Biography

Paul Carter aka 'M.A.I.C./Mail Art Intelligence Centre and VEC-UK. Eastleigh, England.

Active mail-artist between 1974-1985 regularly contributing to mail art publications, projects, 'add and pass on' pieces and shows.

Projects include 'Trans-global Painting' (with Ken Friedman and Klaus Groh), 'I justify my work by...in 12 words or less' (a form sent to mail-artists for their response to the question) 'Atrocity Photographs' (collected from various mail artists and compiled into a Xeroxed booklet), 'Incorrectly Addressed Envelopes' (mailings to mail artists deliberately given incorrect addresses some of which were returned undelivered with additional postal service stampings and alterations) and 'I Do Art' (a mail art type pastiche in the style of punk-zines like 'Sniffin' Glue'). Identifiable rubber stamps produced during the period included 'Suspect Mailing',' 'Unsolicited Mail' 'What do you think you are looking at?' 'So you think you know what this means?' and '..You think you know everything'.

Around 1979 he joined UK mail artists Genesis P Orridge and Pauline Smith/Adolph Hitler Fan Club investigated by the authorities when he was raided by the bomb squad and questioned about his 'Suspect Mailing' assemblage photos (battery, wire, electrical and cotton wool constructions).

During the early 80's his mail-art drifted into audio (e.g. Rod Summers' VEC Audio cassettes) with the obscure noise/tape band,' idid idid' and a one-off cassette release under the name Brian Aspro (now widely available and bootlegged all over the internet). He is now a freelance illustrator and web-designer and occasional music-maker under the name Paul Beatless/The Beatless.

Links

www.getpaulcarter.com - web/graphics/illustration
www.soundclick.com/thebeatless - freebie downloadable MP3 music