CUEL
The Coincidental Urban Exploration League
Founded by Matti Havens
The Coincidental Urban Exploration League (CUEL) is a loosely affiliated organization of artists of all varieties who seek to explore a geographic area by chance and interact with the environment and the people they meet along the way.
For maximum efficiency and focus, groups should consist of two or three people. The individuals should bring sketchbooks, cameras, video cameras, and any other art making materials they want might want to use and share.
For the first exploration of CUEL the directions in which to wander will be dictated by a die in the following method:
As a group approaches an intersection a die will be rolled, with the group oriented so that their back is to the street from which they came so as to avoid returning to where they came from. If a 1 or 2 is rolled it would indicate a left turn, a 3 or 4 would indicate straight, and a 5 or 6 a right turn. At a “T” intersection a 1,2 or 3 would indicate a left turn and a 4, 5 or 6 would indicate a right turn. Groups could stop for meals (and bathroom stops) as necessary, however these “interruptions” would not interfere with the path previously determined. Groups would therefore continue where they left off. An illustration showing these rules is included below.
Groups will keep track of the path they took and afterwards label the path on the map. While on the journey groups will draw, paint, photograph and/or video interesting things and people that they encounter on the journey. The map and a selection of these works the group made during the exploration will be included in the exhibition.
This chance exploration will cause improvisation with groups traveling paths that they might not otherwise take. More than the work produced, this exploration will be a fun way for artists to uniquely and spontaneously work together while exploring a neighborhood based upon chance and the infrastructure and inconsistencies of the particular urban area. Also, each artist’s particular style and vision will emerge in the collaborations and works produced.
