Schrödinger’s Sleeveface

This has thrown a schism into Sleeveface land. It’s definitely an illusion involving a record sleeve. But does it meet the strict definition?

Let’s assume all you need is a person obscured – totally – and it would meet the definition of a Sleeveface. The person does not have to be visible. They could be hiding. But!

We can’t be sure if there actually is a person behind the sleeve, unless we disrupt the Sleeveface to check.

See also: the Pink Floyd cow.

credit: Olivier Robillart

Open letter to Karl Lagerfeld

Here follows an open letter to the well known German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld

Dear Karl Lagerfeld

I noticed you’ve just launched your new collection of clothes designs. Most memorably for me you’ve done a bag people can hold in front of their face.

Anyway, I do a thing called Sleeveface which means I like to hold record sleeves in front of my face. It’s very possible you took your inspiration from Sleeveface. In which case on behalf of the worldwide Sleeveface community, we’re calling our lawyers to ask you to cease and desist…

Ha ha, just kidding! I haven’t even got a lawyer and don’t want to interfere with anyone’s bag, let alone yours. It ain’t my bag. As we say over here.

The beauty of Sleeveface is that ANYONE can do it. (And did.) It’s always great to see people getting together, horsing around and extending the idea.

(The bag is wicked by the way, nice work!)

Of course, I can’t be exactly sure you were inspired by Sleeveface. (People have been putting stuff in front of their faces since TIME.) But even if not… there is some weird and cool synchronicity taking place between you and the Sleeveface crowd. Either way, since you’re a pretty big deal in the fashion world, this bag design shows at once that putting stuff in front of your face is WHERE IT’S AT. You know it, I know it and peeps around the globe know it.

What I propose is that we get together at some point to work on some more ideas. It could be really fruitful and at the very least we could have some fun. The best place would be one of our Sleeveface parties – you’d get to meet loads of people who have developed and shaped the idea.

Our next two things are in south Wales, UK. Next month we’re doing a workshop and exhibition at Swn festival in Cardiff then in December a Christmas party at the Monkey cafe in Swansea.

Other than those we might do an event in London at some point when our Sleeveface book comes out – I can let you know if you like?

Let me know if you’re coming and I’ll shout you a cup of eggnog.

Yours

sleeveface.com

Sleeveface – The Book

UPDATE 17th November 2008

The Sleeveface book is available in shops now! Go to the book page for latest info.

sleeveface book

Below is an old post from September 2008.

Drumroll please…

Let’s recap. It started with a Paul McCartney sleeve, then swiftly led to one or more persons in Cardiff, Wales having TOO MUCH fun ransacking their record shelves – from Rolling Stones to Nugent to Bowie to Cymande to Streisand. And people brandishing cameras yelling “up a bit, down a bit”.Sleeveface has heralded several positive outcomes for humanity. Viz:

– How To Sleeveface – the vid by Ewan Jones-Morris – which you have surely seen by now…

– Flickr and Facebook groups

– Some rip-roaring Sleeveface parties, of which more soon

– A worldwide shortage of Barry Manilow records

– Students and dogs covering their faces with record sleeves

– Sleeveface, the book

So what’s in the book? Initially I envisaged a lengthy academic thesis about how it combines Marcel Duchamp’s readymades and Magritte’s treachery of images to form Warholian pop art. I’m kidding. The book publisher would rightly have stuck up a nose to that.

So it’s a 192-page compilation of Sleeveface pictures – hilarious, debonair, artistic – and in full colour! (Color!)

It’ll make a great present for that certain person in your life. Namely, the person who likes books featuring pictures of people holding record sleeves in front of their faces.

You can pre-order the book now. Here’s some info:

CANADA
Amazon Canada

UK
Amazon UK
Waterstones

USA
Find an independent USA bookstore
Amazon USA
Barnes & Noble USA

REST OF WORLD
You can buy the book using the links above. We are also working on getting it released at shops in your country.

“This book WON’T help you lose weight, make friends or money, won’t help you give up chocolate or change the way you think. It will, however, make you laugh, stare and wonder at the brilliance of Sleeveface!” Huw Stephens, BBC Radio 1

If you want to tip-off a book shop, the publisher is called Artisan Workman. Hooray!

For the curious, the Sleeveface photograph on the book cover was done by Gunnar Bangsmoen. It’s a record by the band Bob Hund who are signed to Silence records. Original design of the sleeve is by Martin Kann. “Be the vinyl” is taken from a rather enthusiastic quote by Andy Bell of Erasure when he heard about Sleeveface.