INCONGRUOUS MEETINGS 1998 (IM98)

Update n.2
January 1998

THANKS: to Joel S.Cohen/Ragged Edge Press for printing a bunch of IM98 leaflets; to the magazines P.O.Box, ANNA and AMANITA (e-mail mag) for spanish translations; to TAM/IUOMA and VIVA LAS VEGASTAMPS. for posting the invites in their web sites. The meetings that have already taken place are omitted from this version of the IM98 list, a complete documentation will be included in the final catalogue-calendar.

TO THE TOP

WHEN: whenever two or more networkers meet in 1998.
WHERE: any mountain top.
WHAT: whenever two or more networkers meet in 1998, on any mountain top , there an IM98 takes place.
WHO: a convocation by H. R. Fricker.
WHY: to be on top.

INTERNATIONAL TAX FORM DAY

WHEN: on the day the taxes are due.
WHERE: in every Country where taxes are paid.
WHAT: rip the tax form in tiny pieces and throw it in the water-closet while reciting lines from "The Divine Comedy".
WHO: Umberto Principi/MAGAM.
WHY: to wait for the tax collector and pay also the additional taxes...

I SANTINI DEL PRETE MEETING

WHEN: from January 1st to December 31st 1998.
WHERE: anywhere but preferably in a train station.
WHAT: choose a person with whom you will create an intense common feeling, identifying yourself with I Santini Del Prete (lit."the priest's saint holy pictures", a duo of railwaymen-performers). Send a photo to R. Del Prete, C.P. 133, 57013 Rosignano Solvay, Li, Italy. Catalogue in 1999.
WHO: a project by Franco Santini and Raimondo Del Prete.
WHY: you are I Santini Del Prete!

FRIDAY THIRTEEN

WHEN: on Friday 13th February, March and November 1998.
WHERE: a place of normality (like a town square).
WHAT: all participants will shout abusive remarks to normal passers-by.
WHO: minority groups (race, gender, disability).
WHY: to make everyone else feel crap for a moment, before going on unaffected by the meeting. To try and raise a sense of oneness.

PIG DADA MEETING

WHEN: on February 28th, 1998, at 3pm.
WHERE: "De Rinck" cultural center, 7 Place de la Vaillance - Dapper Heidsplein 7 and Kapittel straat 11, 1070 Anderlecht, Bruxelles.
WHAT: all about pigs. Pig show and mail art event and performances.
WHO: expoporc. Baudhuin Simon.
WHY: to oink oink together.

WORLD-WIDE RESISTENCE DAY

WHEN: 28th February,1998.
WHERE: at OVUM Gallery, Azara 3744, Montevideo, Uruguay.
WHAT: a lemon-tree growing in a rock.
WHO: Clemente Padin, C.Correo Central 1211, 11000 Montevideo, Uruguay.
WHY: to testify the fight in bad conditions.

THE SECRET IM98 MEETING OF THE IUOMA

WHEN: 28th February, 1998
WHERE: CONGRESS-Centre RAI Amsterdam, Netherlands
WHAT: a meeting of all IUOMA-members to discuss further strategies
WHO: The IUOMA , P.O. Box 10388 , 5000 JJ Tilburg , NETHERLANDS
WHY: becaus postal rates go up and we need action to make it possible for mail artists to keep on sending out their mail art

LET'S TAKE THE GREASE OFF

WHEN: Saturday 21st March 1998.
WHERE: in front or sending to the head office of the italian political party Forza Italia, Viale Monza 137, 20125 Milano.
WHAT: partecipate by mailing or attending in person with a bottle of soap for dishes. Replace the soap label with the wording "Sgrassiamo l'unto" (let's take the grease off).
WHO: a call from Mauro Ceolin and Abbot area .
WHY: Silvio Berlusconi is certain to be the champion of the "religion of freedom", he said he is "the Lord's Anointed", let's take the grease off!!!

