33 Degrees of Enlightenment
Douglas Gordon

Douglas Gordon’s contribution to Notes from Nowhere worked as an epilogue to the main project. Issued a month after the close of the public distributions of works by other artists, Gordon’s work took the form of personal letters sent to 33 individuals in the local community.

Gordon has produced a number of similar letter works over his career. Simply composed, the letters bear the date and location they were sent from, the names of the people receiving them, a short statement and the artist’s signature. Normally sent to people the artist does not know, the letters can range from the menacing to the celebratory. Floating in the centre of the paper statements like ‘do something evil’ or ‘I believe in miracles’ create intimate psychological relationships between the artist and the stranger receiving the letter.

The work for Notes from Nowhere, 33 Degrees of Enlightenment, took the form of 33 unique text works on letters that each presented a different version of a phrase that revolved around being driven or guided, to or by a person, through the polarisation between light and darkness. The works were sent to 33 individuals selected to represent different elements of the community including a vicar, a teacher, a youth worker, an artist, a journalist, a politician, a community activist, a gallery owner, a student, a restaurateur and an entrepreneur.