thank YOU!

This project could not have happened without the HELP from numerous people getting together at my place to create the inserts for the books! They include: Sarah, Graham, Julie, Stephanie, Ken, Christina, Linda, Deborah, Eva, Noah, Claudette, Orion, Olga, Danika and Melissa. Every two weeks on a weekend we assembled around my large dining room table and worked on two old type writers, pounded out poetry, wrote fake postcards and gift certificates, inserted Hell money into envelopes, labeled old black and white photos and recreated well worn, well stained recipe cards. Over 500 inserts were inserted- either in new books at Collected Works or Chapters on Rideau, and in old books for the book rack at The Ottawa Art Gallery, which on a weekly basis looks like the photo below. The book rack was donated for the duration of the show by the owner of Wellington Cleaners on Wellington Street in Westboro. Naturally a big thanks to Christopher of Collected Works who so generously agreed to me doing this project in his store!
This project could also not have been as successful without free FREE stickers from the owner of The Alexander Label Factory- also located on Wellington street- across from Wellington Cleaners (also a postal outlet). Thank you!

sad book rack at the gallery

another email response

Here is an update to the responding participants of those finding bookmark inserts in books out there:

Sent: May 18, 2005
Subject: Tag 281 (found)

"Hi--I just found Tag 281 in a book which I bought today at Collected Works- "The Tipping Point"-- Maybe this discovery will send my life into a whole new direction: who knows? Hope your project goes well."

And someone followed up on my questions I sent them once they initiated the response...

"Hello! Here are my responses to your questions:

The card was found on top of a stack of books in Chapters. My initial reaction was intrigue..I love adventures. I read the card and wondered if I was supposed to buy the book it was on top of. Since I was in a hurry I thought I'd keep the card and then look up some of the information that was found in the back.

I kept the card. I still have it."

Interesting that the book mark was removed from the book and left on a stack of books. Obviously someone found it initially and didn't want it so bought the book without the marker.

more response

After checking my email recently- I noticed I received a few more responses by strangers finding inserts in the books in stores- here is what they wrote:


May 12, 2005
Subject: Mystery picture

Hello. (who ever you are)

I bought a book at collected works about a month ago called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Surprise! there was a photograph between the pages. It is called "a fuzzy dog ear my pet fluffy". Ummmmm....what is this all about....? I've come up to a couple conclusions....

A. You have too much free time on your hands

B. You're trying to find out who would be stupid enough to answer back

C. You're trying to peak other people's curiosity (if so you have succeded)

D. You are an old friend or an old ex boyfriend who is stalking me. You realized that I wanted to buy this book and knew that I always go to collected works. You then wanted to catch my attention (because you have fallen maddly in love with me) and so wanted to leave a red rose in the book but you soon realized that it would wilt too fast, so you had to change your tactics. (Anyway, the book store owner would have noticed since a rose is a little hard to hide) You decided instead to put an odd picture in the book and put an email address behind it, to peak my curiosity and hope that I would be stupid enough to answer back. (You also made sure that it was a picture of a dog since you know I like dogs and have one myself.) Now, you are hoping madly that I will answer back and once you get this email you will be jumping up and down in delight and will immediatley start planning to take me out to an expensive romantic dinner for two.

Anyway, I'd love to learn what this is all about.

Tootles!!!!!!!!! -*Deadly nightshade*


May 3, 2005
Subject: Photo found in book

Hi

I recently purchased The Life of Pi at the Collected Works bookstore on Wellington Street in Ottawa. Inside the book was a black and white photograph labelled on the back "Hildie standing in front of the Danube. June'68". It also is labelled 010. Since this email address was also there, I assumed I was supposed to let you know!
So what's the purpose of this? I am curious. Did you need more information?

May 2, 2005
Subject: no.373

Found a card at Chapters, no. 373, what am I supposed to do?

May 2, 2005
Subject: found

Hey there,

I got a book from "Collected Works" and it had a baggage tag from Voyager in it saying "happy free trip". What's that all about?

free books-or art?

Last week at an art opening I was talking to a curator - and he was asking me about current projects I am working on...I told him about the book project- this project, and he told me a funny story of how he was standing in front of the book rack- which is part of this project... at The Ottawa Art Gallery uncertain of whether to take a book he so wanted to take, or if he should leave it - because it might be art. So after much contemplation of whether to steal the FREE book or leave it on the rack- he walked away empty handed. And now the book is gone to someone else- with less of a guilty conscience towards taking something in an art gallery...

