Drawn Lots

Drawn Lots expands its stakes to four cities

2010-02-05T17:51:00.004-06:00

What started humbly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has now ballooned to reach three separate regions of the U S of A. Drawn Lots' original four members now call Houston, Syracuse, Chicago and Milwaukee, home. Houston is the newest addition to our mini-empire.

While Jeremy was visiting Regan, a fellow at MFAH's CORE program, they participated in an odd event of sorts, as tourists of the Center for Land Use Interepretation's (CLUI) Houston Field Office. Sasha Dela of Skydive was their guide and Brett Bloom of Temporary Services was along for perusal of the site as well. The actual site was locked and although the guard dogs were sleeping, the group decided against trespassing to gain a closer view. They roughly half-circumnavigated the former junkyard, enjoying views of their trailer from 100 yards away through chain link. They saw various examples of current barb wire technology, remnants of ranching, current junkyards, a biodiesel plant, and a savanna of sorts with a bike path where they took a break for a picnic. Not to be missed was the grove of small trees and grasses "in honor of Exxon Mobil".

New Project - New Forest

2009-11-06T11:39:00.009-06:00

Regan sent us all this image:

along with this note:

Dear Drawn Lots,
Let us revive ourselves. . .what do you say?! Well, I am all by my lonesome with lots of time in Texas so I came up with this little project that I thought we could work on together from a distance--just to pass the time and entertain ourselves and maybe learn some new tricks. . .I picked up an image on the web of the "New Forest" in England and then I pulled some fragments out of the image on photoshop and plunked them onto an 8 x 10 image. I will pass it along first to Juan, who can then pass it to Jeremy and then Michael and around and around in a circle until we grow weary of it. . . does this work? Any suggestions? Maybe we could post it on our blog so that anytime you wanted you could just grab it off there and work on it and then repost it? I attached the source image and also a link to the New Forest http://www.newforest.hampshire.org.uk/ , and the new collaborative piece that you can do anything to--no limits, no theme, as of yet. I honestly took fifteen minutes on this first bit of collaging, this is very rudimentary and just for play. . .okay? sound good?! Well, let me know!

Bye for now,
Best,
Regan

and her start to the collaboration:

So far we have Juan's additions:

And Jeremy's:

Michael is next.

Ill History Update

2009-04-17T15:13:00.003-06:00

Well, not sure if history can be saved or if these sites were any less historic while closed, but many will be reopening in a week or so (some like the Davis Mansion in Normal never did close thanks to private donors). See the following story: www.sj-r.com/news/x1263218439/Historic-site-workers-to-return-next-week,

At the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Dana-Thomas House, supporters are eager to see visitors walk inside again rather than circle the perimeter, said Regina Albanese, executive director of the house’s foundation.

Sorry, no photo of folks wandering aimlessly around the Dana-Thomas House.

Case-By-Case Basis

2009-03-18T12:21:00.004-06:00

While Drawn Lots is working out its next project, please consider the following:

Case-By-Case Basis

March 6 - April 11, 2009
Reception: March 27, 7-11pm

Featuring:
Alex Chitty
Diana Behl
Regan Golden-McNerney
Joe Hardesty
Noah Hyleck
Jeremy Lundquist
McMurran and Soskel
Amanda R.T. Thomson

@ lloyd dobler
1545 W. Division Ave, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL

For more info: www.lloyddoblergallery.com

Call to Action? "Save Illinois History"

2008-09-20T11:04:00.003-06:00

Depending on the news source, Illinois state budget cuts are resulting in the closure of two dozen sites or 13 or 14 historical sites and 11 state parks and/or 25 overall historical sites and state parks.
But let's not get caught up in numbers even though we are dealing with a budget.
Part of Drawn Lots (one half to be exact) now calls the fine state of Illinois, home, so we feel compelled to react.
The closures were to originally take place on October 1 and November 1 for historical sites and state parks respectively, but those dates have been pushed back to November 30, 2008. Nonetheless there is not much time, so we are going to get working on drawing attention to this locations. You can read more about all this by following these links:

wikinews - has complete list of closures

AP article

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Landmarks Illinois - news about current status of bills to restore the cuts made in the budget

Stay tuned to Drawn Lots for more info.

