Kate Bingaman-Burt Wants To Draw Your Mixtape

Posted by Rob Walker on October 31, 2009
Posted Under: Artists,Music,Pleasing

I want to draw your mixtapes. I bought this one today., originally uploaded by kate*.

I want to draw your mixtapes. I want your sad songs, you love jams, your sing at the top of your lungs car tunes, your break-up tape, your make-up tape and your BFF-4evah cassette.

I am only drawing the tape. If you want to participate, please snap a picture of the best side of your favorite tape and email it to me (see my profile) or upload it to your flickrstream and let me know.

A couple of months ago I was rooting through a box of cassettes, and thought about the old mixtapes as a potentially interesting photo project — the ones people gave me, the ones I made for myself. They’re so junky, but at the same time they have such personality. And of course each one brings back memories and so on, they’re often very attached to a time and place, and I guess even to a version of my identity/persona at the time they were made. So maybe I’ll get in on this.

Bonus links: 2006 Consumed about Kate Bingaman-Burt. PopMatters column argues “Why the nostalgia movement won’t touch the cassette.” Missing link: I found that PopMatters piece while trying to track down a Rob Horning meditation dealing in part with an a box of old cassettes, but I couldn’t find it so maybe I’m remembering wrong. I’ll update if I locate it.

Further diversion may be found at MKTG Tumblr, and the Consumed Facebook page.

Reader Comments

Thanks so much Rob! I initially started this project to make a piece for an upcoming group show that I have at the Jen Bekman gallery, but the response has been really fantastic so far, so I am going to continue to draw the tapes as long as I receive them. Perhaps a zine? zine series? large poster with all of the tapes on them? Who knows?

I didn’t want to make the project about my tapes or really anything about me, hence the crowd sourcing and rooting through independently owned thrift stores. Like I stated, chain thrift stores don’t carry them. I supposed handmade mixtapes fall into the same category as the family photo album and notebooks that have actual writing in them – chain thrift stores don’t want that kind of personal memorabilia.

So, YES! If you have tapes send them too me. I am really enjoying drawing other people’s memories.

Written By kate on October 31st, 2009 @ 12:10 pm