Monthly Statement:
April 2006

OBJECT #32
DATE SENT: April 30, 2006
SENT TO: Michael Mazzeo
SENT VIA: Hand Delivered

DESCRIPTION OF OBJECT: Wooden pinhole camera, made of pine to accommodate 4”x5” photographic material. 6”x 5” x 4 3/4” actual size. Camera back is removable with slot for two dowels (1” x 4 3/4”; 5/8” x 4 3/4”) which secures the back or Poariod adaptors. Wood has been stained brown. Brass shim with pierced pinhole serves as lens, which is in the center of the front and recessed. Bottom and side has screw mount for tripod screw, allowing for vertical or horizontal photographs. Two pieces of black masking tape are next to bottom mounting screw. Light brown colored sticker affixed to top of camera is printed with the following information: Lensless Camera Mfg. Company of SANTA BARBARA, California PO Box 20163 Zip 93120 is proud to present the most versitile (sic) camera to date!! The Pinhole camera uses Polaroid Adaptors and other accessories. Hand written is the following : F/180 Pinhole .013”. Interior of camera is painted flat black and there is some dust inside.

ORIGIN AND APPROXIMATE DATE OF POSSESSION OF OBJECT: Picked up from a storage cabinet in the photo lab of New Jersey City University, 100 Culver Road, Room B26, Jersey City, NJ, in October 2005. I saw it when searching for another object and was informed by Eddie Burns that it belonged to Michael Mazzeo.

MOST RECENT LOCATION OF OBJECT: On table in the southeast corner of my studio, in front of radio and tape deck and next to cassette tapes. Table is immediately next to door of studio.

RELATION OF OBJECT TO RECIPIENT: Michael taught a class in studio lighting at New Jersey City University in the fall of 2003 (approximately). I had not known him prior to that and do not remember who referred him to me for the position. Michael tried to work with the students, but many of them were not exactly hard working at that point in their lives. Michael had a vast amount of experience in photography and operated a successful studio in Chelsea. He was also very involved with doing wet-plate, an antiquated photographic process that was one of the earliest innovations in the medium. One of the students, Christy O., had agreed to work with Michael on an independent study or to make up an incomplete grade. I don’t believe she completed the commitment. When I discovered the camera, Eddie Burns told me that Michael had loaned it to Christy. The camera remained in the storage cabinet for a few years. Christy had transferred to another school and apparently had left the camera in the photo lab. I myself tried the camera a few times and found it to be of excellent quality. I was tempted to use it further, but thought it better to return it to Michael.

RESPONSE OF RECIPIENT:

DATE OF RESPONSE:

Process: My plan is to de-accumulate objects I now own during the course of the exhibition year. I will photograph the selected object then send the object with a letter to a person who has some relationship to the object or whom I think might be interested in the object. The letter will discuss the project and tell the receiver they can keep the object, destroy it, give it away, recycle it or anything else they choose. I will ask them to document it in the place they now have it and send their image and/or written description back to me of what they did with it and where it is. I plan on de-accumulating an average of one object per week. The new images/descriptions will be placed in a plastic folder and exhibited along with a photograph of the object as it was in my possession.