Wild into Tame into Wild

2008-06-22T21:42:00.004-06:00

I am curious about the kind of play that children engage in while wondering in the woods. What is the purpose and outcome of this less structured type of learning with materials? Is playing outdoors always about civilizing nature or is it a way of meeting the natural world halfway? So I thought I would try to test this by going out into the woods at Ox-Bow and playing with sticks and leaves in the kind of aimless way that I did when I was little, to see what happened. It was incredibly hard! I kept wanting to twist my play into an art project--which I did and totally enjoyed (see image). But I wonder if we could construct natural found object sculptures, then draw instructions about how to build the basic form and have another member try to recreate the object in synthetic/organic materials found in their location. What would these small sculptures and accompanying instructions tell us about the materials available in that place?

Regan

Wilderness or Wildness?

2008-06-21T12:22:00.014-06:00

The very nature of wilderness suggests untamed. Untamed could suggest dark or sinister. Certain aspects of nature are completely locked into our collective memory as definitions of the sinister. Nature at its most sinister is under the blanket of night. Sound becomes a tangible indication of being surrounded by something wild. When humans encounter this situation it becomes apparent that they are no longer in control and that moment lies the realization that wildness still exists. The lack of control may induce fears that in turn create fantasy.
All of this comes back to our original notion of site authenticity. I'm interested in how sound could act as a catalyst to enhance a viewer's acceptance of 'valid experience' via a controlled environment/installation where sight & sound challenge collective fears and doubts about the human species' control over wildness. More to come...

Juan

Model ___________ is Fun

2008-06-12T11:14:00.004-06:00

My proposal will continue to evolve... seriously.
So take this into consideration,
Jeremy

A Start to a Proposal by Jeremy

2008-06-12T10:12:00.007-06:00

Hello all, it has been a while but our collective minds have been brewing up some new project possibilities. No, they are not oozing about in the hollowed out stump above.

That is the oldest oil well in North America, the Thorla-McKee Well, supported by a hollowed out sycamore log. It is located in Caldwell, Ohio and dates to 1814, which leaves these two proclamations from Pennsylvania and West Virginia in doubt (although there is the distinction of intent and commercial nature: Silas Thorla and Robert McKee were interested in salt, so they sold the resulting oil as tonic).

But dates and historical precedence aside, I feel there is interest in how site authenticity is linked to intent, doubt, and (as with so many land issues) commerical viability. Regan and I will be visiting this well and other sites in Appalachian Ohio this summer, so we will have an opportunity to experience these spaces and their history more directly. I think working with historic sites or asking others to provide Drawn Lots with information about sites near where they live could be a good starting point to our next project. That is all I have right now, short on specifics but I can't resist investigating the:

"DOCUMENTED PROOF WHY SO MANY WANT TO VISIT"

as touted by Noble County, Ohio and certainly many others.

Far A Field

2007-12-16T22:17:00.000-06:00

As we develop our new project, how will we (as a collective) define a "real and authentic" lot? Do our drawings restore a tidbit of authenticity to a place? I have attached an image I took in the studio last week of Jeremy's drawings of fake stumps, with the real miniature fake stumps just off the top of the page. Thinking of Baudrillard: " . . .it is the map that precedes the territory" (Precession of Simulacra). Thinking of Rem Koolhaas: "Entire mountains are dismembered to provide ever-greater quantities of authenticity" (Junkspace in October vol. 100). This struck me as a potential problem for Drawn Lots to tackle, what is an authentic site? How is that authenticity furthered or diminished through drawing?

Pathogeographies Project

2007-11-09T22:16:00.000-06:00

Here are four images from the exhibition at Gallery 400, UIC. Please contact us for more information about the continuation of this project. Thank you to Feel Tank for curating this exhibition!

Drawn Lots to Speak - This Saturday, June 30th

2007-06-25T21:11:00.000-06:00

Our involvement in Pathogeographies continues:
We will be kicking off "Mapping the Body Politic" in the lecture hall at UIC's Gallery 400 this Saturday the 30th starting at 12 noon.

