Introductions for Editions #1 & #2 - Collaborative Visual Poetry Project - International Union of Mail-Artists2024-03-28T21:45:24Zhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/forum/topics/introductions-for-editions-1-2-collaborative-visual-poetry?groupUrl=collaborativemailartbooks&commentId=2496677%3AComment%3A962693&groupId=2496677%3AGroup%3A222280&feed=yes&xn_auth=noIntroduction to Edition #2
V…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-06-04:2496677:Comment:10026112012-06-04T12:46:03.344Zcheryl pennhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/cherylpenn
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<dd><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Introduction to Edition #2</p>
<p>Visual Poetry Collaborative Book Project</p>
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<p>In December 2011, Cheryl Penn (South Africa) and I placed a call through the international mail-art network inviting artists and writers to contribute a chapter each for a new collaborative book project we were coordinating. Responses were enthusiastic, warm and generous: We soon announced this second…</p>
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<dd><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Introduction to Edition #2</p>
<p>Visual Poetry Collaborative Book Project</p>
<p></p>
<p>In December 2011, Cheryl Penn (South Africa) and I placed a call through the international mail-art network inviting artists and writers to contribute a chapter each for a new collaborative book project we were coordinating. Responses were enthusiastic, warm and generous: We soon announced this second edition.</p>
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<p>On the pages ahead, you will find innovative work by members of the international visual poetry community including Nancy Bell Scott (Maine, USA), John M. Bennett (Ohio, USA), Rosa Gravino (Argentina), Samuel Montalvetti (Argentina), Marcela Peral (Argentina), and TIC TAC (Germany). Fluxus is represented by contributions from Reed Altemus (Maine, USA) and Svetlana Pesetskaya (Russia). We were pleased to be joined by veteran mail-artists CT Chew (Washington State, USA), Angie Cope (Wisconsin, USA), Skybridge Studios (Indiana, USA), and Svenja Wahl (Germany).</p>
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<p>Co-coordinator Cheryl Penn – book artist, painter, visual poet – has done intensive research on artist Ray Johnson and his New York Correspondence School, which in the 1960s established the foundation of today’s thriving global mail-art network. Based on mail-art’s shared values of inclusive and collective activity, Cheryl has developed and refined an effective process for making highly individualized artists’ books. Her concept that each contributor’s chapter would be an homage to a favorite artist or visual poet provides thematic coherence.</p>
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<p>The work in this edition reveals that visual poetry, a synthesis of the visual arts and literature, has emerged as a vital mode of expression that is inventing new forms. Approaches to visual poetics in these pages reveal great diversity. TIC TAC (Germany), for instance, draws upon minimalism that focuses on single letters and words to produce brilliant irony and complex narratives. John M. Bennett’s chapter is a flawless integration of text and image that offers both new ways of reading and seeing.</p>
<p>Introduction to Edition #2</p>
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<p>Visual Poetry Collaborative Book Project - 2</p>
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<p>The visual poetry concept, for most of us, is best understood through the lenses of painting, photography, collage, video and similar genres: Contemporary cultures program us to be adept at reading visual images, image sequences (from montage in film), and visual syntax. We can readily accept the notion that written and printed language is part of the larger visual image landscape. Thus, it is plausible that text and image can be integrated to create metaphor, rhetoric, lyricism, narrative, non-linearity, form and even visual prosody – elements associated with literary tradition and the notion of the poetic.</p>
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<p>What is less apparent, but revealed especially by the work in this edition, is that the “Great Tradition” of poetry has evolved in such a way that visual poetry is now a viable, if not a desirable, genre in the post-literature of the 21<sup>st</sup> century. Poetry was an oral as well as visual tradition long before it was affixed in the printed word or quarantined as something called literature; it had forms, rhythms, and symbols that made it vital long before scholars froze and sought to create systems of measure and evaluation, making absurd assertions that jamming inane content into the form of a sonnet or counted syllables somehow automatically qualified as poetry. </p>
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<p>The Age of Literature and the printed word are only part of a far greater continuum stretching back into prehistory. Poetry will very likely endure as an essential human activity long after literary canons and theories have been forgotten, certainly in spoken word form, but also in visual form outside the limits of accepted definitions today. In addition to forms of digital visual poetry, the handmade books – such as this edition – are increasingly viewed as object and haptic poetry themselves.</p>
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<p>Central to poetry in the 20<sup>th</sup> century was a sustained engagement with the image and its refinement into image structures within the poem. Arthur Rimbaud in the 19<sup>th</sup> century, whose work is a precursor to Modernism, foresaw not only the rise of the image but the possibility of visual poetry in his sonnet “Vowels” (1872):</p>
<p>Introduction to Edition #2</p>
<p>Visual Poetry Collaborative Book Project - 3</p>
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<p><i>A black, E white, I red, U green, O blue: vowels.</i></p>
<p><i>I will tell you, one day, of your newborn portents:</i></p>
<p><i>A, the black velvet jacket of brilliant flies whose essence</i></p>
<p><i>Co-mingles, abuzz, around the cruelest of smells,</i></p>
