. There wouldn't have to be that much coordination.

We can create a group on Flickr, put up our submissions. And use their Creative Commons option to licence it. What are the benefits of using the creative commons licence? Well, I don't want to go into the details but if someone doesn't know please ask. I think most people here are informed about it. The idea is also that eventually, these squares would breed with one another and authorship would be mixed. Really, the possibilities are endless.

Of course like I said I'm putting this idea out there, because someone has to. If the creators of evolver wanted to develop this idea, they could easily provide more funding for the spores. We can do the rest. The idea is that some people get together, and agree to blog/advertise more (not just me). Then get some regional coordinators on board, etc. It doesn't have to be done right away, but it's something to plan on and organize. And for anyone who's interested, work on some stuff maybe and try printing it out at home. I could really use some suggestions as to the best printing services for making eco-friendly compostable prints, and figuring out a way to frame it as well (folded hemp paper?) that makes it look good in a matte sort of way.

So let me know what you think. Especially if you don't think it will work or something is a bad idea.

-Rob Meade