INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE FOR THE 1991 INTERNATIONAL SHADOWS 
PROJECT SHOW, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN

by Karl Young, Mail-Art Curator

When the first atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, 
people within three hundred meters of ground zero were vaporized by 
the heat, leaving behind nothing but faint shadows on nearby surfaces. 
Survivors outlined these shadows, and these shadows and outlines have 
become increasingly important symbols of the evil we cannot allow to 
endanger our species. Shadows Projects, memorials to the first victims 
of ultimate evil and warnings against premeditated armageddon, have   
proliferated around the world during the last decade. In many cities  
during August people now go from place to place outlining each other as  
a reminder and as a warning. Related art exhibits, concerts, readings, 
etc. have also been held to commemorate Hiroshima Day. 

Participants have included practitioners of all arts, at all levels. 
Their main purpose has been to help others understand and imagine the 
disappearance of life through nuclear war. Participants include 
artists from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the U.S.S.R. who have 
used Mail Art as a means of subverting the censorship imposed on them 
by totalitarian governments. Many U.S. Mail Artists see the genre as a 
means of circumventing less violent means of censorship. These artists 
set good examples for us, both as artists and as responsible members 
of the human  community. As well as making devastation tangible, 
Shadows Projects point out what will be lost if nuclear insanity is 
allowed to continue. Some of the most moving pieces have been lyrical 
evocations of children playing or elderly people watching them. 

Shadows projects often unite the two dynamic and egalitarian genres of 
this century, Mail Art and Performance Art. In the U.S., John Held, 
Jr. has been indefatigable in such efforts. Ruggero Maggi of Milan, 
Italy has also been particularly active.Closest to most Mail Artists' 
hearts was the 1988 International Shadows Project Show held in 
Hiroshima, organized by Shozo Shimamoto, Maggi, Held, and others. This 
show was international not only in its content but also in its 
organization and in the number of participants from all over the world 
who came together for this event. 

The show mounted in Kenosha included work from previous shows 
organized by Maggi, including the Hiroshima Show. Some pieces go back 
to the beginning of the decade. It would be interesting to chart the 
course of these older pieces which have circled the globe several 
times in their course from show to show.  Work from a 1989 show in 
Calexico, on the U.S.-Mexican border, sponsored by Harry Polkinhorn, 
and a 1990 show in Milwaukee under my curatorship were also included. 

The global postal system established after World War II was a crucial 
factor in the growth of Mail Art from a limited genre practiced by 
Schwitters, Duchamp, the Paris Dadaists and their cousins the Italian 
Futurists into a decentralized, global, grass roots movement. It is 
interesting that while Mail Art has been expanding, two other 
movements have followed along similar lines. One of these is crane 
projects. In Japanese tradition, cranes are symbols of longevity, and 
                           
anyone who can make a garland of a thousand cranes will live long. 
This was the belief of a girl named Sadako who tried to make such a 
garland out of scrap paper as she lay dying from radiation in a 
Hiroshima hospital. She had not quite made it to a thousand when she 
died. Her family and friends completed the garland and started making 
others. This practice spread and today people all over the world make 
these garlands and send them to the children's memorial in Hiroshima 
or to other peace groups. Like Mail Art, cranes projects work through 
the mail. 

Following another Japanese tradition, Hiroshima survivors have made 
lanterns with messages for dead relatives written on them to float out 
into the Ota River and the Ocean on the evening of Hiroshima Day. 
This, too, has developed into global practice, with participants all 
over the world making lanterns to send to other people in other 
countries to memorialize Hiroshima and to promote world peace. Not 
only do these lanterns go through the mail, they often initiate long 
term correspondences between practitioners.

Last year, a number of crane garlands were included in the Milwaukee 
Show. This year lanterns were lent to the Kenosha show by Lanterns for 
Hope. Mail Art, Cranes, and Lanterns have been passing each other in 
the mail for years without connecting. We are all working from the 
same impulse, the same need, the same hope. I hope cooperation between 
these movements can grow in future projects. I had opportunity to lend 
material from the Milwaukee show to a Dia de los Muertos (Mexican Day 
of the Dead) Show curated by Russell Bloch in Detroit last fall, 
suggesting that the shadow was not only a new icon but one that 
changed the significance of skeleton imagery. I also made photocopies 
of about forty pieces to be used in a Performance Art Shadows Project 
organized by Luigi-Bob Drake in Cleveland. Avoiding galleries 
altogether, the photocopies were used as the basis for posters mounted 
throughout the city. Possibilities for collaboration with other, 
unjuried, uncensored, noncommercial events will probably continue to 
present themselves. At a time when we seem to be moving out of a 
binary political system where two giant antagonists threaten each 
other to one in which the dangers of nuclear disaster are more widely 
dispersed, it is good to increase our efforts at enlarging our 
contacts with each other.  