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<p><i>Wells of shadow; E, the whitewash of mists and tents,</i></p>
<p><i>Lances of glaciers, albino kings, frost-bit fennels…</i></p>
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<p>Rimbaud’s poem can be read as notes for the construction of a visual poem. Individual letters are isolated from words and given color designations, melding word and image. The color-vowels generate a sequence (montage) of associative images that provide content. Many of the poems in this visual poetry collection are a realization of Rimbaud’s vision, using image as language and language as image.</p>
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<p>Several decades later, Ezra Pound’s Imagism established a foundation for Modernism. The imagist agenda called for inclusion of poetic traditions outside Europe, economy of language - a paring of rhetoric - in favor of image primacy and a belief that the image by itself can convey meaning and provide lyrical expression. Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” (1913) is an example of Imagism that also foreshadows visual poetry:</p>
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<p><i>The apparition of these faces in the crowd;</i></p>
<p><i>Petals on a wet, black bough.</i></p>
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<p>The economy and precision of the poem helped pave the way to minimalist poetry. The structure is two images, separated visually on the page with line breaks. Again, this piece could be translated into a visual poem. The primacy of the image expanded and increased from Modernism into the Postmodern.</p>
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<p>William Carlos Williams and later Robert Creeley further refined poetic minimalism and use of the image. Visual poetry took root elsewhere, of course, and in different ways. Gertrude Stein’s <i>Tender Buttons</i> is an influential</p>
<p> Introduction to Edition #2</p>
<p>Visual Poetry Collaborative Book Project - 4</p>
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<p>experiment in language-painting. New York School poets sought to create a literary version of abstract expressionism and action painting. In the meantime, DaDa and Fluxus (among other avant garde movements) produced text-image hybrids, including concrete poetry, through anti-art that ran counter to Modernism. In the last quarter of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, these efforts evolved and coalesced to make the concept of visual poetry possible.</p>
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<p>We have an occasion in this edition to experience visual poets engaged together in exploring a terrain that is still largely uncharted in the recognizable form of the book and chapters. While their work is still labeled avant-garde (a term that is now essentially meaningless as are so many other similar designations), they draw heavily upon the tradition of literature (which after all remains a rich vein) following a charge to poets made a century earlier: “Make it New.” We find beauty, lyricism, and above all else, an affirmation of the power and need for human expression.</p>
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<p>De Villo Sloan</p>
<p>Auburn, New York, USA</p>
<p>May 7, 2012</p>
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</dl> Oh, yes, excellent writing, S…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-22:2496677:Comment:9636822012-04-22T19:12:53.554ZKaterina Nikoltsou (MomKat)http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/KaterinaNikoltsou
<p>Oh, yes, excellent writing, Sloan! Really do appreciate all the time and effort that goes into such intros. As others have said, this adds sooooo much to the whole. I plan to print out the intro on rice paper and mount it on blue card, of course. And I so understand the problem of "binding"...especially with this series of vispo chapters. DVS, you might think about "slip cover", like I am using...a "box" really, that is on the bookshelf and friends come by and take it and can "read through"…</p>
<p>Oh, yes, excellent writing, Sloan! Really do appreciate all the time and effort that goes into such intros. As others have said, this adds sooooo much to the whole. I plan to print out the intro on rice paper and mount it on blue card, of course. And I so understand the problem of "binding"...especially with this series of vispo chapters. DVS, you might think about "slip cover", like I am using...a "box" really, that is on the bookshelf and friends come by and take it and can "read through" any and/or all pages they wish:</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/50975624?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="440" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/50975624?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="440" class="align-full"/></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/50975630?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/50975630?profile=original" width="480" class="align-full"/></a></p> Thanks KDJ, but it's a kind o…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-22:2496677:Comment:9633552012-04-22T01:37:03.404ZDe Villo Sloanhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/DeVilloSloan
<p>Thanks KDJ, but it's a kind of therapy that helps me understand what the whole thing is about.</p>
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<p>Getting all the chapters together & really going through them very slowly & thoughtfully at the end is an experience I start to look forward to after having been through a bunch of these projects. The work is just consistently outstanding with the vispo. The artists put a lot into it, including you. However, I'm not a binder & am still trying to figure that part…</p>
<p>Thanks KDJ, but it's a kind of therapy that helps me understand what the whole thing is about.</p>
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<p>Getting all the chapters together & really going through them very slowly & thoughtfully at the end is an experience I start to look forward to after having been through a bunch of these projects. The work is just consistently outstanding with the vispo. The artists put a lot into it, including you. However, I'm not a binder & am still trying to figure that part out.</p>
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<p>Thanks again.</p> Great - Thanks, De Villo!
