DRAFT FOR ARTICLE ON QUANGO

(upcoming online art magazine edited by Patricia Ellis):

Clara Ursitti interviews the Aliens Anonymous:

ALIENS ROLLING on Planet Earth

C.U: Where is your next stop on planet earth?

AA: Paris.

CU: What inspires you?

AA: Love against all odds.

CU: How long have you been working together as Aliens Anonymous?

AA: Several centuries in your time. A year in alien time.

CU: How were you received in London?

AA: Our poster design advertising Morse Ballet was chosen for an exhibition at Gasworks by design collective Åbäke. Can we assume that means it was well received? The gallery was packed at the opening. From what we could understand of the audience behaviour as aliens, they liked it and were most interested in our Morse Ballet. Their behaviour generally was as follows: they spent time with the poster, wrote notes and talked incessantly about the Morse Ballet.

CU: What is the Morse Ballet?

AA: The Morse Ballet is the name of the geo-emotional and psycho-graphical art intervention that took place in Helsinki, Finland. It can be defined as the sign system we used to interpret the information we received from the surroundings and local inhabitants.

CU: What are your initial impressions of the contemporary art scene here on planet earth?

AA: If we talk about the SCENE, it reminds us of comrade Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Russian president. He was bald but with a birth mark resembling the map of Europe on his forehead. We think he looked a lot like the art scene on earth. Also, the art scene at it's best is a state of glasnost. However, ART is not always in the scene. In our search for mind-thrilling energy bursts we have found that the best sources are outside this scene, most commonly in the trash-bins belonging to bad artists.

CU: What is art like for an alien?

AA: We feel art as an energy level and vibration. The vibration is very similar to the feeling of passing a bunch of the colorfully dressed homeless kids on

a street corner in Montréal, or like watching the punk youths with their dogs hanging around the fountain at Alexandersplatz in Berlin.

CU: Why do aliens make art?

AA: Every alien is an artist . Making, being, and doing art is a religion for us, not a career. Art is the primary communication tool of an alien, who is by nature always forced to move around in a state of non- and in-security. And they just can't stop themselves from loving art immensely. Its a food staple of their diet, they get energy from it which allows them to function in the morning, like a cup of coffee.

CU: What has the response been to your work?

AA: The anonymous aliens have a burning urge to communicate with the environment as well as with the human beings residing inside it. We were pleased to accomplish several successful instances of awareness streaming, especially with minority groups in the society. In Helsinki, for example, the aliens were quickly accepted as full members of the Romani speaking minority. They found it also easy to communicate with residents with immigrant background. However, encounters with the majority culture have proven to be unpredictable. Despite the eager use of diverse communication tools the state of alien-ness has closed many mind doors. The aliens are analysing the reasons and are working on perfecting their communication skills with the help of the communication bot.

CU: Can you sum up what the communication bot is?

AA: The communication bot is an automated program that filters, converts and translates the experiences of the aliens in a specific location. It's simply a communication tool between us aliens and the local inhabitants. It can take almost any form depending on the circumstances.

CU: I understand the aliens also make design objects?

AA: Yes, ever since we saw a design shop named “more fucking useless design art” during a trip to Berlin, we started to make our own useless design objects. Just because we like it, and because we would like to be famous designers like Alessi.

CU: Where is your next exhibition/event?

AA: In San Francisco, an exhibition where CITY/SPACE will show our multiples: a dildo cozy in the shape of the Coit Tower, knitted with electrical wire by a granny of the future. The cozy also doubles as a small hand bag. Trés chic and what every modern person of any gender with those kinds of sexual preferences needs. A bit of architecture, sex and fashion all wrapped into one object d’art, at a cheap price…

CU: Are you finding it difficult to get shows as aliens? Is there any prejudice?

AA: The way we communicate sometimes poses a challenge to the less open -minded. And sometimes our silver skin makes them uncomfortable. We love the margins so this is not a problem. They are often the cosiest places to exist. We are certain they too will be bewitched and understand the charm of the alien in due course.

CU: How many are you in your interstellar collective?

AA: As many stars as there are in the entire universe.

CU: Why are the aliens anonymous?

AA: It makes it easier to get our work done.

CU: Were can we find out more about you?

AA: Please check aliensanonymous.blogspot.com for updates on our explorations, outbursts and revelations.

CU: Is there anything you want to add:

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