TINKER'S HOUSE

A new installation in collaboration with Arlette

Excerpt from our proposal:
In our proposal for the Architecture Foundation installation we aim to conjure the idea of enchantment with transcribed imagery from a derelict house. We are bringing a familiar, domestic environment into Zaha Hadid’s new, maybe intimidatingly big and transparent structure.

The abandoned house itself is reduced to five 2.4meter high sheets of etched glass, which are accessible from all sides, forming a new kind of space. We change dimension, scale, utility, purpose, material and context of the derelict house.

The familiarity of the image is still there, but in a transformed state: crystallized and transparent, engaging the viewer to walk around it.

Our installation therefore aims to build a bridge between familiar and unfamiliar. By using big sheets of glass, which are an integral part of most contemporary architecture, we also imply that new materials have something magical to them, it is a transformation of space, a new, enchanted kind of shelter.

We find out in May or June if we got it

If You Have that Sick Feeling, Get Out!

If I hadn’t have been warned at the last minute, not only would I have been completely taken for my artwork and a significant sum of money, I would have had to seriously reconsider how I got this negative energy into my life. Thankfully I freaked, a minor anxiety attack, in front of my friend Tom after explaining the most recent email of a man that I had just sold some art work to.

“Morris Anderson” contacted me through my website a few weeks ago, enquiring about a few of my pieces. He decided to purchase and explained he would send me a cheque for more than the price of the art and once it’s cleared I should transfer the extra cash to his shippers, who would come to package and collect the pieces. I told myself from the beginning not to think about the weirdness of the situation - how it seemed odd he found my portfolio online the day I put it live and before I told anyone - I justified this because “surely I was projecting my positive artistic energy out there and someone most likely plucked it out of the universe, realised I was brilliant and bagged a great deal in a terrific investment”. A long, hard, stupid feeling, “how can I be so naive”, siiiiiigh.

So a cheque for £4k arrived on Thursday, I deposited it and told Morris once it cleared I’d let him know so I could send the excess money to his shippers. Here’s the email I received on Friday that caused the sick feeling:
from Morris Anderson hide details Mar 30 (2 days ago)
to Erin Newell
date Mar 30, 2007 10:04 AM
subject Good Morning!!!
signed-by yahoo.com
mailed-by yahoo.com

Dear Erin,
Good Morning!
I'm just dropping in
to say,

"I hope you have
a wonderful day!"
May your morning be
sunny side up,
your afternoon bright too.
May the whole day
bring good news to you!.

Thanks so much for being faithful,honest and most expecially your mankindness!!! I've inform the shipping company that there money will be send on monday or tuesday because i immediately called the issuerer of the cheque that you've gotten it and i was told the money will available in your bank account on monday or tuesday morning.Thanks so much and reply me as soon as possible,so that I can inform he shipper to email you ther details where you will transfer the money to.

Thanks so much!!! Kindly keep the items for me in proper good maintanance till next wektuesday.

Morris.

After yelping about it to Tom and claiming to my husband I was about to be murdered, I calmed myself down by allowing myself to believe it was misunderstood because he is a foreigner. Things could be taken out of context with the translation?

Tom emailed me on Sunday with the clincher, his dad knew someone who was involved in a similar situation, although through eBay, the buyer sent her too much money and wanted the difference to be given to the shippers when they collected the item. Guess what? The shippers took the cash and the item, mean while the buyer canceled the remainder of the cheque so she got NOTHING. After minimal research on the web I discovered this scam has been happening for a while. At the very bottom I found this post on an arts forum:

I have had a similar experience with a man named Morris Anderson sending fake company cheques. I was intruiged to see where the scam was going so I followed the game through until he sent me a cheque. I then called the company that the payment had supposedly come from and informed them that this was happening and that I was onto him. I know this sort of thing goes on alot but BEWARE!!!!

Is there any point in trying to understand why someone would do this? How can I really be angry? Creeped out? Yes, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing. And thanking me for my “mankindedness”? OK something had to be fishy!!

I’m so thankful I was warned before it was too late. Thanks Tom! And thank you Rift, for not having a size 39 in the Vagabond, black, perfect two and a half-inch, 1920-esque shoes. And for the silver and white open-toe, with wooden wedges in patent-leather looking weird with jeans. And thank you Whistles, for the lovely spring coat in navy making me look fat. I never had the money, especially £4,000 to spend you on.

More scams can be read here, but be warned that they may evoke that sick feeling…
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/forum/saatchi_forums.php?action=topic&topicid=3496