SHORT DESCRIPTION

FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

Paintball by Numbers is an interactive mural and an ongoing public performance. It begins with a large black-and-white mural on the side of a building. We will reproduce a classic landscape painting, approximately 10 by 15 meters. Picture a freshly painted white wall with black contour lines.

As with a traditional paint-by-numbers painting, numbers on our mural will designate the various colors that, if applied correctly, would bring the painting to its full-color reproduction.

Of course that will be near impossible. Festival-goers will be invited to help complete the mural, but not with brushes or spray cans. They will take aim at the painting with four separate custom air guns, placed 20-30 meters from the wall, and fire various colors of paint balls at their corresponding numbers on the wall.

The paintball guns themselves will be fantastical sculptural constructions, created from recycled and scrap materials on site. Imagine designs incorporating the imaginary armaments in Dr. Seuss's Butter Battle Book, the rusted machinery of the Road Warrior, and outdated World War II weapons. Each gun would be better understood as a sculpture itself, climbable, kinetic, and pneumatic.

The total result should something between a pointillist masterpiece and a chaotic disaster, changing every day as more paint layers on to the wall. An onsite monitor will play back a stop-motion video of the mural's progress, from blank urban wall, to outline, to painted mural.

Our collective will paint the mural onsite and work with local materials to create the air guns --- not just the guns themselves, but four stations. We will then work on site during the festival to help people take aim at the mural.

DETAILED LIST OF THE EQUIPMENT NECESSARY FOR THE REALIZATION OF THE PROJECT

200 liter air compressor
100 meters air hose
100 meters of power cables
Rolling scaffolding
20 liters of white paint
4 liters of black paint
Paint brushes, rollers, and other painting equipment.
Overhead projector
Power supply
Theatrical lighting
Five days of access to a working metal shop with welder and drill press

DETAILED LIST OF ALL THE COSTS AND POSSIBLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES :

Plane tickets for six people. (A quick Internet search suggests 500 Euro per ticket, but I would be happy to hear about less expensive tickets.)
Food and lodging for six people. (We are happy to live in squats or on floors.)
Air fittings: 200 Euro
Paintballs: 200 Euro
Paint and supplies: 100 Euro
We assume that we will be able to borrow or rent an air compressor, hoses, power cables, and shop tools from local groups. We would like any help in facilitating this process.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR(S) OF THE PROJECT :

The Amateurs are a New York City art collective dedicated to promoting amateurism of all kinds. We believe that art is too important to leave to the artists.

The Amateurs make urban folk art using recycled materials. Our work is generally site-specific and engages with public spaces and people outside of the art world. It is interactive, open to anyone, and teeming with joy and primary experience.

The Amateurs have extensive experience with all shapes and sizes of art projects, both locally and internationally. Our members and their work have participated in art festivals in Berlin, Amsterdam, and throughout the United States with art collectives like the Madagascar Institute, Toyshop, and the Black Label Bicycle Club. Our members are self-trained.

Individual biographies are available.

Please find documentation of the Condiment War, another example of our work, at:
http://www.madagascarinstitute.com/condimentwar.html.
This street event was conceived and produced by Jeff Stark, a member of the Madagascar Institute and a founding member of the Amateurs. The Condiment War combined elements of interactive performance with several custom pneumatic guns and other fantastical weaponry.