Rasmusart

MADE 2

2007-09-10T21:14:00.000+02:00

...finally, it took a while!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9W6_3I_Xrg

The second part of the performance for MADE. "Subject of thought"

MADE

2007-05-30T13:03:00.000+02:00

performance, part 1 of 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk8MYDYk7Xs

Check it out already!

What's going on? Update.

2007-05-13T21:30:00.000+02:00

Iv'e been busy so the blog has been inactive for a while. Here is an update in short on what's been happening lately.

Eskil and I worked on an installation for Open House at Umeå Art Academy, from march - late april.
More Images can be viewed here: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=96176230&albumId=950547

however, there is also video footage, and we might put together some kind of video documentation including the sound for the installation. If the link above does'nt work you might need to go in on http://www.myspace.com/rasmusart and navigate in the pics area. Not sure it works unless your'e registered members on myspace tho.

Anyway, the installation was basically a sphere with a backprojection, a dark passage and in the end there was a hole where an animation was showing. A lot of people liked it, some ended up very dizzy or very frightened and rumours went on that people had left notes about art and the artworld on the floor in the inner areas (next to the animation). At times people got themselves lost inside and Eskil had to venture on a rescue-mission. However I did'nt get to see the finished article because a couple of days before Open House I went to Berlin to make a documentary about/with people from finland living in Berlin. I met up with Niina Braun (artist), Robert Lucander (artist) and Meri Koivisto (actor). I had the intention to meet another person aswell, but she could'nt make it.

A few days ago I got home for the MADE-festival at Norrlandsoperan in Umeå, where I did a performance in two parts. It went well and some footage can be seen here: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=96176230&albumId=950562 (expect two videos on youtube, or elsewhere on the net shortly!)

The first part had the subtitle "home is where the heart is"

and the second part had the subtitle "subject of thought".

Both performances happened on the square outside norrlandsoperan.

---

More to follow!

"Om du ser det så är det jag"

2006-11-28T23:04:00.000+01:00

Stillbilder från videoperformance, visas i en hd-video-installation. En fortsättning på ett projekt jag startade under workshopen med Fredric Gunve, tidigare i höst. (http://www.framtidskonsten.se/ume/orange/orange1.htm)

New works

2006-10-16T14:28:00.000+02:00

At Umeå Art Academy. Pictures from the first exhibition, "Blank" under the supervision of Magnus Wallin. I showed two works - "disco" a projection where I dance silently and "hulda" - half a m3 of styrofoam chips for packaging on the floor. On http://www.framtidskonsten.se/ume/index.htm you can find out what we did on Fredric Gunves workshop "Outrageous Umeå". All works are kind of like probes for ongoing stuff. More to follow.

"disco"

"hulda"

The works in the exhibition space

Since December-January.

2006-05-23T22:37:00.000+02:00

Most of my clothes have become 3 sizes too big, my hair has reached almost undecent length and I have gotten a letter of admission from Umeå Art Academy. 3 - 5 more years in school! I'll be 32 when I get my masters degree. Other than that the making of applications has left me broke, more or less. Good thing I got admitted to Umeå.

Portfolio for Konstfack.

2006-03-14T10:38:00.000+01:00

http://www.pink-lagoon.com/portfolio.pdf

Reclaim the name (republished).

2006-02-03T14:10:00.000+01:00

Last spring, April 15th, I sent following mails and messages:

2.45 PM, to the Austrian artist Franz West:

Dear Franz, I am a 26 year old artist from Finland, living in Malmoe, Sweden. My name is Rasmus Frans Viktor West. I feel there is an obvious connection to you, being our shared names Frans(Franz) and West. This perhaps shouldn´t be a problem hadn´t we both chosen to become artists. As you propably know, there cannot really be two successful artists with the same name. I fear for my future! I propose that you change your surname. You are the more successful and recognized artist of the two of us as yet and you are an established member of the art world so you could be able to change your name and make a big deal out of it (use it as artistic material f.i.). Also, it gives you the opportunity to take whatever name you like (perhaps it is something you have already dreamt of doing?). Please consider my request thoroughly and reply as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Rasmus Frans Viktor West.