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CONTRIBUTORS TO THE 1991 SHOW

A.
David Abel (U.S.A.); M. Acosta (U.S.A.); Fernando Aguiar (Portugal); 
Peter Ahlberg (Sweden); Castelli Alberto (Italy); Ernesto Alberto 
(Mexico); Charles Alexander (U.S.A.); Daniele Alfani (Italy); Flavio 
Almado (Brasil); Reed Altemus (U.S.A.); Lary Angelo (U.S.A.); Michael 
Andre (U.S.A.); Mark Amerika (U.S.A.); Komives Andor (Romania); Antler 
(U.S.A.); Avelino de Argujo (Brasil);  Atmosphere Controlled 
(Denmark); Avajo (Australia); 

B.
Kum Nam Baik (Korea); Ken Baker (U.S.A.); AA Balk (Sweden); Anna 
Banana (Canada); Claudine Barbot (U.S.A.); Gerard Barbot (U.S.A.); 
Dennis Barone (U.S.A.); Vittore Baroni (Italy); Umberto Basso (Italy); 
Keith Bates (England); Ciro Beltran (Chile); Guy Beining (U.S.A.); Pop 
Bela (Hungary); John  M. Bennett (U.S.A.); Carol Berge (U.S.A.); Pedro 
Bericat (Spain); Guy Bleus (Belgium); Mike Bidner (U.S.A.); Giovanni 
Bonanno (Italy); Phil Boiarski (U.S.A); Guido Bondioli (U.S.A.); Anna 
Boschi (Italy); Joaquim Branco (Brasil); Cesar Brandao (Brasil); Hans 
Braumuller (Chile); The Broccoli Bunch (U.S.A.); Caroll Brooks 
(U.S.A.); McCanon Brown (U.S.A.); Joseph Bruchac, III (U.S.A.); Equipe 
Bruscky & Santiago (Brasil); Rex Buckingham (Australia); Sergio 
Burguez (Mexico); 

C.
Iara Cabral (Brasil); Jorge Caraballo (Uruguay); Glauco Lendaro 
Camiles (Italy); Elliot Cantsin (U.S.A.); Bruno Capatti (Italy); Joe 
Cardella (U.S.A.); Michael Castro (U.S.A.); Anne Fox Chaudonnet 
(U.S.A.); Frank Clark (U.S.A.); Ryosuke Cohen (Japan); David Cole 
(U.S.A.); flavio coltri (Italy); Geoffrey Cook (U.S.A.); Norman 
Conquest (U.S.A.); Raimondo Cortese (Australia); Costis (Greece); 
Daniel F. Courtney (U.S.A.); Ruth Cowen (Australia); Raimondo Cortese 
(Australia); Robert Creeley (U.S.A.); Giancarlo Cristiani (Italy); 
Robin Crozier (England); 

D.
Daniel Daligand (France); Guillermo Deisler (Germany); Wally Depew 
(U.S.A.); Desireau (Italy); Marcello Diotallevi (Italy); Desirey-Dodge 
(U.S.A.); DROP (U.S.A.); Matthias Dreyer (Germany); Mike Duquette 
(U.S.A.); Andrzej Dudek (Poland); Christina Duchaump (U.S.A.); 
Francoise Duvivier (France); 

E.
Yutaka Edo (Japan); ENDWAR (U.S.A.); Epistolary Stud Farm (U.S.A.); 
C‚sar Espinoa (Mexico); Ever Arts (Netherlands); 

F.
FaGaGaGa (U.S.A.); Woody Farlee (U.S.A.); Luce Fierens (Belgium); 
C‚sar Figueiredo (Portugal); Michael Fox (Germany); Fluxus Inc. 
(Belgium; Willy Forster (Germany); Kimmo Framelius (Finland); H.R. 
Fricker (Switzerland); Tetsuya Fukui (Japan); aFUNGUsBOY (U.S.A.); 

