You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2007.
From the email:
Technique: placement of boring bits on unpopulated PCB
Workplace: Unsupervised tech workshop
Time: 3 minutes
Author: Paul, New Zealand
AWftWP: We have chosen to post this submission first because it doesn’t come from an office. Some of you may have noticed all the posts so far are tagged ‘Office’. This was something we were hoping we had a chance to amend, and Paul has been very generous helping us out.
I asked a friend of mine by the initials ISR, who works in a workshop, to submit something as I was sure they would have some great examples there, but he said people in workshops did not waste their time like that. Well, Mr ISR, I am extremely glad to show you how wrong you were.
And Paul, please relax. Take it easy, man. Just three minutes!? I could have spent a three lifetimes trying to do something like that. Granted I am no artist, but still, there was no rush. Anyhow, my congratulations for transforming those “boring bits” into this beautiful masterpiece, and for sharing it with us. From myself and everyone reading this blog, thank you.
Finally, to all of you in this fine audience, please don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this worthy project, and email us your masterpieces: artworkfromtheworkplace@gmail.com
I have been speechless for the last couple of days, but it’s time to step forward and say something. To say a big THANK YOU, basically.
I obviously liked the idea of making a blog dedicated to the fine examples of craftsmanship I come across in my office. I first thought the blog would survive for a couple of months if I managed to get friends and family to send me some pictures. I thought we may even get some kind strangers to send something in, who knows? So I gathered together some examples and started publishing as soon as I felt we had enough material for the first few posts.
After the second post I started leaving some comments here and there, and harassed my friends to help out sending some photographs and showing the site in their workplaces. Then, all of a sudden, the miracle happened: Neatorama featured us on Thursday 26th. I guess they were the ones that got the ball rolling, and since then this blog has been posted about in a few other places (even in Icelandic, how awesome is that!?!); got listed in a Brazilian site that has been sending quite a bit of traffic (Muito obrigado); and featured in some German videoblog for a few seconds (2:32 – 2:43). I don’t have a clue what that woman is saying, but it sounds… strange. Anyone out there can translate? Hey!, I even have noticed some people suscribing to the blog using those feed readers, which given our track record so far (three posts at highly irregular intervals) is an overwhelming proof of faith – we’ll try to not let you down.
More importantly we have received some emails with amazing works of art. Don’t get me wrong, we are not nearly over flooded so please do keep those emails coming in – but we have a good bunch of fine masterpieces, so we have decided to make a few changes here, hopefully for the better: first, there will be one daily post Monday-Friday; just a daily dose of hope and inspiration to help us all cope with our jobs. Also, reading those emails with their anonymous stories I have found them just as compelling as the art itself, so I will be sharing them with you as well. If you decide to send a picture, we’d love it if you could take two minutes to tell us your story.
And finally there is the technical side of things. I have to apologise for the look of this very modest blog. There are some changes we want to make, but neither me nor my brother (this is a joint project) are specially good with computers, so it may take a while. Please be patient.
True to the spirit of the blog, I am writing the text for this post while at work on Saturday morning (overtime, more pay – you know how it goes…). [though I reviewed it a few times at home] As a little homage to the first source of inspiration, the colleagues that have produced most of the artwork featured so far, I have put together a little shrine under my monitor and this is what it looks like right now:
I can hear the gnashing of teeth in envy 
The Blu-Tack figurines were planned for the next post with the Title “Angry demonstrators”. The Banner is written in Gujarati (an Indian language) and they tell me it reads “Find a new job”. The rest you probably recognise.
And that’s all we wanted to say, really. Thank you all again from myself and my brother, and we hope to see you around and even hear from you if you feel like it. Thank you.
I better get back to my work now…
Welcome to this humble gallery where you can enjoy a selection of works from anonymous masters of present times. The process that the artists subject themselves to in order to create these fine works, is arguably the most strenuous and demanding in the History of Art. These works arise in part out of stress and depression, but mainly out of boredom.
If absinthe consumption is held partly responsible for Van Gogh’s style and LSD was responsible for the raise of psychedelia, there is also a very particular excess that has a direct influence in the works you will see here: our artists have a job!
May these images serve as a chant to the triumph of human spirit against adversity!
On a final note, I’d like to bring to your attention that today’s exhibition marks our first external collaboration. If you want to join Mark in our Hall of Glory, or if you know someone that deserves it, you know what to do: just take a picture and send it to: artworkfromtheworkplace@gmail.com.
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Song from the last mpFree! compilation on www.LaLuvaLeRa.com
All songs FREE are to download!
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Title: Top Cat
Technique: Blu Tack (marketed as Fun-Tak in the USA, says Wikipedia)
WorkPlace: Office
Estimated Time: 30 min
Title: Meeting Notes
Technique: Pencil and yellow highlighter on a white legal pad.
WorkPlace: Office (meeting room)
Declared Time: 60 min – the whole meeting
From the artist: The meeting was a couple of years ago, so I don’t even remember what it was about. This page was the sum total of my notes, though, so it must not have been too informative. Most of our meetings are an hour, so I imagine this one was, too. I’m sure no PowerPoint presentation was involved. For some reason, this company just doesn’t have the ‘PowerPoint Culture’ that many companies do. I understand it’s popular among upper management, though. And I’m pretty sure this drawing was probably the most useful thing to come out of that meeting. [emphasis added]
Title: Swans
Technique: Some old fax report and colour markers
WorkPlace: Office
Estimated Time: 20 min
Last but of course not least, I am glad to bring you today the first part of a work that in all justice deserves a special exhibition just for itself. But who said I was fair? Some time ago two enterprising young men (Mike n Lee) trapped in an office job they could not dislike more, set themselves the target of illustrating the letters of the alphabet, and thus a quite peculiar dictionary was created. Here is the world premiere of the finished result. Ladies and gentlemen, behold!:
Title: Dictionary of Death and Doooom
(A-G)
Welcome back to this new blog devoted to bringing to the light and divulging that glorious yet unplanned byproduct of todays jobs. The place where the outcome of your most fruitful efforts, those you feel you have to hide from your boss, can shine in full splendour; the place where your anonymous artistry can finally be enjoyed by the masses.
Here you won’t be judged: just admired. Go ahead and free yourself (and your art) of the burden of secrecy. Just take a picture and send it to us here. And if you have been discretely admiring some of your colleagues’ best works show them your respect by getting their work in this highly exclusive art gallery. Among the masters where it belongs.
Here it is now for you all to enjoy, a new issue from ArtWork from the WorkPlace!
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Song provided by
Visit the site for loads of free downloads.
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Title: Dino
Technique: Cardboard, glue, stapler, and scissors
WorkPlace: Office
Declared Time: 75 min
Made for a colleague’s daughter school competition. The kids were meant to make an animal using an egg. The egg was later placed as the head of the dinosaur, and painted. Surprisingly this masterwork did not win. Probably other parents had more time to spare in their workplaces…
Title: Monsterball
Technique: Promotional stress-release ball, Tipp-ex, color pens
WorkPlace: Office
Estimated Time: 40 min
Title: Post its
Technique: Pen on Post-Its
WorkPlace: Office
Estimated Time: 35 min
Title: Mouse mat 1
Technique: Mouse mat and pens
WorkPlace: Office
Estimated Time: 60 min