---

3 PM, to the Oxford English Dictionary:

Dear Sirs, The English language uses my surname, West, to describe a direction on the compass. To avoid misunderstandings I would like you to change this word in the Oxford English Dictionary. For example, I cannot possibly make hip-hop culture change their use of the term ”west side” unless the OED changes first. My proposition is: change the word west to wast. Wast is but a slight modification of the word west, resembling the word vast which the wastern landscape and the wastern culture is well described with. It derives from the french word vaste which Gaston Bachelard points out as an especially poetic word in his book La poétique de l´espace chapter 8, pages 169-190 (Paris, 1958). The word vaste is to him a great spring of reverie. How appropriate! Make use of the seemingly endless landscapes and daydreams connected to the word vast and change the word west to wast! If wast isn´t a good choice in your opinion, any word will do. Of course, it´s up to you! Please give my proposition serious consideration and reply as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Rasmus West

---

3.05 PM, to Imperial Tobacco (the owner of the West brand):

Dear Imperial Tobacco. You are using my surname on one of your tobacco brands. I wouldn´t mind your wrong-doings had you payed me a share of your profits gained, using my name. I have two propositions, of which you could choose one. 1.You give me a share of your earnings using the ”West” brand. The share could be equivalent to the number of lungcancer cases your tobacco causes each year. I retain the right to do whatever I want with the money, but I can already tell you I will use this money to promote environmental and health issues. 2.You can change the name of your brand. Change to whatever you like, but Id prefer if you didn´t use any of my names. ”Gray” could be a good name. Please consider this request thoroughly at the highest authority within the structures of your company and reply as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Rasmus West.

---

To the Finnish band "the Rasmus" I sent the following letter:

Dear ”The Rasmus”, I don´t fancy that you are using my name for profit. I don´t even get a share of your earnings and yet you use my name publicly. I get bothered often because of this, with frequent requests that I translate your lyrics (to hebrew, german e.t.c.), give autographs, get bullied because of you and so on. I have had this name for 26 years now so I guess I have had it a little bit longer than you. My proposition is that you change the name of your band. Perhaps Lauri could be a nice name? But, thats up to you to decide of course! Consider the effect a change of name would have with the media, you could make a real scoop out of it. Please consider this thoroughly and reply as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Rasmus West.

---

Reply from Oxford English Dictionary:

At 5.35 PM april 15th, I received the following reply:
Dear Mr West, Thank you very much for your e-mail to the Oxford English Dictionary. I am afraid that the OED is a descriptive dictionary and we are not able to change the meanings of words retrospectively. 'West' has been used to mean a direction since Old English times and continues to be used in this sense today. Our job is to reflect how people use the English language, rather than to dictate what a particular word means or should mean. You may be interested to know that 'wast' is actually an old variant spelling of 'west', from the Middle Ages. Thank you once again for writing. Yours sincerely, Fiona McPherson Senior Editor OED.

---

Reply from Franz West:

April 19th, 5.03 PM I got the following reply: dear frans west, thank you for your email. please stay cool, in a few year i will retire anyway... best regards, franz west

---

Reply from Imperial Tobacco:

Dear Mr West, The West cigarette brand name is owned by Imperial Tobacco. As such it has been registered with the relevant authorities in the countries that the brand is sold. Regards Imperial Tobacco Ltd

---

From the finnish band The Rasmus I did not receive a reply.

Hope

2006-01-31T11:51:00.000+01:00

In stockholm I saw this guy, he had just bought a finnish flag and was extremely happy that he could show from what country he was.

---

Last week I met a woman on the street. She was middleaged, quite worn-down, wore a bandana, a gross dirty-white jacket and soft pants. She was smoking a cigarette without holding it, like a locomotive sort of. The locomotive was carrying a big box of Yves Rocher products.