G.
V. Gabriell (Yugoslavia); Kathy Gagliardi (U.S.A.); Kenneth Gangemi 
(U.S.A.); Pedro Gonzalves Garcia (Spain); evvy garrett (U.S.A.); Jayne 
Garrett (U.S.A.); Karl Gartung (U.S.A.); Jesus Romeo Galdamez (El 
Salvador);  Joan Gelhaus (U.S.A.); Keiko Matsui Gibson (U.S.A.); 
Morgan Gibson (U.S.A.); Gino Gini (Italy);  Rafael Jesus Gonzales 
(U.S.A.); Artful Goodtimes (U.S.A.); Coco Gordon (U.S.A.); Edward 
Grothus (U.S.A.); Dan Guenther (U.S.A.); Pedro J. Gutierrez (Cuba); 
Vince Ferenc Gyorgy (Romania); 

H.
Kristof D'Haeseleer (Belgium); Mark Hamilton (U.S.A.); Mary Alice 
Hammond (U.S.A.); Josef Hampl (Czechoslovakia); Mayumi Handa (Japan); 
Lotte Rosenkilde Hansen (Denmark); Hardbound Ed (U.S.A.); Wm. 
Harrington (U.S.A.); Mike Hazard (U.S.A.); He Me [Beauty Surrounding] 
(Japan); Jan Heinrich (U.S.A.); John Held, Jr. (U.S.A.); Scott Helms 
(U.S.A.); C. Henry (U.S.A.); Tom Hibbard (U.S.A.); Crag Hill (U.S.A.); 
Alexandra Holownia (Poland); Honoriartist (U.S.A.); Tyler James Hoare 
(U.S.A.); Jim Huck (U.S.A.);

J.
Janet Janet (U.S.A.); Miroslav Janousek (Czechoslovakia); Leavenworth 
Jackson (U.S.A.); Ko De Jonge (Netherlands); Rene Joseph (U.S.A.); 

K.
Kowa Kato (Japan); Judy Katz-Levine (U.S.A.); Peter W. Kaufmann 
(Switzerland); Bill Keith (U.S.A.); Dr. Ken (U.S.A.); Kenosha Alliance 
for Peace with Justice (U.S.A.); Roberto Keppler (Brasil); Bliem Kern 
(U.S.A.); Kingdom of Edelweiss (U.S.A.); Karl Kempton (U.S.A.); Jen 
Klimala (U.S.A.); Eckhard Koenig (Germany); steen krarup (Denmark); 
Fanny Kriegel (Brasil); Zvonimir Krtulovic (Yugoslavia); Ilmar 
Kruusamae (Estonia); Katherine Kuehn (U.S.A.); Arto Kytohonka 
(Finland);

L.
LaFollette/Silver Wind (U.S.A.); Fredy Lapenna (Italy); Valeria 
Landolfini (Italy); James Lawrence (U.S.A.); Harold Lehnardt 
(Germany); Pascal Lenoir (France); Carmen Leon (U.S.A.); Joyce 
Lieberman (U.S.A.); torbjorn lime (Sweden); Oronzo Liuzzi (Italy); 
Chris London (U.S.A.); marco lorenzoni (Italy); 

M.
Jackson Mac Low (U.S.A.); Ruggero Maggi (Italy); Olga Maggiora 
(Italy); Bande Magnetique (England); Reima Makinen (Finland); Malok 
(U.S.A.); ManWoman (Canada); Roberto Marchi (Italy); Graciela 
Gutierrez Marx (Argentina); Alina McDonald (Australia); Melart 
(U.S.A.); David Meltzer (U.S.A.): Ruth Miles (U.S.A.); Bob Miller 
(U.S.A.); Cynthia Miller (U.S.A.); Angela & Henning Mittendorf 
(Germany); Kenneth Mood (England); Emilio Morandi (Italy); Ikuo Mori 
(Japan); Caroline Muchala (U.S.A.); Nathan Muchala (U.S.A.); Rodrigo 
Mu¤oz (Mexico); Kazunori Murakami (Japan); Roman Muzyinski (Poland); 

N.
Sigeru Nakayama (Japan); Joe Napora (U.S.A.); J.P. Naud (France); 
Steve Nelson-Raney (U.S.A.); Jonas Nekrasius (Lithuania); Mogens Otto 
Nielson (Denmark); giorgio nelva (Italy); Rea Nikonova (U.S.S.R.); 
Kjell Nyman (Sweden);

