Misinformed Informants: cheer sir or madam

In cheer sir of madam thousands of words worth of hand-made text confetti are produced, piled and strewn. The technique I have developed in making the confetti is a repetitive and meticulous one that comprises the following steps: letters are first embossed onto the paper using a typewriter in which the ink ribbon has been removed. An oil paint stick is applied onto the sheet and then rubbed down with tarlatan, working the paint into the crevice and rubbing the excess off of the surface, making the letter legible. Finally each letter is punched out using a one-hole hole-puncher.

The sentences typewritten are passages from a variety of letters to personal acquaintances and near-stranger contacts. A letter to a long abandoned pen-pal, condolences to a friend, a reply to a day-to-day work email, a postcard home to my mother, a proper ‘so long’ to an ex-partner, a recap of the day to a current one, a confession of an unrequited love to a surprised source; all possible types of typed communications. However all are miscommunicated because they are only really legible for a few moments before being punched out into handfuls of confetti, tossed and lost letters. 

I am interested in the contrast between the labour-intensive nature of the production and the short-lived spirit of the object created. Thoughtfully constructed phrases break down into endless incoherent abbreviations and mumbles while connotations of group celebration become confused with embedded messages of sorrow or secrecy.

b.1984, Canada

Corina Kennedy lives and works in Montréal. She studied Fine Arts at Dawson College and received her BFA from Concordia University in 2007 with a major in Studio Arts and a minor in Art History. The same year she co-founded Room and Board Gallery, an artist-run centre showcasing the work of emerging artists for which she curated a year’s programming. She has exhibited in group shows at the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery, Art Mur and La Centrale, and in the spring of 2009 her work was included in the Montréal Biennale.