---

Elvis, on a 24h cruise somewhere between sweden and finland. To my friend he said: "and you're the queen" with the familiar trés cool voice, just after she called out "Elvis!"

---

Myller av dofter i ränder av
utdragna serpentiner,
en fläkt från dörren som stängs med en djup suck.
Andas in allt tillsammans med en försiktig förväntan,
fyller lungorna.
...
Duschstrålar som påminner om en kär och bekant handstil.
Spretiga tecken.

Translation:
Crowds of scents in strings of
pulled-out serpentines,
a breeze from the door which shuts with a deep sigh.
Breathe in everything along with a careful expectation,
fills my lungs.
...
Showerbeams which reminds of dear and familiar handwriting.
Straggly characters

How the tragedy almost became complete, continued part 2.

2006-01-20T10:36:00.000+01:00

Inpräntade streckkoder, en livslång belägring.
Kamp mot jaget,
en önskan att ha alla väderstreck under sina vingar.
Sorger av att aldrig nå utanför.
Sorger av att kanske inte vara mer,
inte undkomma sina rädslor.

---

Kom igen Claes, kom igen nu Claes.
Du kan göra det, gör rätt. Du KAN.
Se till nu att du gör rätt,
jag tror på dig, du kan.
Ta det varligt, inga onödiga svängar,
ta det lugnt, stressa inte motorn.
Se bara till att du klarar av det.
Jag tror på dig Claes,
jag tror på dig.

---

Translation:

Imprinted bar-codes, a life-long siege.
Struggle against the self,
a desire to have all quarters beneath ones wings.
Grief of newer reaching outside.
Grief of maybe not being more,
not escaping ones fears.

---

Come on Claes, come on Claes.
You can do it, make it right. You CAN.
Just make it right, now,
I believe in you, you can.
Just be careful, no unnecessary turns,
take it easy, don't rush the engine.
Just make sure you do it.
I believe in you Claes,
I believe in you.

How the tragedy almost became complete, continued..

2006-01-20T00:57:00.000+01:00

Sammelsurium av tankar.
Hopp om att inte förbli ofullständig.
Jag vill att du ser mig, utan distans.
Jag vill att du vet.
Jag ser dig.

---

Rörelse i dimensioner.
Nutid, dåtid, framtid. Tre kvarts läge.
Upptäckter, bege sig på resa. Se glömda eller gömda detaljer.
Helheter eller inget.

---

Translation:

Turmoil of thoughts.
A hope of not remaining incomplete.
I want you to see me, without distance.
I want you to know.
I see you.

Movement in dimensions.
Present, past, future. Positioned in three quarters.
Discoveries, make for travels. See hidden or forgotten details.
Entireties or nothing.

Care.

2006-01-12T16:53:00.000+01:00

Hur tragedin höll på att bli komplett

"Vill ni beställa något?"
"Kaffe, får det vara mjölk eller socker?"
"Kaffet kommer om en liten stund."
"Ska vi nödlanda?"
"Tack och hej."

Chimärer

Outvecklade vingar, kraschar
i cementgjutna, stenskarpa principer
tiden tar en ny vändning,
olika äventyr på grånande horisont.
Som nukleärt nedfall på snöbeklädd gata
faller delar av chimärer ned.

Änglar i rader
olika tecken
svåra att tyda.
Tre famnar, luktsalt eller fåglar
olika samband
olika sammanhang

---

translations:
How the tragedy almost became complete.
"Do you want to order something?"
"Coffee, do you want milk or sugar?"
"You will have your coffee in a little while."
"Are we going to do an emergency landing?"
"Thanks, goodbye."

Chimaeras
Non-developed wings, crashing
in concrete-moulded, hard-as-stone principles
time takes another turn,
different adventures on a gray-fading horizon.
Like nuclear fall out on a snowcovered street
parts of the chimaeras falling down.