O.
Aloys Ohlman (Germany); Gil Ott (U.S.A.); 

P.
Clemente Padin (Uruguay); Konstantin Pavlov (Bulgaria); "Rev." Y Paul 
(U.S.A.); Shane Paul (U.S.A.); Pavel Petasz (Poland); Michael Joseph 
Phillips (U.S.A.); Barry and Eve Pilcher (England); Pips (Germany); 
Carlo Pittore (Italy); Natalia Podina (U.S.S.R.); bruno pollacci 
(Italy); Michel Pollard (Peoples Republic of China); Harry Polkinhorn 
(U.S.A.); Jeff Poniewaz (U.S.A.); Hugo Pontes (Brasil); Andrej Popov 
(U.S.S.R.); Bern Porter (U.S.A.); JK Post (U.S.A.); Arto Posto 
(U.S.A.); Charles Potts (U.S.A.); Raimondo del Prete (Italy); R. Prost 
(U.S.A.); Publishers Group of South West Ireland;

Q.
Julio Quispe (Peru); 

R.
Radio Free Dada (U.S.A.); Sherry Jo Reniker (Japan); Tulio Restrepo 
(Colombia); Diane Reyer (U.S.A.); Gilda Risso (Peru); Accorti Robereto 
(Italy); Childe Roland (U.K. - Wales); George Ronsholdt (U.S.A.); 
Waclaw Ropiecki (Poland); Martin Jack Rosenblum (U.S.A.); Sever Rossi 
(Italy); Erika Rothenberg (U.S.A.); Jerome Rothenberg (U.S.A.); 
Emanuel Rubin (Brasil); Sabine Rubin (U.S.A.); Jimmy and Marsha Runner 
(U.S.A.); Rupocinski (Poland); 

S.
Mako Sakoda (Japan); Jack Salaga (U.S.A.); Ribeiro Regina Sandra 
(Brasil); Vesselin Sariev (Bulgaria); Flora Sartor (Italy); R. 
Saunders (U.S.A.); Dave Schmitz (U.S.A.); C. Schneck (U.S.A.); Hans 
Schneider (U.S.A.); Helen Schneider (U.S.A.); Erin Schuler (U.S.A.); 
Serge Segay (U.S.S.R.); Bernice Serpe (U.S.A.); Jan Serr (U.S.A.); 
Christopher Skiba (Poland); Shozo Shimamoto (Japan); Shmuel (U.S.A.); 
Elena Siff (U.S.A.); Valter Smokovic (Yugoslavia); Zdenek Sima 
(Czechoslovakia); Mariarosa Simoni (Austria); Dennis Smart (U.S.A.); 
Maynand Sobral (Brasil); John Solt (U.S.A.); Pete Spence (Australia); 
Jan Spiegelman (U.S.A.); State of Being (U.S.A.); Manfred Stirnemann 
(Switzerland); Joachim Stange (Italy); Wm. S. Stipe (U.S.A.); Matt 
Sturm (U.S.A.); Marcel Stussi (Switzerland); Russel Sunabe (U.S.A.); 
Arthur Sze (U.S.A.); 

T.
Marlene Tack (U.S.A.); Kazuyoshi Takeishi (Japan); Shigeru Tamaru 
(Japan); Ruben Tani (Uruguay); Nathaniel Tarn (U.S.A.); Harvey Taylor 
(U.S.A.); Terrestrial Art Post Office (Japan); Thalia (Australia); 
Anrej Tisma (Yugoslavia); Larry B. Thomas (U.S.A.); Jean Yamasaki 
Toyama (U.S.A.); Nataliya Tretiyakova (U.S.S.R.); 

V.
Franco Vallone (Italy); Willem Van Dijk (Netherlands); Jose VdBroucke 
(Belgium); Stephen Vicary (England); Alma Luz Villanueva (U.S.A.); 
Jules Villanueva-Castano (U.S.A.); Martha Villegas (U.S.A.); Cornelis 
Vleeskens (Australia); Edgardo-Antonio Vico (Argentina); 

W.
Joy Walsh (U.S.A.); A1 Waste Paper Co. (England); Tamotsu Watanabe 
(Japan); Achim Weigelt (Germany); Don Wellman (U.S.A.); Matt Wieler 
(U.S.A.); A.D. Winans (U.S.A.); Franz-Milan Wirth (Austria); Phil 
Woods (U.S.A.); 

X.
Madam X (U.S.A.); 

Y.
Bernice Young (U.S.A.) ; Karl Young (U.S.A.); Darlene Yeugelowiz 
(U.S.A.); 

Z.
Alexevena Elena Zenoba (U.S.S.R.); Zephyr (U.S.A.); Paul Zelevansky 
(U.S.A.); Anatoly Zmigalov (U.S.S.R.); Biro Zozsef (Hungary).
