1000 Journals Project by: SOMEGUY

Finally! The book that I have been waiting for has arrived. I heard about this project a few years ago and since then have been on the look out. An artist who goes by the name of Someguy conceived of the Journals Project in June of 2000. Someguy says: I have always been fascinated with graffiti whether scrawled on bathroom walls or carved into park benches- anonymous conversations and arguments held in public spaces for the world to see. He goes on to say that “translating [this] energy into [a] collaborative art project became an obsession.” His idea was to distribute 1000 blank journals around San Fransisco. He left them in public places or gave them to friends and strangers. The journals had no rules only brief instructions: inviting participants to contribute something to the journal, and then to pass it along to someone else. This process is described as: a mix of a message in a bottle and the “exquisite corpse” technique used by the surrealists.
Exquisite corpse is a surrealist concept by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled.  Every participant adds to a project in sequence, either by following a rule or by being allowed to see the end of what the previous person contributed.

Each journal is similar to this one.

Every cover design appeared on ten of the journals for a total of one hundred unique covers. Most were contributed by well-known and emerging artists from around the world.

I love the idea that this project is a never ending cycle. Many journals have been returned and yet many still remain out in the world. The void of a journal is as much a part of the whole story. I have not finished pouring over these entries. They are extraordinarily detailed (many of them) and certainly inspiring. I am fascinated by every page and find myself lost in the doodles and writing of these snippets. I am still hopeful that one day when I least expect it I will stumble upon one of these.

http://www.1000journals.com/