3.
Angels in rows
different signs
hard to interpret.
Six feet, smelling-salt or birds
different connections
different contexts

---

Bye bye stockholm.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-03T00:22:00.000+01:00

Waking up in unfamiliar beds in places which makes you feel like your head is about to explode. Celebration starts on Thursday.

The Untitled

2005-12-29T01:49:00.000+01:00

Recently a new band showed up on the Malmoe indie scene. The band is called The Untitled and most of the songs from the album "seven days to doomsday" can be downloaded for free from www.pink-lagoon.com

The Sushi Series

2005-12-29T01:44:00.000+01:00

Acrobatique Normale in a short film by Emma and Rasmus.

Santa lives in Malmoe

2005-12-10T12:21:00.000+01:00

And he is helping the starving children in Africa. Naturally.

How would you feel if you..

2005-12-10T12:14:00.002+01:00

..were trapped inside a newspaper stand?

No party

2005-12-10T12:14:00.000+01:00

The rooftops wet and covered in moonlight.

Doomsday Device

2005-11-25T01:36:00.002+01:00

A friday not long ago the doomsday device was created. A doomsday mechanism that noone had layed eyes upon before. Relatively small in its size, (One might think a doomsday mechanism would require quite a large space but that was not the case with this solution) you could bring it everywhere.

For everyones safety the GO-button was programmed to activate only with a push from the 3 Creators DNA's and fingerprints. Anyone else without proper authority trying to push would get cancer in their hand and a 33% higher risk of getting aids. All this to prevent unnecessary attempts to push and to invoke proper respect to the seemingly harmless item.

Everything started with the Creators constant feeling of frustration in the society. So many problems and so little possibilities to make a difference. Something to empower the Creators was needed. They had a brilliant idea. Doomsday! The solution to all problems, the perfect catch on all humans with any instinct for self-preservation left, a never ending source of power – all in the same box!

The destruction mechanism worked in a simple yet clever way. The sound from the triggered doomsday mechanism resonated in the smallest components of atoms and created a chainreaction of dissolving matter which in turn released enormous amounts of energy. The chainreaction of dissolving matter was enough to make everything dissapear but the released energy in itself could destroy all we know in an instant, several times over. Doomsday would because of that be a very painless procedure. Noone would feel or notice a thing until all was gone.

Doomsday Device relaxing in the armchair at a party.

One of the party-participants could not resist pushing the button. We told her about the cancer in her hand afterwards (we did'nt get a chance to warn her before it was too late). She got very upset and left the party.

Later on, at the nightclub, the device was a huge success. It aquired a lot of interest and many free drinks poured down dry throats as people were trying to befriend the Creators. All the awesome power the Creators posessed had a very positive effect on their nightlife indeed..

A few days later some of the neighbours to the Creators had gotten very upset as they had learned of the Doomsday Device. They had left in a hurry, leaving only a cryptic note left on their door. Debris and left-behind things where scattered all over the staircase.

------

To be continued...

For good times.

2005-11-17T03:02:00.000+01:00

Mail p6@af.lu.se
Found this marked condom on the street.

Lullaby

2005-11-17T03:01:00.000+01:00

The spiders could characterize my autumn. Maybe. They are gone now.

What am I doing? and who are you

2005-11-17T03:00:00.000+01:00

I found this most relevant question on the bus.

Evening occurances

2005-10-04T00:09:00.000+02:00

On my way home tonight I encountered a walking beer can. Although it was'nt walking any more when I came across it, there where clear traces of small beercan footsteps.. and a trace of an accident of some sort.

Later on, there was a levitating leaf hovering to and fro over the dimlit sidewalk.

An intervention

2005-09-29T19:14:00.000+02:00

They also spelled Apple wrong..

A Discovery

2005-09-29T19:02:00.000+02:00

I found these brilliant artefacts in a flee market. Someone had a moment of brilliance in the 70's when they thought of sending air on a can as a postcard.