A MEETING OF INCONGRUOUS WALKERS

WHEN: on April 1st 1998, around midday.
WHERE: next to the best known public urinal in your town (or the next thing to a public urinal you can find).
WHAT: keep walking in circles around the urinal, making your walk more and more bizarre, bring dada manifestos to read, rip and eat while walking, try to socialize with other funny walkers that may turn up on the occasion.
WHO: a multiple announcement by Luther Blissett.
WHY: to forget the nth multiple of Duchamp's "Fountain" and to remember Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks.

MEETING ON THE GATE

WHEN: April 2nd, 1998, hr. 6 PM.
WHERE: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco.
WHAT: a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
WHO: John Held, Jr. & friends.
WHY: a birthday celebration for Max Ernst.

BOB KAUFMAN POETRY DAY

WHEN: April 18th, 1998.
WHERE: Albany, NY, USA, in various locations to be announced.
WHAT: poetry readings, readings of Bob Kaufman's poems and original work by local poets.
WHO: Dan Wilcox/Poetry Motel Foundation (280 S. Main Ave., Albany NY, 12208-2301 USA).
WHY: to commemorate Bob Kaufman's birth on april 18, 1925 and to celebrate National Poetry Month.

ANTI-TIME NEOIST DAY

WHEN: 6th June 1998, at 6pm.
WHERE: wherever two Monty Cantsins meet.
WHAT: destroy the clocks and watches of the planet with a flaming iron.
WHO: Frater Rudolph Von Prden-heim.
WHY: Ahora Neoismo Siempre!

A MID-YEAR'S DREAM MEETING

WHEN: on June 30st 1998, at midnight.
WHERE: anywhere you rest your head.
WHAT: concentrate your mind on meeting someone in dream, then set an alarm clock to ring at midnight and go to bed early: on waking up, write down what you remember of your oneiric meeting.
WHO: Vittore Baroni/E.O.N., who will publish your dreams in the IM98 catalogue.
WHY: to find a place where dreams can meet.

THERE'RE ONLY TWO SEASONS IN MAINE, WINTER AND THE 4TH OF JULY

WHEN: July 4th,1998.
WHERE: 216 Post Road, Bowdoinham, Maine 04008 USA.
WHAT: build a fascinating snowman and ice sculptures. Conclude with a snow ball fight followed by fireworks.
WHO: Carlo Pittore.
WHY: time is fleeting: waste not, want not.

INTERSPECIES X-COMMUNICATION

WHEN: on July 5th, 1998.
WHERE: underwater, in the wild prairie, in the country fair...
WHAT: establish a peaceful form of communication with a non-human lifeform (fish, bird, insect, plant, whatever). Document this communication.
WHO: Mister Bizarro, renegade pimp for the Church of the SubGenius ™.
WHY: to find new terraqueous allies, on the day the Xists will land on this planet.

MORANDI CONSPIRACY MOVEMENT

WHEN: July 20th, 1998.
WHERE: at Artestudio/Afterstudio, via San Bernardino 88, 24028 Ponte Nossa, BG, Italy.
WHAT: all networkers can visit and consult materials about the "Morandi Conspiracy Movement".
WHO: Emilio Morandi.
WHY: to testify belonging to the family of independent artists, no more isolated, and the continuity of the researches in the network.

THE REVOLUTION HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE DAY

WHEN: September 18th 1998 (from 0 to 24 hr).
WHERE: any fucking where.
WHAT: on this day everyone will behave as if the revolution had already happened. There will be no good ones and bad ones, no judgement, no restraint and no violence (remember? It has already happened). In the full respect for the others, everyone shall behave as it pleases him/her. Bring your own condoms, drugs and music.The key number will be 39.
WHO: all the persons that, like Sergio Messina/RadioGladio, believe that any real change will begin within one's own body/mind.
WHY: to prove that anything is still possible.

ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS

WHEN: December 31st 1998.
WHERE: in front of the Museum of Museums, Bouckaerstraat 8, 8790 Waregem, Belgium.
WHAT: R.I.P.
WHO: Johan Van Geluwe/A.R.T. (Art Recycling Terminal).
WHY: L'art poor l'art / Mort pour l'art / L'or pour l'art.

