I have started collecting drawings from other people in an attempt to assemble something a bit like a collection of people's thoughts. The first time I asked people to draw things for me (they were given captions such as, "draw someone who makes you happy"), I felt that the drawings were a little too mature and sophisticated. I wanted some of the drawings to ask personal, awkward or sinister questions whilst prodding at their inner children. I felt like it would be less genuine if I actually stated that the drawings were intended to be a bit childlike, so I tried again, setting the tone by enforcing the use of crayons, stating that the drawings had to take around twenty seconds each, and mixing in simple, literal requests such as, "draw an apple." This, along with choosing people who did not consider themselves artistically inclined, yielded results a lot closer to what I was looking for.
I am also interested in found objects, and have been playing with the definition of "scrap paper." Are some things too important to be "scrap paper"? What happens when I am deliberately thoughtless with what I use as "scrap paper"? Is it an immature and cheap way of attempting to get a reaction if I destroy a Bible in the process of creating my work, or is it just... recycling? I think I want to destroy a passport next.