Sign of reality.

2005-08-18T20:04:00.000+02:00

This sign I found in the toilets at work.. This is how I always read it, although it usually means something else when I look closer...
...so maybe this is what it actually says, for real?

Smoke

2005-08-18T20:03:00.000+02:00

The other day there was a fire in my house.. I came riding on my bike when I noticed the smoke coming out of the window and the alarmed habitants. 1-2 minutes after came the firefighters but I did'nt think of taking any pictures before it was put out.. Interestingly, the reporters with their fancy camera equipment came almost exactly the same time as the firefighters.

Estetiikka: ompelukone ja sateenvarjo leikkauspöydällä.

2005-08-12T20:33:00.000+02:00

The famous combination.

---

One beautiful friday I saw this beautiful and intriguing picture in the newspaper. Coincidence is there for the taking sometimes, and this photographer from Kristianstadsbladet happened to be at the right place at the right time. I can't imagine it gets much better than this in Kristianstad.

Train

2005-08-11T21:41:00.000+02:00

I have always liked my reflection in the window of a moving train. It blurs out my edges and make me dissolve for just a bit.. It's like a pillow of temporary amnesia. A temporary switch off. I have a habit of making self portraits from these images of myself on trains. Usually a drawing, but as I have aquired digital photo technology, I too can take half-crappy pictures whenever I feel like it(half-crappy, because the value of photography is decreasing rapidly). Well, anyhow: the sense of bittersweetness of a saturday night (slightly drunk) alone on a train is something hard to describe but something everyone should experience now and again.
I hope to return shortly with an actual work of art.

Konsumentfragment;intethetskonsistens

2005-06-19T02:09:00.000+02:00

Intetheten

tillintetgörs

omintetgörs

förstörs

förförs och

bortförs

som nattlivet

mattlivet

fnattlivet

trattlivet s

knas.

ta tag om

livet!

KÖR!

Och kom

aldrig mer

tillbaks.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inuti lådorna.

Sydsvenskan; Omkretsen (050601)

2005-06-05T21:38:00.000+02:00

[---]
En del av kompisarna har fått med flera verk. En av dem är Rasmus West på målarlinjen. Hans "konsumentfragment; intethetskonsistens" består av inte mindre än sjutton delar, egentligen pizzakartonger med påklistrade foton. Bilderna har han hittat på nätet under teman som ångest och tomhet. Den som lyfter på kartonglocket hittar en lapp med en förklarande text.
- En pizzakartong är någonting extremt flyktigt, någonting som man sliter och slänger. Jag har försökt fylla tomheten med ett innehåll, förklarar Rasmus West.
Utställningen pågår till och med den 10 juni.

(Christina Gustafson)

Although not entirely correct, this is what got published about the Stockholms Auktionsverk exhibition. All publicity is good publicity, but Christina Gustafson made two major misinterpretations in her text about my work.

1. The pictures on the cartons are mixed. They are the visible result of a variety of google-searches of which some where: "religion", "meaningful", "bombplane" e.t.c.
2. I have not actually directly tried to fill up emptiness as she describes. When reflecting upon the act of mixing together the components of pizza carton, glue, printed picture and wallpaint, I've concluded it's more about things, emotions, feelings, experiences being consumed to avoid the anxiety of emptiness. In an act resembling a DJ's, or why not a pizza baker's, I've combined, painted and glued together readymades to make something else out of it. My own product, for you to consider.

I'll try to publish some images of the project for you to evaluate shortly.. I might be on my way to Norway soon though, if I'm lucky, so then you might have to wait a bit longer to see the whole project.

Exhibitions

2005-05-30T10:35:00.000+02:00

050530

Today I have two exhibition openings and you are all welcome!
If you can´t make it today you can visit the exhibitions in the next two weeks.
At 1500 hrs the opening at Stockholms Auktionsverk (located in gamla stan, near sneakers´n´stuff) begins and at 1700 hrs the opening at Galleri Leonard (located on Claesgatan between Södervärn and Möllevångstorget, inside the shopping-centre) starts. Be there in time if you are craving snacks! :)

Reply from Imperial Tobacco.

