Artist Statement
Every significant life-action we take has a bureaucratic counterpart – birth, death, marriage, work, driving or even catching a fish. Because these documents are so present in our lives, we rarely question their existence.
The Center for Supportive Bureaucracy (CSB) believes that paperwork can heal (some)
of human suffering. Conventional pieces of paper often leave people feeling disempowered. One bad report card can have negative repercussions for years. A Diploma (or the lack of diploma) equates unnecessary personal value. In order to help people overcome past traumas and low self-esteem rates the CSB offers a variety of official documents, carrying intrinsic truths
and parcel ID numbers.
For instance, The Refurbished Report Card (RRC-202) gives you a new perspective and
experience of a bad school year. The DIY Certificate of Recognition (COR107), through its interviewing process, golden seal and official appearance, provides credence to all your all-too-often overlooked qualities. Each one of the tens of thousands Joy Permits (JP-33) that have already been issued so far remind their holder of their right to pursue happiness, unconditionally, for 6 month (then it can be easily renewed online or using white-out).
We believe that official documents can improve compassionate behavior and daily love.
In the festival, I’ll offer ECN office hours to local residents and visitors, and provide training to establish a local CSB Branch.
Artist Bio
Ori Alon is an artist, writer and a homeschooling father of three. Besides developing and issuing Joy Permits, Forgiver’s Licenses, OK Parent Awards, Compassion Cards, Pain Deeds, Open Carry permits for musical instruments, Racism Release Forms, Apology Declarations, Refurbished Report Cards and other Playful Paperwork documents he has created a series of comics using postage stamps. He is the author of a children’s book series, The Magic Bagel and numerous other works of poetry and prose.
See more of his work at www.supportivebureaucracy.org