P2P2 or P2PII - A Weaving Design Process Challenge for 2011

1) Raise your hand. Let me know if you are interested in taking part by emailing me, by May 16, 2011:

• subject line: P2P,
• your real name, to be seen by postal service personnel only; I'm not putting it online if you don't already use it online,
• your postal address,
• your url if you have one; blog, website, FB, whatever, but just one, please, where you may record your progress, or the one you feel most representative of you and your work,
• let me know if you prefer P2P2 or P2PII.

2) Collect three (or more if you like, but no more than around six) photographs/clipping/drawing to inspire a weaver. (May I suggest different types of materials, e.g. abstract, emotional, detail/close up, in case your partner has different taste/sensibilities to yours?)

3) If we can get three or more participants, we will go ahead.

4) Ben will put your names in a baseball cap and pick/match partners. I will let you know around May 18, 2011 whom you are going to inspire.

5) Put all visual material in an envelope, and a personal message if you like; post it so your partner will receive it between June 1 - 5, 2011 at the latest. Keep in mind some plant and animal material could be taken away at various agricultural checkpoints if your envelope is traveling internationally.

If want your images in files, you may contact your inspirer; you may continue to communicate with your partner; that's all up to and your partner to work this out and enjoy.

Keep an eye on your mail/post/PO box for a similar envelope coming your way.

6) Plan a project based on one of the images. You can start with more than one, but you don't have to follow up all except one. Photograph it, sketch it, collage it, write about it, or blog about it. And weave it. Complete work by August 31, 2011. Send me links, photos, and/or texts by September 1, 2011. 

7) Your final post, to be revealed September 3 or 4, 2011, should include:

• All original images you received; all of them in one snapshot is also good, or a link to an earlier post where you have shown these;
• Whatever thoughts and images from your creative process you'd like to mention. I myself am just as curious about "Didn't Work" images or rejected ideas, and why they didn't work or why you rejected them.
• Pictures of the final piece. If you did not weave it, or complete it, give us as much visuals as possible, (doodles, "something-like-this" photos/drawing/collage, latest on-the-loom pics). Or descriptions of your vision. Also of interest to me is what/how you felt during/about the project, your choices, the steps you took.

8) How far you take the project depends on you. You could weave and have a finished piece, or go as far as determining the yarn, the set and the draft, or come up with a bunch of drawings and alternative project ideas. But do give us as much visuals as possible.

Life happens, and for whatever reasons, you may not be able to work on the project after you've signed up. There is no P2P Police, so please, no lists of reasons or apologies at the Big Reveal, unless you can make them deadly funny. Just show us whatever you got - at least the material you received and what you might have done, would have liked to, or how you felt.

9) I thought paper pictures are tangible and portable and therefore preferable to exchanging JPG files. The printed papers have textures, and we could carry them around and feel them or paste them into our sketchbooks or pin them on our walls. They don't need to be printed JPGs either; postcards, newspaper or mag clipping, anything with images.

10) You can start blogging/publishing about your process any time. You may choose to post on your own blog, (be sure to send me links so I can compile a Links page), or send me files to go into a gallery on my Flickr.

When posting on your blog, please label/tag all posts relating to the project with a relevant keyword.  If posting on your Flickr-like photo sites, please create a folder/set dedicated to this project, or use a tag.  Either way, send me links.

11) As usual, one of the images from the first person to sign up will be made into a poster.

12) These guidelines look long and complicated, but the purpose of the project is for us to share and have fun, and finally, be utterly impressed with ourselves at the other end. So don't go making it hard, OK?

PS: This means there is no SSVE in 2011.

PPS: When in doubt, check out how it was done last year.

PPPS: I'm not sure if this comes across clearly; there is still the option to show your work in my Flickr, i.e. the Big Gallery.  Just so you know?