Spontaneous Arrival

July 25, 2020

Friends of the museum, unite! Like many institutions burdened by prevalent coronavirus restrictions, the Diele Museum is struggling. Our staff find teleworking tedious and yearn to reanimate the galleries with public exchange. Nevertheless, we must act judiciously to endure as a credible arbiter of art, morality, and welfare. For now, the halls remain dark.

We are excited to launch our first-ever virtual outreach event: Spontaneous Arrival, a quixotic game of consciousness and flexibility. Starting tomorrow at 10 am (EDT), we will post daily for the week-long challenge. How you complete each task, and whether you even choose to, is an adventure in personal and communal enrichment.

August 2, 2020

Thank you, Diele supporters, for submitting entries to Spontaneous Arrival. Your thought-provoking and at times paradoxical art, poetry, and social commentary brought joy to our staff and a sense of security to our mission.

Tasks

(Gallery of Submissions below)

Day 1: Reliable Poetry

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet… Latin is overused by historians; we prefer lesser-known dead languages. Send an imaginary postcard to us with your favorite no-longer-speakable quote.

Day 2: Affinity Matrix

Museums are instrumental to the fabric of global tourism. Tell us – without words – about an interesting one you visited in a different country.

Day 3: Introduction Economy

Parties are better without the monotony of meeting new people. Make a Venn diagram comparing observable emotions with competitive behaviors, and share it with us.

Day 4: Ambiguous Continents

Maps are art. Maps are history. Maps are social. But what are maps, really? Reach beyond prevailing wisdom and show us a map more confusing than useful.

Day 5: Memory Invasion

Is contemplating youth antithetical to living? Email us a childhood photo of your aunt, uncle, or other family member.

Day 6: Twisting Harbor

Alabaster, chartreuse, lavender, sepia, aquamarine, crimson. Funny words, fun colors. Show us your interpretation of a famous artwork.

Day 7: Dream Epiphany

And on the seventh day, we end our work which we have created and rest. Send us to slumber with a bedtime haiku.

Gallery of Submissions

Day 1: Reliable Poetry

Yo modren wool-vez mouch yogret ay suprey phrajeelay

Attention, modern wolves eat yogurt for good health
(From young children, ages 1-5)

Hoc tetolo fecet Montana, coniux sua, Mauricio, qui visit con elo annus dodece; et portavit annus qarranta; trasit die VIII K(a)l(endas) Iunias.

For Mauricius his wife Montana who lived with him for twelve years made this gravestone; he was forty years old and died on the 25th of May. (Moselromanisch)

Day 2: Affinity Matrix

https://www.mona.net.au/spectra-live-stream

Day 3: Introduction Economy

Day 4: Ambiguous Continents

Maps of Meaning: the Architecture of Belief by Jordan B. Peterson
Even when they seem benign and innocent, maps almost always have an agenda. The General Land Office, a U.S. government agency, created this map in 1868 to promote the potential of what they claimed was empty land. It identifies townships and the boundaries of land claims, and it contains important clues about the strategic location of the Transcontinental Railroad. But was the land empty? Look closely and you can see the land was in use by Native Americans. Like many such maps this one has a legend with instructions on how to decode the notations. The emphasis here is mineral deposits. One mystery, however, escapes explanation. What is the meaning of the American flags along the two western railroads? Perhaps it was obvious in 1868 but today the reason for the flags is opaque. Many have theorized but no answer has surfaced.

Day 5: Memory Invasion

Sassy, classy, and math-y. Computer engineers used to be so elegant.
The Easter Bunny. Holidays are memorable times.
My mother as a child
My grandmother, age 18, at Brighton Beach with her friends in 1916. She is second from the right. The guy with one arm around her neck and the other hand on her breast is not my grandfather.
Is it the fact that Mom sewed our clothes and we are dressed the same? Is my sister wondering why she should stand at attention while I get ready to bolt? Is this house real? Is it all enchanting? 

Day 6: Twisting Harbor

Hope-is-the-Thing-with-Feathers-for-String-QuartetDownload
Motherwell gone straight
Pointillism is passe; In Vogue is Linaism

Day 7: Dream Epiphany

Ode to My C-Pap
Lifeline to my lungs
Purity of the sweet air
Soft dreams caress me

Eulogy for Herman
The pizza was hot
It made the house smell so good
Made, came, paid, and gone

Eyelid View
Think about the Moon
Waves jump up and down shining
Close my eyes and rest

Awakeness
Tossing and turning
Tablet glowing with Netflix
Midnight was long ago

(Untitled)
Pine trees etch the sky
Blue lumens blink night is here
Diele in darkness