Following is the full text of the I.B.R.I. leaflet that was distributed during "The Lovers" performance/intervention by Songs of the New Erotics (Davison/Higgins), Art Gallery of Ontario, 2002:
Did you know...
that there are active surrealist groups all over the world? Did you know that there are hundreds of other individuals and groups who may or may not call themselves surrealists but who consider their activities to be a continuation of the surrealist spirit? And did you know that there is such a group currently living and working in Toronto?
Since its inception in 1994, the International Bureau of Recordist Investigation has provided a focus for surrealist work in Toronto while constantly researching and expanding its contacts with important surrealist groups and individuals worldwide.
As we come to the close of the Art Gallery of Ontario's "Surrealist Summer", I.B.R.I. would like you to know that, contrary to popular opinion, surrealism is not a relic of the past to be neatly and safely displayed within museum walls. It is very much alive and has little, if nothing to do with the art-historical concerns of academics. Even more so, we would like to impart one essential fact that has most likely been kept from you by those supposed art "authorities", and that is that surrealism cannot truly be understood by a dispassionate viewing of its artworks and other cultural byproducts. To understand, appreciate, and benefit from surrealism, one must embrace its philosophy, practice its methods, and accept it wholly into one's life!
If you would like to learn more about contemporary surrealism and its offshoots, contact the International Bureau of Recordist Investigation at:
I.B.R.I.
253 College St., Unit 149
Toronto, ON, M5T 1R5, Canada
Ph: 416-588-7539
E-mail: info(at)recordism(dot)com
Web: www.recordism.com
Note: the mailing address listed above is no longer valid.