A-WAKE FOR THE MAIL ART SPIRIT

WHEN: on December 31st 1998, from dusk till dawn.
WHERE: in front of the Art Museum of your town (or the nearest Art Museum).
WHAT: all networkers will meet and light candles, incenses, crackers, burn money or perform other impromptu incongruences, waiting for the insidious 6661 reversed.
WHO: anonymous multiple invite.
WHY: a-wake for the survival of the "mail art spirit" of open, uncompetitive, ethereal, unruly & free exchange.

NOW INVENT YOUR CONVOCATION - ORGANIZE AN INCONGRUOUS MEETING IN 1998!

INCONGRUOUS MEETINGS 1998 (IM98)

(im-personal invite)

Yes, ANOTHER WORLD-WIDE DECENTRALIZED COMMUNICATION PROJECT Is about to be unlashed on an unsuspecting planet. You waited enough for it, now here it is, close at hand:

1998: A YEAR OF INCONGRUOUS MEETINGS

in-con-gru-ous adj. (L. incongruus) not congruous a - lacking harmony or agreement; incompatible. b - having inconsistent or inharmonious parts, elements, etc. c - not corresponding to what is right, proper or reasonable; unsuitable; inappropriate.

You have done the hard work already, congressing and lecturing in 1986, re-congressing and networking in 1992, so relax: NOW YOU CAN HAVE FUN.

Participation in the IM98 is open and free to all: mailartists, netsurfers, musicians, shopkeepers, shoplifters, aliens, subgenii, rabbits, rabbis, you-name-it.

There is not a single sound reason to meet again but there are all the incongruous reasons in the world, IF YOU CAN JUST THINK UP ONE: so keep working-sleeping-consuming or FIND A THEME, ORGANIZE AN IM IN 1998 and take part in as many IM proposed by others as you wish/can.

IT IS AS EASY AS THAT:

organize+participate+document (if you care to), then send your incongruous documentation to E.O.N., via C. Battisti 339, 55049 Viareggio, Italy to be included in a free for all Conclusive IM98 Calendar-Catalog.

---

it goes by six+six+six:

MAC 86 (Mail Art Congress 1986)
+ 6 =
DNC 92 (Decentralized Networker Congress 1992)
+ 6 =
IM 98 (Incongruous Meetings 1998)

in-con-gru-ous adj. (L. incongruus) not congruous
a - lacking harmony or agreement; incompatible.
b - having inconsistent or inharmonious parts, elements, etc.
c - not corresponding to what is right, proper or reasonable;
unsuitable;inap propriate.

WHEN TWO OR MORE PEOPLE RUB THEIR KNEES TOGETHER OR ARGUE ABOUT ARTICHOKES IN THE COURSE OF 1998, THERE YOU HAVE AN INCONGRUOUS MEETING

CHOOSE A DAY - CHOOSE A PLACE - CHOOSE A REASON ORGANIZE AN INCONGRUOUS MEETING IN 1998: Think up, write down, print and distribute your own convocation. Do not forget to mail a clean copy to E.O.N., that will help circulating it world-wide. When the time is right, participate in your IM98 (and in as many other IM98 as you wish/can), then send all kinds of direct or indirect documentation to :

E.O.N., via C. Battisti 339, 55049 Viareggio, Italy (fax-phone +39 584 963918 - e-mail baroniv@vi.ats.it)
as this is the only way to receive a very nice & FREE Conclusive IM98 Calendar-Catalog in 1999.

DUPLICATE, IMPROVE, REWRITE freely and DISTRIBUTE widely all the texts in this e-message.

TRANSLATE and ADJUST the IM98 invite in your own language and CIRCULATE it in your country. DESIGN A LOGO, SUGGEST A CONVOCATION, CREATE A (RUBBER)STAMP, INVENT A SLOGAN FOR THE INCONGRUOUS MEETINGS OF 1998.

This invite to 1998: A YEAR OF INCONGRUOUS MEETINGS is an electronic excerpt from issue 78 of Arte Postale!, a mail art zine of the Ethereal Open Network (you can request a free copy, 1 IRC for postage appreciated, to E.O.N. - Vittore Baroni, via C. Battisti 339, 55049 Viareggio, Italy).