He remembers that piece from the show- because of the huge dilemma he put himself through...

used books

On Saturday, April 23rd I was able to pick up 5 boxes of second hand books for FREE from 1st Avenue Public School Book Sale in the Glebe! These books, are replenished on a weekly basis on a book rack located in the hallway of The Ottawa Art Gallery as part of the Finder Keepers project. There is an ongoing selection of books ranging from romance, thriller, classic contemporaries to cook books. And - funny enough I found two hand written, worn recipe cards in two of the cook books - naturally they too will become part of the circulating bookmarks. Thanks going out to Deborah for organizing the painless pick-up of books from Maureen at the Book Sale!

stained recipe card found in book!

things are being found!

here are some of the responses we have been getting by email:

"Found in book in Collected Works store...birch bark fragment. Any follow up required?"


"Hello,

My mom found a postcard-sized watercolour, stamped #056, in a book about Doris McCarthy in an Ottawa bookshop, and mailed it to me. Nice! Do you have a website?

Are you familiar with Cliff Eyland's ongoing installation, "File Card Works Hidden in Books" ?
(http://www.freewords.org/biennial/artist/filecard.html)

Seems along the same lines as what you're doing.

Thanks for this lovely little painting...keep making art! "


And, after having chatted with someone at the OAG last week- while I was reloading the book rack, he mentioned that an artist in NY is doing a project called Finders keepers and more info about that is at woostercollective.com.

email response and used BOOKS

Dear Miss Riccius,
You don't know me, but I picked up this paperback at the Ottawa Gallery. I live in Gatineau QC, will this help out in your project. Once I read this book, the Watch that ends the Night, a wonderful novel by Huge MacLennan. At any rate I'm outa here.
Yours truly a real loser-weeper if there ever was one.
PS I prefer to say that I'm from Alymer QC, but that's another loser-weeper story.


This email was sent to the email created for the project: losersweepers@hotmail.com
on April 10, 2005 7:43:25pm.

It is in response to the used books on display on a revolving wire rack as part of the group exhibition. As part of the show, books with eye catching FREE stickers are disappearing fast! Who would have thought that viewers of an art exhibit would actually take something away?! When installing the piece in the gallery, I questioned how the viewer would interpret the work- as an art work or as books free for the taking. There is no other signage aside from the orange and black FREE stickers to inform the audience one way or the other.

I dropped in at the exhibit yesterday and found one sad and lonely book left on the rack! I have replenished the rack and am anxious to receive more used books. So, if anyone has paper backs of any kind they are tired of seeing cluttering up their book shelves or basements, I would be more than happy to add them to the circulation of the art project. Please drop off any used books at The Ottawa Art Gallery during regular gallery hours (check web site for info)

Thanks!

group bookmarking

On Sunday afternoon, April 3rd, we gathered with a group of people who expressed interest in the project to create/assemble/doctor various inserts for the books. At first, we were unsure how many people would actually show up, but in the end there were 9 of us, Uta and myself included. Uta set the afternoon up as a kind of drop-in-whenever-you-feel-like session, and many of the participants came with their own materials and sources of inspiration, adding a new dimension and aesthetic to the project. The session yielded over a hundred bookmark inserts, which will take us into the next leg of the project. Thank you to those who contributed over the 9 hour marathon!
Keeper

what are the odds?

March 8, 2005 and March 24th, 101 slips of paper, black and white photos, fictional postcards and doodle-drawings were randomly placed in books at Collected Works on Wellington Street.

Two days after the first hit, a work colleague at the college I teach at approached me in the hallway holding a suspicious book. He had accidentally purchased a book that had a marker in it from the Finders Keepers project- and didn't know until he got home! To top it off-in a coincidental way- the marker in the book is a black and white photo of a group of street musicians:2 cellists, a person playing recorder and lute-my colleague is a musician and plays string instruments! Of the 101 artifacts placed in books so far- only one depicted people playing instruments of sorts.

finders keepers 1

The Finders Keepers off-site intervention attempts to mark individual lives through the marking of books sold in bookstores. The artifacts placed in each book allude to a private life outside of the text, whether a memory, a history, or a creative moment, with the purpose of leaving something meaningful with each finder. Each personalized bookmark is constructed with an authenticity that blurs the lines between fact and fiction, making private relics public.