Invitation to participate in the sound art project titled Thank You for Having Me  
The project
This project is inspired by the psychological power of the words “thank you for having me”. Most commonly, this phrase is spoken in media interviews but also in other public engagements such as lectures or performances, or as one might depart an intimate dinner party. Rather than try to explain my obsession with this phenomenon, I am making this artwork. As a process to figure out how I could address this interest, I began recording instances of people saying this (mostly on the radio) and subsequently have hundreds of sound clips – a human chorus of “thank yous.” As the piece has evolved, I believe it requires invited voices (people I know and respect) to participate and expand the scope and potential impact of the project.
Thank You for Having Me consists of two forms - a stand-alone 30 minute sound piece and an installation piece that incorporates the stand-alone sound piece. The stand-alone sound piece is composed of a) a repeating voice or chorus, b) a spoken “choir” (assembled from the hundreds/thousands of sound clips I am collecting), and an electronic environmental accompaniment composed from sounds of hacked toy keyboards. The sound piece will be streamed on my website and available in a limited edition CD. The sound installation will consist of a large low platform that fills a gallery space with a painted diagram (based in part on responses to a questionaire from invited participants, research, and whatever creative linkages I can discover), small chairs that have audio speakers embedded in the seats (voices speaking the title words) and the looping sound piece, or components of that sound piece, emanating from under the platform. 
Your Participation
I. First and foremost - I am asking you (and others) to contribute your voice speaking the words “thank you for having me” to my sound piece. To facilitate my sound editing process I need this in two versions – 1. one single word at a time (Thank. You. For. Having. Me.) and 2. as you would say it in a slow natural delivery. This can be simply recorded on a typical smart phone and emailed to my gmail account (I am happy to assist anyone in how they can do that – there are many online resources for how this is done as well). An important technical note – the best results for my project would require the recording to take place in a “dry” non-echoey environment (a place with lots of sound-absorbing materials - a bedroom is often a good place or a clothes closet).
II. The installation piece calls for an additional form of participation. As the sound piece is seeking literal voices, in the installation I am seeking thoughts. I am asking participants to respond to a number of questions I have developed relating to the phrase. You are invited to ask your own questions – provide links to websites, suggest books and authors I should investigate or any ideas you wish to share.
The Questions - We often say “thank you for having me” without thinking much about it. What does it mean to you to be “haved?”
How do you understand the nature of human community that you are being welcomed into when you are being included in such a way that you might use the phrase? Your response can be as matter of fact or as philosophically expansive as you wish (no judgements).
Do you have a reference (book, web resource, music, visual art, etc.) to recommend that you think about when considering this phrase?
Your presence on earth is reinforced, your value as an individual is expressed when you are invited to be a part of something. Share something unique that you think you bring to the “party” - to the engagement. Expertise for example? Humor? Wisdom? Caring?
Any additional thoughts?
And then... More - Please feel free to share this with any additional individuals whom you can recommend. In some cases I might be sending this to one member of a couple or creative team. Please encourage others to contact me or send me their voices and ideas.
Thank You (for helping me) - To thank you for your participation, I can only offer to credit participants to the extent possible in all didactic materials related to the work (labels, graphics, signage, packaging etc.). Most important, your participation makes this piece happen in the best possible circumstance. 

Please contact me via email to contribute - nelsonsmithart@gmail.com