papergirl (http://www.papergirl-berlin.de/) is a free and open project from berlin. the project now lasts for 5 years, every year there was one papergirl magazine shared out to the people on the streets of berlin. the main idea is as simple as unusual:
"Papergirl besteht aus einer zwei wöchigen Ausstellung, einer Aktion (das Verteilen der Kunstrollen), einem Fahrrad-workshop und einer Party.
Müsste man Papergirl mit wenigen Worten charakterisieren, wären es:
partizipativ, analog, unkommerziell und impulsiv. Das heißt:
- Jeder der möchte kann mitmachen, indem er Arbeiten einreicht und/oder beim Verteilen hilft.
- Papergirl wird wie eine Zeitung verteilt, aber nicht editiert oder gedruckt, sondern besteht aus künstlerischen Originalen, die gerollt werden. Die Beiträge werden per Post oder persönlich eingereicht. So kommen Originale, Drucke, Fotos, Kopien, etc. zusammen und jede Rolle wird ein Unikat.
- Man kann die Kunstrollen nicht käuflich erwerben, und sie werden nicht an Abonnenten verteilt.
- Beim Verteilen vom Fahrrad aus muss man schneller reagieren als man denken kann. Dadurch übernimmt der Zufall eine große Rolle. Es bleibt keine Zeit für Schubladendenken bei der Auswahl der Empfänger.
Die Grundidee ist, Kunst auf andere Weise als üblich in die Öffentlichkeit zu bringen, Leute zu überraschen und in ihrem Alltag mit Kunst in Kontakt zu bringen."
donation by ENCORE for papergirl no.4 (www.reclaimyourcity.net)
the most amazing oint on this is that it's totally non-commercial. you don't need nearly any money to produce the "magazine" and you won't earn any money from producing it. also you don't have to pay for it, but it's always a lucky circumstance getting it. so there is a uncalculable dynamic behind it. i really love this idea.
i really like the process generating a magazine like this. first it's just a open-source-project. everyone (being an artist or not) can donate artwork, which is collected and then spread out again.
- open call for donation
- collecting the pieces
- presenting all gathered artwork
- producing the magazine (/ the rolls)
- spreading them out to the lucky pedestrians
donation by ALIAS for papergirl no.4 (www.myspace.com/aliaslovesyou )
... that's a fine and rounded up process!! there was a big response to this idea and papergirl berlin was constantly growing over the last years:
"The project has been carried out once a year since 2006 and grows every year constantly. In July 2008, for example, 76 artists from 9 different countries took part in it.
The basic idea with the project is to bring art to the public in a different way from normal; to surprise people and bring them into contact with art in their everyday life.
The initial impulse for this project came with the tightening of a law, in 2005, equating sticking up posters in public places with graffiti-spraying. But the idea of distributing art by bike came more from the search for new ways to bring art straight to society, and have more fun doing so, than out of fear of possible punishment. Papergirl is, in short: participatory, analogue, non-commercial and impulsive."
!! actually there is the open cal running for the last papergirl-magazine in berlin, papergirl no.5 !!
more about papergirl berlin no.5 here:
last but not least some vids of the former papergirls no.1-4 i investigated:
papergirl no.4 - rolls
Papergirl No.4 - 379 Rolls (full of art) from Papergirl on Vimeo.papergirl no.3
Papergirl #3 from Papergirl on Vimeo.papergirl no.2
papergirl no.1
Papergirl No. 1, Berlin 2006 from Papergirl on Vimeo.
