Two artists have been playing pretty games with the UK Royal Mail's automated sorting offices. It seems the machines simply read the colour of stamps to check whether the correct postage has been used, so it doesn't matter what shape they are. Kim Rugg and John Spurgeon each use proper stamps, only they are cut into tiny pieces to create the art on the envelopes. As long as it's cancelled, it counts! Rugg creates tentacled monsters (pictured), fireworks and beach scenes, while Spurgeon has a collection of vintage postcards sent with confetti postage called ShakesMyMail.
Link to Kim Rugg's work. Link to John Spurgeon's Flickr set.
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by longbird.
Is that what happened to Sid Vicious?
This art project probably wouldn't pass official scrutiny is this country because there one could just as easily use previously cancelled stamps, cut so that the cancel was not apparent.