Object Annotation by Stu
November 6th, 2007 2:13 PM
I wrote up the note while in class (it can be tedious, and I can pay attention to two things at once sometimes), and I sent it to a nearby printer. I needed a pee-break anyway, so I walked to the printer to release the printing job and receive the printed copy. I realized walking into class with the newly-printed page would probably be rude (and might draw the attention of the teacher), so I took the paper and a few pieces of tape and left it all on top of a nearby vending machine. I figured I could pick up the paper and tape on my way out the door of the building (which is right by the vending machine). I was more nervous about someone finding the note up on the vending machine than I was about putting it on the snowman, and I think it has something to do with it being out of context. The note makes some sense on the snowman. It makes very little sense on a vending machine.
That all said, after class, I retrieved the note with no problems and taped it onto the snowman. I got a few looks as people walked by, but no one interrupted me or stopped to read it while I was there. Here is a picture of it taped to the snowman:
And a closer one:
And a really close one:
EDIT: Two days later, I have returned to find a note left in response! Here's a picture:
And this is what it says:
What it says:
Message to the Message to the Snowman
You are a brilliant piece of writing. I was touched when I saw you taped to the Snowman, a little paean to an underappreciated piece of public art. You ramble a bit, and your wording is a little strange, but there is something about public writing that really brightens my day.
I think it's the lack of shame in the act, the sort of openness to the world that comes with extremely public writing. It takes balls, but also, humility of a sort.
I think you succeed because you stand out against the snowman's surface. Your very critique of the art piece actually directly changes it, just as viewing a system alters it [sic] behavior. You add text to an entirely visual creature, and I appreciate that.
You give the snowman a voice.
Go you, message. And go you, message-writer.
The weird British snowman.
Apparently, in the UK, snowmen are only two balls, not three. I have yet to confirm this. The dude who makes these sculptures is British, and when he first made them in the US, nobody understood the two-balled versions.
With the note taped on.
I'll check on it tomorrow and post any updates, if anyone has responded or reacted.
Closer.
Closest.
I like the snowman.
New note is the lower one.
Taped there yesterday or today.
The note!
Happy.
16 vote(s)
FZ!
5
Rik Sowden
5
Pyrtolin
5
Dr. Subtle
5
Spidere
5
Charlie Fish
5
Tøm
5
Lord of Entropy
5
Black MegaBee
5
Caroline The Curly
5
Doodle Maier
5
Laura
5
Burn Unit
5
Sparrows Fall
5
Adam
5
Missish
Terms
(none yet)14 comment(s)
Here it is, and since I'm a bit of a self-conscious person, keep in mind that I wrote it during my research ethics course and had to rush because my battery was at 12% when I started:
Message to the Snowman
You do not strike me as a magnificent piece of art because of your snowman-ness. You're the wrong color to be a snowman, and when people run into you, you don't crumble to pieces. You sit there happily in summer, never melting.
Yet you have this charm, this power, this mystique. Perhaps it is because you are the wrong color, because you stand strong, because you don't melt. You defy our expectations. You make us question and re-evaulate our perception of the snowman.
In doing so, you make us speculate. What would happen if you were covered in snow? Would some drunken frat boy try to tackle you and instead injure his shoulder? If the earth were invaded today by aliens, what would they think of you? Would it seem like you are worshipped, or might you only be seen as a simple decoration?
Hell, that one time, we made up a story about you being used as a butt plug. It doesn't seem anatomically possible for a human of any size, but the musings of drunken college students can turn anything into a butt plug, so don't be offended, Snowman.
I like that you have no gender. I like that you brave the cold. I like that you're not ugly, like a few of the other pieces of art on campus. I like that you can be given hugs, and I like that you don't seem to mind.
I'm running out of battery, and my computer will shut down, but I want to give you this message, so I'm going to cut it short. Please continue to rock out the snowmanliness even when the snow comes. Don't be intimidated by other snowmen. We love you as you are.
Aww. I second these likes about that Snowman. Or Snowthing.
I think I've been using "snowman" to mean "Snowthing" my entire life. I should see if Snowthing has a title/name.
Liam asked me to read the note to him when we passed it on the way to school. I managed to gloos it right on the fly such that it didn't result in awkward questions right around the middle...
Thank you for running with it and glossing over the butt-plug spots. I hadn't considered the fact that there would be kids on campus, and I'll keep that in mind when I do whatever I do next.
I love it that you got a response!
It's a great message that gets a response like that one...
Votes for responses!
Doing this in GY would result in a rather rude message, so It stays uncompleted here.
Fish: Me too. It made me so happy, and then to see it was a friend who didn't even know it was me? Even happier.
Gubznf: GY? I'm fine with rude messages, as long as they're fun or entertaining.
thats really cool. for some reason, I really like that you put the note on the blue part, not the white part. its more stand outish, and just plain cooler. points for awesomeness, and points for a response= a vote for stu! lol (ok, still in weird hyper mode, i'm starting to think that sf0 causes this in me any time I'm here, and you may never see me calm, oh fellow sf0ers. anyways, awesome sir stu.
Caroline: I'd love to take credit, but it was just instinct. It seemed to be the right height, and I do like that the dark background made it pop a bit. I certainly understand the hypermode, too, and I hope you embrace it and enjoy.
I can confirm that in the UK, snowmen indeed only have 2 parts. I've never seen a 3 part snowman before and, frankly, think it looks rather strange. I'm sticking with the British snowman.
Do you still have a copy of the text of your annotation? I've always enjoyed that snowman, and I'm curious about the full text.