j…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-21:2496677:Comment:9628352012-04-21T20:49:27.918ZJohn M. Bennetthttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/JohnMBennett
<p>Great - Thanks, De Villo!</p>
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<p>john</p>
<p>Great - Thanks, De Villo!</p>
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<p>john</p> Many many thanks DVS! Fabulou…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-21:2496677:Comment:9630742012-04-21T20:36:00.875ZRebecca Guyverhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/RebeccaGuyver
<p>Many many thanks DVS! Fabulous context. I want to thank you all (again) for being so inclusive. I have felt privileged to receive each of your chapters and have learned much about the genre as a result of the project. Now that I know you all a bit more I'm not sure how I had the chutzpah to launch myself into the project in the first place, but am glad I did.</p>
<p>I have already downloaded and printed my intro. I have to admit deliberating over the paper to print DVS' words onto for quite…</p>
<p>Many many thanks DVS! Fabulous context. I want to thank you all (again) for being so inclusive. I have felt privileged to receive each of your chapters and have learned much about the genre as a result of the project. Now that I know you all a bit more I'm not sure how I had the chutzpah to launch myself into the project in the first place, but am glad I did.</p>
<p>I have already downloaded and printed my intro. I have to admit deliberating over the paper to print DVS' words onto for quite some time. First I chose some 1 1/2 cm graph paper but In the end I chose a warm white 160gm cartridge.</p> Thanks, Nancy.
Hopefully so…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-21:2496677:Comment:9631582012-04-21T20:16:46.072ZDe Villo Sloanhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/DeVilloSloan
<p>Thanks, Nancy.</p>
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<p>Hopefully soon on the heels of this, a separate intro for edition #2 will be posted. I was emailingl w/Cheryl about this - the content of the two issues is very different. I think there are some separte trends that emerge in #2 that really deserve a look.</p>
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<p>We didn't get into the depths of discussion about vispo the way we did with asemics, partially by design. With all the good that came of that, some people got really heated & there was some…</p>
<p>Thanks, Nancy.</p>
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<p>Hopefully soon on the heels of this, a separate intro for edition #2 will be posted. I was emailingl w/Cheryl about this - the content of the two issues is very different. I think there are some separte trends that emerge in #2 that really deserve a look.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We didn't get into the depths of discussion about vispo the way we did with asemics, partially by design. With all the good that came of that, some people got really heated & there was some intolerance for what others were doing & nit-picking over definitions. Poetry seems to always bring out rancor & there was no need to start yet another Poetry War - as Tom Clark chronicled in "The Great Naropa Poetry War" & other similar spats & the New Formalists vs. Lango & on yet again.</p>
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<p>So, wow, thanks for wading through and I'm onto #2 with you, Reed, John Bennett, Tic Tac, Skybridge, Cheryl - that turns out be an incredible lineup & really, I have to admit, a personal fav to keep along with some of the asemic books.</p> Wow, DVS--way more than worth…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-21:2496677:Comment:9630662012-04-21T20:02:02.209ZNancy Bell Scotthttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/NancyBellScott
<p>Wow, DVS--way more than worth the wait. As you say in your comment, "there is no there there," but you manage to touch on all the "theres" in your intro despite that. In approaching my chapter (for edition 2), I relied heavily on your discussions with some of us about visual poetry, in which you presented it well in all its various forms and yet left us with or gave to us a great openness from which to work: history of structures plus freedom to explore anew encourages imagination of the…</p>
<p>Wow, DVS--way more than worth the wait. As you say in your comment, "there is no there there," but you manage to touch on all the "theres" in your intro despite that. In approaching my chapter (for edition 2), I relied heavily on your discussions with some of us about visual poetry, in which you presented it well in all its various forms and yet left us with or gave to us a great openness from which to work: history of structures plus freedom to explore anew encourages imagination of the most intriguing kind, I think. Thank you for this great introduction. </p> Thanks, Cheryl. Vispo is as s…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-21:2496677:Comment:9626932012-04-21T13:43:29.240ZDe Villo Sloanhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/DeVilloSloan
<p>Thanks, Cheryl. Vispo is as slippery as wrestling a greased pig. "There is no there there." I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Thanks, Cheryl. Vispo is as slippery as wrestling a greased pig. "There is no there there." I hope this helps.</p> A difficult!!! pppfft! tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-21:2496677:Comment:9623442012-04-21T13:41:43.494Zcheryl pennhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/cherylpenn
<p>A difficult!!! pppfft! </p>
<p>A difficult!!! pppfft! </p> Ok - WOW - a fabulous read as…tag:iuoma-network.ning.com,2012-04-21:2496677:Comment:9626822012-04-21T13:40:42.219Zcheryl pennhttp://iuoma-network.ning.com/profile/cherylpenn
<p>Ok - WOW - a fabulous read as usual - thank you De Villo - we've been waiting - but it certainly was NOT in vain! "Integration, abstraction, dense overlays as well as minimalism which fractured basic elements of the alphabet" - such a succinct description. This was difficult intro to write I think - I found the work more diverse under the category 'vispo' than work produced during the asemic collaboration - thank you!! I - great piece of writing XX</p>
<p>Ok - WOW - a fabulous read as usual - thank you De Villo - we've been waiting - but it certainly was NOT in vain! "Integration, abstraction, dense overlays as well as minimalism which fractured basic elements of the alphabet" - such a succinct description. This was difficult intro to write I think - I found the work more diverse under the category 'vispo' than work produced during the asemic collaboration - thank you!! I - great piece of writing XX</p>