Here's Michael with our exhibited project:

Pathogeographies Opens Friday, June 15th

2007-06-13T21:45:00.000-06:00

Drawn Lots' will be exhibiting as part of Pathogeographies, opening this friday at UIC's Gallery 400. Check pathogeographies.net, pathogeographies.blogspot.com, and Gallery 400 for more info.

Property Survey

2007-05-24T08:06:00.000-06:00

Here is your chance to take part in our project!
Simply click the link to take our online survey and your results will be made into a drawing by Drawn Lots!
Link to Survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=727103880536

A Run Through - Pathogeographies

2007-04-06T09:04:00.000-06:00

Let the Pathogeography festivities begin!

Or at least on a trial basis. This is a mock up of the survey that will be (and currently is) in use for our Pathogeography project.
(for more info visit: Feel Tank Chicago and/or our first post)
I (Jeremy) have filled this one out and subjected myself to our artistic process.

2007-04-06T08:51:00.000-06:00

Image search conducted for the term,
northwoods, pulled from the survey:

How real and/or ideal are these results? What do they lack? What do they tell us beyond our expectations? Can they serve as a source for describing a relationship to property?

2007-04-06T08:44:00.000-06:00

NORTHWOODS ?

Ah, the northwoods - just as flat and non-specific as I remembered/hoped for/imagined. An outfitter way up in Ely, Minnesota once laughed at the fact that the street listed on my Illinois driver's license was Northwoods Drive while he rang up my out of state fishing license.

2007-04-06T08:35:00.000-06:00

OPEN ?

So, we might need to be more specific
a search for "open land":

2007-04-06T08:30:00.000-06:00

COMFY ?

OR COMFY ?

2007-04-06T08:14:00.000-06:00

Does this best represent my relationship to property?

This is the very first result from our trial survey - in all honesty it is not collaborative in effort unless you count me (Jeremy) as the survey taker and me as the 'artist/creator' (still Jeremy) as two separate entities. It is a start and perhaps even a peek at what will result from our process.

Feel Tank Chicago Lecture - DRAWN LOTS WILL BE THERE

2007-03-04T15:14:00.000-06:00

So, you should be there too.

Feel Tank Chicago will be presenting a panel discussion on THIS Tuesday, March the 6th at 5:00 pm as part of UIC's Gallery 400 Voices Lecture Series. This summer's upcoming exhibit, Pathogeographies, will be featured. Drawn Lots will be present before and after the lecture along with other participants of the exhibition. We will have surveys available for everyone to fill out as part of our Pathogeography project.

Gallery 400 is located at 400 S. Peoria in Chicago, Illinois

Our New Logo?

2007-03-04T15:04:00.000-06:00

Does Drawn Lots even need a logo? Would that fly in the face of the anti-commercialization aspects of our mission? Well, no, so here it is:

Drawn Lots selected to take part in Pathogeographies

2007-03-04T14:32:00.000-06:00

We are very happy to report that Drawn Lots will be part of the Pathogeographies exhibition at Gallery 400 in Chicago. The exhibition is organized by Feel Tank Chicago and runs from June 15 - July 7 2007. Here is our initial proposal:

Drawn Lots proposes an interactive body of work concerning political baggage of property and ownership. Suitcases or suitable containers will be filled with surveys and recording material allowing members of the collaborative to find out how people feel about their hopes for owning land and/or a house/home. What is this dream house? What is the reality of our individual and collective relationship to property? Using keywords from this collected data, we will perform Google image searches. Using the top results for each search, a composite drawing will be created. For example, one collected response might focus on an a-frame cabin and repeatedly mention how open the space would be. In response we would take the top images for ‘a-frame’ and ‘open’ and create a drawing combining our findings. These actions and drawings could take place over time in a number of locales or all at once, allowing the participants to view and collaborate with the resulting drawings. All the drawings will then be stored as an archive of the ideal/real feelings about property back in and/or on the suitcases.