11
 

Mail Art Networking Congress with Svetlana Mimica
in Split, Croatia about a project by Carol Stetser
 

Carol's invitation read like this:

After 14 years in the mail art network, I am ~retifing at the end of 1992 to devote my time and energy to other projects. In celebration of this event I am holding a Networker Congress through the mail on November 10, 1992 entitled:

ONE DAY IN THE ETERNAL NETWORK

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A NETWORKER

Our answer:

Dear Carol, here is the report oo "OUR 10 November

o.oo wilting our diary documentation on board fenyboat ISTRA from Ancona, Italy: about personal delivery yesterday In Tunis and Rome.

0.30 A glance at Anna Boschi's catalogue on 30 yeats of Mail-Art. in honour of Ray Johnson.

1.00 Curfew. The Mediterranean waves rock us asleep

7.30 Packing our backpacks, disembarkment, easy entry through Croatian Customs and Immigration, Into a country at war.

8.30 First handshake and cappuccino with Syjetlana.

10.00 We rent a room from Mr.Baibaiiè, who welcomes us in German. He passed his dtiving license test in our dty, Mlnden, Germany, 12 years ago. Though being a so-called "guest-worker ,he was luckily never exposed to New Fascism.

11.30 Mr. Stjipan Puljiz, Director of Split People's University, NARODNE SVEUeiILI~TE shows us In French round the medieval city centre. Inside the walls of Roman Emperor Dlocletlan's palace we deliver NET MAIL to him (see photo), then discuss details of our slide show and exhibition (see text on next page). In spite of the war, Mr. PuljIz is on good terms with his Setbian neighbor next door. He differs between politics and people.

13.30 Delicious Vegetatian supper In Syjetlana's (parents') flat. In English she explains her difficult situation on the dole with a law- yet's degree.

14.30 Discussion in Russian with her father Dr. Ivan, Professor of Literature at the local university, about the richness oi local oral tradition. He publishes regularly on this subject. We find a broad common denominator with "troubadour" BoZo Domnjak Bojan (1844 -1922) who "DURING HIS TRAVELS INCREASED I-IIS OWN EPIC AND NARRATIVE REPERTOIRE'. We find ourselves more and more in the same sihration, as we deliver a whole story with every piece of mail, like now to Sjetlana.

16.00 Sjetlana shows us her minimalist colorful paintings, made some months ago - "termpled up to 8 times a day b´ bombing alarms - continued after rekrm from the shelter.

17.00 News report: the Serbians threaten to srart bonlbing alle gedly al/Croatian cities, i.e. also Split, where we are now, unless Samjevo surrenders.

18.00 At the Post Office, we got a cancellation mark and brand new postage slamp with the Croatian flag, celebrating the coun try's fresh independence.

18.30 Sjetlana shows us her mail art and explains difficulties af ter her street name was changed: from World War II socialist fe male hero Maikotiij to male Math professor Gotaldic, obviously nonpolitical - symbolic end of the old regime Besides, she. has to register all her mail art at e>cpensive rates .

19.00 Faster than anywhere eIse: in 20 minutes a photo shop in the suburbs plus a colour Xerox shop enlarge our photos from loday for the exhibition at the (former: Revolution) Museum, whose mana8ement considers cultural contact and exchange ex tremely Lmportant in the times of war. So do we.
Not only very up-to-date technology, but also the last fashionable chic in the boutiques downtown show the desire to leave socialist structures beNnd - and to forget the war zokms. away.

20.00 Sjetlana's grandmother, still going stron8, accompanies us on the bus back to the centre. In Italian she explains a bumper sticker: "BOG I HRVATI" (i.e., "God and tl?e Croats"). She has visited her daughter in hospital today, who tumed deaf when &e war started last year.

20.30 A stroll through the extremely beautiful, very Mecliten-anean old city centre ends over a hot chocolate in the evening chill of Narodni Trg Square, brilliantly illuminated All the ancient cultures from the Greeks on left their traces i-tet-e - plus some bullet holes from the current war.

22.00 Registering NET MAILart from S\jetlana in our big postman's registration book: No. 3504ff. for conmmon friends also in Sethia to whotn we will deliver, whilst official mail doesn't 80 to the enemy. For each piece of NETMAIL that we cawy we register exactly when, where and from \Yhom we got it. Also : \vhen, where and to whom we delivered it.
Plus the receiver's signature - which he usually decorates artfully. Our registration book has already become a singular piece of art
in its own ri8ht.

23.00 For the first time in 3 weeks we mana8e to open and answer the mail we brought from our P.O. Bo>; in Minden in October. A Pandora's box and Santa Claus' ba8 at the same time.

23.30 The first shower in 3 days. Happy lovemaking, undis- i
turbed. Grinding corn for brealdast Machme8nn Fire in the lulls