About Art for the Betterment of Humankind
Art for the Betterment of Humankind is a framework for art-life and life-art in the new millennium. It is not just an art act but a life act that affects all aspects of life. It is designed to help every individual on the planet with a humanistic approach to art. It will allow every individual to contribute by limiting their carbon footprint and replacing possessions with their own creativity.
DIY Performance or Distributed Performance Art
Do it yourself or distributed performance - everyday acts that everyone can perform anytime and anywhere.
It is also a community-based performance art that is not simply showing and exhibiting art but working actively towards solving problems like zero waste, limiting consumption, and carbon footprint.
To perform creative acts as opposed to being background actors.
Zero Art
My idea for Zero Art came to me while I was cleaning the local park and seeing people carry doggie bags. I also saw people carrying garbage bags and randomly cleaning. It also was gradually developing on the back of my mind as I encounter piles of garbage on the sidewalks of Manhattan and thinking that lots of the garbage piles look like excellent unintended art installations. Artists have always dealt with found objects.
Zero Art aims at zero carbon footprint, zero slave labor, and impact on the environment. It is good for your body, apply your creativity to everyday objects.
1 Grab a small degradable bag & glove (or a bag for a glove).
2 Head to the nearest park.
3 Start picking trash from the park, the lawns, everywhere.
4 Make a small installation with your found objects. Arrange it as you have seen in galleries. Frame shot.
5 Take a picture. It is going to be your Zero Art still life.
6 Share it and inspire others to do it.
7 Dispose of it - it is meant to be an ephemeral object, a Zero Art pile on the side of the road. You just did a Zero Art performance.
DIY Christmas
DIY Performance and Christmas Gifts - My holiday catalog of do it yourself performance art.
A Holiday catalog of gifts for friends, family, lovers, and random strangers.
1 Read them from their favorite book, borrowed from the library. These days you can borrow digitally as well. Nypl shameless plug here.
2 Take them sledding with a found sled.
3 Trash treasure hunt in Manhattan.
4 Make them a food installation on the kitchen counter, spell their name or favorite phrase with cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, or whatever wonderful imaginative food combinations you can come up with.
5 Donate Kitchen and Pantry items and replace their spots in the kitchen cupboards with books, handwritten messages, and joyful cards. When someone you love opens the cupboard they will have a nice surprise.
6 Make a wall of your house paintable, hang a giant piece of paper or canvas, and have everyone paint on it, write messages, and mural fun things in bright colors.
7 Spell the name of your loved one with clothes, in the hallway, living room floor, any large floor space. Make a letter from each item of clothing and arrange like this. I call it Words Works.
Buy homeless person a sandwich
As part of the Holiday gift guide buy a homeless person a sandwich:
1 Approach a homeless person on the street. Use common sense and do not wake them if they are sleeping or otherwise unable to communicate
2 Ask them if they’d like a sandwich and a cup of coffee or drink, hot or cold
3 Ask what kind of condiments, bread, cheese, meats and what kind of drink to get
4 Got to the nearest deli, bodega, Starbucks. There’s literally a deli on every corner in New York
5 Order the sandwich and the drink - the deli will prepare it for you and put it in a bag with napkins, take straws
6 Hand it to the person. Do not give people homemade stuff, it is not in the best interest of everyone’s safety
7 Leave a good impression
