To who it may concern.

April 22, 2011


Revision:


This blog was created as a forum to prove my existence with evidence of how I interact with the world and affect my surroundings. After several intense weeks of documenting my residual markings I began to realize that this was not what I was trying to accomplish. Because of my confusion I decided to take a brief hiatus. During this time I discovered something; I exist. My goal should have never been to prove my existence but to prove my belonging despite my feelings of otherness. I believe that I am not the only person who feels this way from time to time. In this way I am never alone and always connected. In efforts to document this I need to create safe environment where people can feel free to post their responses. No Parameters.


October 11, 2010

To whom it may concern:

My name is M. Kate Helmes and I am an artist living in Arlington, Texas. I moved here from Cincinnati, OH to earn my Masters in Intermedia Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. I struggle with the everyday while living out of context in my new environment. Never being one to respond well to new communication technology, I begin to feel isolated and invisible. I can no longer wait around to see if people notice that I am present.

This is an experiment in injecting myself into others surroundings. Social awkwardness is at an all time high and technology is trying to counteract our inability to converse with the human race. While I feel that electronic communication devices causes human interaction to feel obsolete and unwarranted, I believe if used as a tool instead of a crutch that I can begin to connect. I will be recording the residual marks that I make in my daily life and then post the findings on this blog. I have sent up parameters to remain consistent throughout the project.

1.) I must document an event where I prove my existence everyday.

2.) I must prove my existence to the world every week, via this blog.

3.) I may edit this blog as long as I refrain from removing any evidence.

4.) At the end of every month, I must recall the previous months experiences, with a short entry.

Since the only way to truly prove my existence is to be recognized by others, I encourage anyone who views this blog to respond, whether that be visual, auditable, or verbal.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

M. Kate Helmes

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

My graduate advisor said she found misspellings in this blog. I don't think I can edit them unless I find them.



















Airport: return flight.

The red marks on my chest are from my niece.

Thanksgiving. There is only one casserole this year, which is rare for people from Ohio, there is also no Jello mold.


To be honest, I am not sure what my brother is doing in this photo, he is either throwing up gang signs or distracting his daughter for this photo.

Green bean casserole I made because my dad refused too.

You can't see it, but this has my niece's snot on it. She put it there on purpose.

I bought this at the airport just so I could listen to my ipod on the plane.

Plane ride to Cincinnati.

Public installation: My childhood home and the curb where we used to play and wait for the bus.

An indecent proposal.

Hiatus!

Do to the holiday's and my parent's computer, this weeks evidence as well as some of last's will be posted latter today.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

My mother looked at this blog and accused me of being this.


If you could see my brain, I think it would be the right one. P.S. This is happiness. I love you, mom. Hopefully you will read this far down on the blog and realize that everything on here is made/placed with a sense of humor.












Listening to Girl Talk, All Day, I'm pretty sure he used the same sampling from his previous albums.

My studio, cleaned.

Public Bathroom Installation: Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine, Copper and Arkansas, Arlington, Texas

Ox tail and other food that I ate, from Jamaica, or the closest thing to it.

Trash from my studio.


Thursday, November 4, 2010

Monthly verbal update: October.

Month One: I forgot to document plenty of days, so my proof is less than adequate. Also, no one has made any comments and I only have 5 followers, one of which is myself, which I did by accident. If I were a scientist I would be fired, especially since I fudged my findings. I have however started to go out into the world more, physically, so maybe that counteracts my laziness and lack of electronic response, although since you can't see that, maybe not. It is getting cold for Texas, dropping below 40 degrees at night. This weekend I will have to get more people to dance with me. If you are reading this and you are to scared to comment on this blog, just say macaroni. Then you'll know and I'll know but no one else will have too.

Streamers I put up for Halloween, it was supposed to span my deck, but it was too windy.

Bird season in Texas.


Place where I ran into a pole. Drove rather.

Hoarding in my studio.

More shared space that I have manipulated.

Paper I tried to sleep on for three hours, then left on my floor for 6 weeks.

Onion I chopped for Skyline Chili night with Jesse and Ora, I am not sure if this is the correct spelling of her name.

Things that fall off of me, not to be confused with things that fall out of me.

Bandage, Hair, Nails, Skin, and basic DNA