2005-05-03T15:46:00.000+02:00

Dear Mr West,

The West cigarette brand name is owned by Imperial Tobacco. As such it has been registered with the relevant authorities in the countries that the brand is sold.

Regards
Imperial Tobacco Ltd

-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: 15 April 2005 14:15
To: info
Subject: general enquiry

Subject:

Name:Rasmus West

Message: Dear Imperial Tobacco.

You are using my surname on one of your tobacco brands. I wouldn´t mind your wrong-doings had you payed me a share of your profits gained, using my name. I have two propositions, of which you could choose one.

1.You give me a share of your earnings using the "West" brand. The share could be equivalent to the number of lungcancer cases your tobacco causes each year. I retain the right to do whatever I want with the money, but I can already tell you I will use this money to promote environmental and health issues.
2.You can change the name of your brand. Change to whatever you like, but Id prefer if you didn´t use any of my names. "Gray" could be a good name.

Please consider this request thoroughly at the highest authority within the structures of your company and reply as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Rasmus West.

Nothingness.

2005-04-28T21:28:00.001+02:00

Made in January, these are the first works of my project relating to the common(?) feeling of emptiness, its texture and more contradictory its content. Because emptiness that can be felt cannot be without content. It is rather the sense of no meaning that can be beautiful as well as a source of anxiety. A triptych embarking on a mission impossible, trying to express nothingness. Recently I have continued with the original concept of doing something regarding the feeling of emptiness, but in a quite radically different form, which is better suited to the original thought of the project and adds additional aspects. However, I think these paintings have some kind of unexpected quality to them. If you would watch the paintings more closely, you would see the bottom paint making a circular structure common to interiors of pizzerias. A mundane effect to "kill off" the seriousness of the original subject. The common name of the triptych was a text which I can´t recall right now. Maybe I´ll post it later..

Reply from Franz.

2005-04-19T17:39:00.000+02:00

April 15th, 2.45 PM, I sent the following mail to the Austrian artist Franz West:

Dear Franz,
I am a 26 year old artist from Finland, living in Malmoe, Sweden. My name is Rasmus Frans Viktor West. I feel there is an obvious connection to you, being our shared names Frans(Franz) and West. This perhaps shouldn´t be a problem hadn´t we both chosen to become artists. As you propably know, there cannot really be two successful artists with the same name. I fear for my future!

I propose that you change your surname. You are the more successful and recognized artist of the two of us as yet and you are an established member of the art world so you could be able to change your name and make a big deal out of it (use it as artistic material f.i.). Also, it gives you the opportunity to take whatever name you like (perhaps it is something you have already dreamt of doing?).

Please consider my request thoroughly and reply as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Rasmus Frans Viktor West.

---

April 19th, 5.03 PM I got the following reply:

dear frans west,

thank you for your email. please stay cool, in a few year i will retire
anyway...

best regards,
franz west

Reply from Oxford.

2005-04-15T19:58:00.000+02:00

April 15th 2005, 3 PM, to Oxford English Dictionary:

Dear Sirs,
The English language uses my surname, West, to describe a direction on the compass. To avoid misunderstandings I would like you to change this word in the Oxford English Dictionary. For example, I cannot possibly make hip-hop culture change their use of the term ”west side” unless the OED changes first.

My proposition is: change the word west to wast. Wast is but a slight modification of the word west, resembling the word vast which the wastern landscape and the wastern culture is well described with. It derives from the french word vaste which Gaston Bachelard points out as an especially poetic word in his book La poétique de l´espace chapter 8, pages 169-190 (Paris, 1958). The word vaste is to him a great spring of reverie. How appropriate! Make use of the seemingly endless landscapes and daydreams connected to the word vast and change the word west to wast!

