Posted on by Pat Coakley

Let Us Begin: The Paper Bag

The day after Labor Day used to be the day when Americans made the most phone calls.

But, that was back in the day when there were only phones attached to a wire. Who knows if that is still the case.

The interpretation was that as a nation we had put things off during the summer and that once Labor Day was over, we got down to the business of every day living.

So, in anticipation of that necessity, I charged my artistic battery by going to an exhibit yesterday at the Decordova Museum and Sculpture Garden, a place I’ve talked about before. The focus was “Drawn to Detail”.

So, I chose a detail of my own, a paper bag I photographed yesterday morning, to be the object of my artistic impulses this week. I have no idea right at the moment what I am going to do with it. I am going to give myself five days to “do” something. So, that would be September 7th. For those of you who already are a day ahead, then, September 8. Hey, it’s not like I have a whip here.

I invite anyone to begin the day after Labor Day ( or simply the beginning of another week if you outside the US) with an artistic challenge: to take this photograph (If you email me, I’ll send you the jpeg file) and use it as fodder for your creative powers.

Let us tease out, together, the possibilities within this thrown away thing. As a group we bring our own talents each day to the blogosphere: visual artists, painters, writers, story tellers, thinkers, diarists. I think all of us can create a narrative in our own voice for this paper bag, don’t you?

Yes, I have many calls to make as I’m sure you do, too, but, what is more pressing, in the end, than to try and make something extraordinary from the ordinary, and something that has been discarded to boot, AND to have some fun along the way?

I think you know my answer.

(Feel free to use whatever ordinary detail of your life that you prefer, but, I’m serious, if you want to use the photograph of this paper bag, just email me and I’ll send it to you, whatever size and resolution you want. The “before” and the “after” is the real spirit of the challenge.

Yes, ANOTHERone.

©Pat Coakley 2008

PHOTOGRAPHS CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION

22 Replies to “Let Us Begin: The Paper Bag”

  2. Now this is my kind of challenge!
    Send me the photo but I’m not sure I’m going to use it yet. I have to take a walk and see if something is still there that I saw last week on one of my walks that would be perfect for this challenge!

  4. Pat- the sharpness of that bag might just demote spud to a lesser status.
    Another challenge!
    OK, send me one too and I’ll see what compliment of content I can throw out to you.

  5. Sanity and Arnysmom, I’ve emailed the px and look forward to seeing what you do with it!

    Welcome, Matt! I looked a many of your photographs today and love your subjects as well as the color palette you use on many of them. Very interesting to see the differences in all of our photographs and style!

    BL: I’ll send the photo to you tomorrow when I get back home. This shall be fun if nothing else!

  6. Hi Pat,
    1. Reminds me of American Beauty where that teenage videographer takes film of a floating plastic bag. Simple but arresting.
    2. took pix of Saigon manholes today. Off to do some more for you tomorrow.
    3. Re: manholes, see if you know anyone in Rome. Theirs say SPQR, Standing for Senatus Populus Que Romanum (Senate of the People of Rome). Even though we’re a bit further along the timeline now…
    4. Also took a pic of a spidey related subject for you today. Will forward all when I get back.

  7. Epicurienne: I remember that shot in the movie! Am really looking forward to the photo loot you are going to bring home for us! SPQR on a Roman manhole cover? Now, I’m going to peruse photoblogs and look for a Roman! Great bit of info.

  8. me too, Me Too, please!! I’ll eagerly check my email.

    BTW, I posted some photos on my blog (there’s a show coming) – I wonder what you’ll think of them.

  12. Sweetiegirlz: l love your origami “bag” and that it flew away! I know you were up for this challenge!

    Nava, I look forward to seeing what your painterly hand can do with this simple paper bag. Its transformation from object thrown away to “found” object is underway. I love this whole concept of transforming a discarded bit of ordinariness and making it into something extraordinary, or at least something with a story.

  15. Oh, so you did, S. Lee!! I love it. I particularly relate to number 5!

    Nava: smurfbag–such a whimsical association I now have with this discarded bag!

  16. I’m always up for a challenge, I just right clicked & saved it, I’ll see what I can come up with. I saw it on Mr. Le’s blog & at first thought it was a very cheap manhole cover. My synapses are in motion, I’ll let you know but now I have to go to work. I hate having to go to work on saturday morings, it’s sleeping in time usually

  17. Tony, I guess you are from down under? If you are going to work on Saturday morning as I am shopping for groceries on Friday morning! Anyway, I ‘ll look forward to the fruits of your synapses! This is a fun one!

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