Please use this space to comment on the project, the themes that this project addresses, and to contribute your point of view. We look forward to hearing from you.

Here’s what we’ve been thinking about and wrote to our subscribers:

One of the great things about the subscription art model is the shelter it provides for artists to try out new ways of working.  The piece you have just been delivered, “Phases of the Moon” by Helena Keeffe is a perfect example of this.  Helena is primarily a project based artist who works in the public sphere through grants and public commissions – she describes a few of her most recent projects in the interview.  But as a subscriber’s choice winner, you provided her with an opportunity to combine her interests in craft and object based works with her larger interest in creating subtle connections between people.  The result is a rare occasion to own a work by Helena and to experience her work on a more personal level.

Each lapel pin in the frame represents a phase of the moon and is meant to be worn in synch with the actual moon.  To help you keep track, we’ve created a few digital ‘widgets’ that display the current moon phase, its corresponding pin, and the orientation of the frame.  For Mac owners we’ve included a Dashboard widget on the interview CD.  But if you don’t have a Mac, don’t worry; we’ve also created a webpage for the widget, as well as one you can add to your Google homepage.  You can find those at:  http://www.thepresentgroup.com/moon

The frame is designed to be rotated every full and new moon.  As the moon waxes towards a full moon, each day’s pin will move down the frame, like you would read a book.  On the day it becomes full (or new,) it’s time to rotate the frame 180 degrees.  We should also note that the pin in the corner, next to the full moon, represents a lunar eclipse.  You’ll only wear this one once in a blue moon (couldn’t resist,) as the next total lunar eclipse isn’t until Dec 21st, 2010.

Matthew Rana, in his review of the work, talks about how for him, the work created an altered sense of time, a new awareness of the moon itself and of the public/private discourse that is produced by the intimate act of affixing the pin to your clothes each morning.  For us, this project sparked a renewed interest in the solar system itself and the mechanics of the planets orbits. Your experience will surely be your own.

All the best,

Eleanor and Oliver