If wast isn´t a good choice in your opinion, any word will do. Of course, it´s up to you!
Please give my proposition serious consideration and reply as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Rasmus West

---

At 5.35 PM the same day, I received the following reply from OED:

Dear Mr West,

Thank you very much for your e-mail to the Oxford English Dictionary.

I am afraid that the OED is a descriptive dictionary and we are not able to change the meanings of words retrospectively. 'West' has been used to mean a direction since Old English times and continues to be used in this sense today. Our job is to reflect how people use the English language, rather than to dictate what a particular word means or should mean.

You may be interested to know that 'wast' is actually an old variant spelling of 'west', from the Middle Ages.

Thank you once again for writing.

Yours sincerely,

Fiona McPherson
Senior Editor OED.

Reclaim the name.

2005-04-15T15:15:00.000+02:00

Today I sent following mails and messages:

2.45 PM, to the Austrian artist Franz West:

Dear Franz,
I am a 26 year old artist from Finland, living in Malmoe, Sweden. My name is Rasmus Frans Viktor West. I feel there is an obvious connection to you, being our shared names Frans(Franz) and West. This perhaps shouldn´t be a problem hadn´t we both chosen to become artists. As you propably know, there cannot really be two successful artists with the same name. I fear for my future!

I propose that you change your surname. You are the more successful and recognized artist of the two of us as yet and you are an established member of the art world so you could be able to change your name and make a big deal out of it (use it as artistic material f.i.). Also, it gives you the opportunity to take whatever name you like (perhaps it is something you have already dreamt of doing?).

Please consider my request thoroughly and reply as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Rasmus Frans Viktor West.

---

3 PM, to the Oxford English Dictionary:

Dear Sirs,
The English language uses my surname, West, to describe a direction on the compass. To avoid misunderstandings I would like you to change this word in the Oxford English Dictionary. For example, I cannot possibly make hip-hop culture change their use of the term ”west side” unless the OED changes first.

My proposition is: change the word west to wast. Wast is but a slight modification of the word west, resembling the word vast which the wastern landscape and the wastern culture is well described with. It derives from the french word vaste which Gaston Bachelard points out as an especially poetic word in his book La poétique de l´espace chapter 8, pages 169-190 (Paris, 1958). The word vaste is to him a great spring of reverie. How appropriate! Make use of the seemingly endless landscapes and daydreams connected to the word vast and change the word west to wast! If wast isn´t a good choice in your opinion, any word will do. Of course, it´s up to you! Please give my proposition serious consideration and reply as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Rasmus West

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3.05 PM, to Imperial Tobacco (the owner of the West brand):

Dear Imperial Tobacco.

You are using my surname on one of your tobacco brands. I wouldn´t mind your wrong-doings had you payed me a share of your profits gained, using my name. I have two propositions, of which you could choose one.

1.You give me a share of your earnings using the ”West” brand. The share could be equivalent to the number of lungcancer cases your tobacco causes each year. I retain the right to do whatever I want with the money, but I can already tell you I will use this money to promote environmental and health issues.
2.You can change the name of your brand. Change to whatever you like, but Id prefer if you didn´t use any of my names. ”Gray” could be a good name.

Please consider this request thoroughly at the highest authority within the structures of your company and reply as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Rasmus West.

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To the Finnish band "the Rasmus" Im going to send the following letter:

Dear ”The Rasmus”,
I don´t fancy that you are using my name for profit. I don´t even get a share of your earnings and yet you use my name publicly. I get bothered often because of this, with frequent requests that I translate your lyrics (to hebrew, german e.t.c.), give autographs, get bullied because of you and so on. I have had this name for 26 years now so I guess I have had it a little bit longer than you.

My proposition is that you change the name of your band. Perhaps Lauri could be a nice name? But, thats up to you to decide of course! Consider the effect a change of name would have with the media, you could make a real scoop out of it. Please consider this thoroughly and reply as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Rasmus West.

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Waiting for answers.