This is a commemorative DVD to celebrate the 10 and a half years of Luther Blissett. For those who are unfamiliar with the name, Luther Blissett is a multiple identity, a multiple singularity, used by a number of artists worldwide as a signature and an identification. This "project" finds its roots in social themes, literature and philosophy, like Guy Debord's situationist thoughts and anarchic beliefs such as for example that without names people are free because if they cannot id you then they cannot jail you (or control you, for that matter). Pier Mario Ciani, a firm believer, avid archivist and a Luther Blissett himself, died during the making of this, which lead to the scattering of resources and information and to multiple versions of this being released in different ways, all in memory of Ciani. This release is also taking on a life of its own in the sense that the original maker(s) always invite(s) any recipient to create her own version of it by adding, removing, cutting, pasting and remixing the one they got. In other words its back to mail art 101, in fact it presents itself as a mail art project almost. This DVD comes with a little magazine that contains articles, pictures, excerpts all cut and pasted, and modified... The DVD itself contains interviews, archival material, situationist street-theater performances, post-industrial noise music with experimental b/w and negative video collages, excerpts from UK television with interviews with or about the British soccer player of the same name and collages of images intentionally un-synched to speech and radio interviews about who Luther Blissett might be.
A very interesting project that a lot of artists have come out of the woodwork for. The version I have features in some way, shape or form, Charlie Holmes (UK/I) and Vittore Baroni (I), who manage the "aleatory distribution" through their outlets Wot4 records and Near the Edge editions, respectively. In addition to them, some other participants are: Al Ackerman (US), Galeazzo Acquabassa (I), Reed Altemus (USA), Lucio Balducci (I), Keith Bates (UK), Lancillotto Bellini (I), John M. Bennet (USA), Blancdesign (JAP), Luther Blissett (I) [of course!], The Blisset of Jes Crew (I), Ad Breedveld (NL), Fabio Bruno (I), Bruno Capatti (I), Servio Cascavilla (I), Charistos (A), PierMario Ciani (I), Jooel S. Cohen (USA), R.F. Cote' (CAN), Florian Cramer (D), David Dellafiora (AUS), Mike Dickau (USA), Duccio Dogheria (I), Luciano Ghersi (I), Ferruccio Giromini (I), Gruppo Sinestetico (I), Vanessa Holt (UK), Styn Huwels (B), Edberhard Janke (D), G. X Jupitter-Larsen (USA), Kiyotei (USA), Little Shiva (USA), Ruggero Maggi (I), Monomarc (NL), Emilio Morandi (I), Neuendeproject (I), Juergen O. Olbrich (D), Marlon Vito Picasso (USA), Steve Random (USA), Alberto Rizzi (I), Claudio Romeo (I), Luigino Solamito (I), Carol Stetser (USA), Emanuele Storti (I), Rod Summers (NL), Suzie 2 (USA), Wu Ming/Giap! (I) and so on... Doesn't get more international than this, really!
Although this is a limited edition of I don't know how many copies, it also happens to be free! So if you are into mail art, experimental video/theater/collage art, anarchism, situationism, palgiarism, Luther Blissett-ism or if you are Luther Blissett yourself, try to secure a copy and keep it circulating afterwards by creating your own slightly altered version!
signed, Luther Blissett