Asemic Writing for Mail-Artists

Comment

Comment by Nancy Bell Scott on July 12, 2011 at 7:11pm

It is not more than I want to know, DVS, though a lot to take in, so I'm still absorbing your and superhero's excellent descriptive comments.  It's all fascinating, and those rancorous episodes probably couldn't be avoided because of the mix of the "meaningful" and the "aesthetic," as superhero aptly termed text content and visual.

Let me say for now that, although new, I like and agree with the asemic (and life) philosophy/outlook/approach you both describe so well.

Also, in case my teasing remark about superhero's asemic group participation sounding "spotty" was taken seriously, I in no way meant it as a slam.  It was just in fun because of your own teasing exchange earlier today about flying in and out, but since the rancor was recent I probably shouldn't chance that stuff now -- I wouldn't know if something pushes a sore button, so I'm sorry about that.

Thanks for everything here, including today's great explanations.

Comment by 1cgqtuoblpeqc on July 12, 2011 at 6:43pm

diane, that piece was my #3 and went to clouded, who has kind of dropped out of MA for the most part (sadly). she sent a few rat drawings near the start of summer break, but i haven't heard much from her since. she also submitted a digital work when i started working on digitals myself.

 

hi prettylily, zombipedia pages heading your way.

 

DVS: never thought of myself as much of a poster child. not until Val started SMARTSIS at least.

 

Comment by DKeys on July 12, 2011 at 6:37pm

Great foil beanies SH.
Asemics are that they are.
SH flies in and out because he refuses to be contained--not to asemics or anything else!

Comment by prettylily on July 12, 2011 at 6:18pm

Welcome back, Superhero! 

Comment by 1cgqtuoblpeqc on July 12, 2011 at 6:02pm

my viewpoint is that asemics is a state of mind, an internal state, not an external one.

the art is inside you, and it is all perspective. something can be completely "meaningful" to one person, yet totally aesthetic to someone else, all depending on context of the viewer.

 

that's my view in a nutshell.

DVS has a work concerning this on its way to him.

 

i think the work explains it well by tying asemics to quantum physics.

just like there is classic physics, which explains the "normal," "macro" world-view, we have classic art; art that is easily understood and comprehended because it follows the rules of past generations. but the entire world view has shifted in light of major technological and social reforms over the past 100 years or so, and we need new rules just like physics needs new laws. we have to change our perspectives of art, and how we view it.

 

asemics, and art in general is quite relative.

and even further than art and physics,

life itself is completely subjective.

 

Comment by De Villo Sloan on July 12, 2011 at 5:59pm

Yip, Superhero is our Alex from "A Clockwork Orange" - the poster child proclaiming our openness and acceptance

Comment by 1cgqtuoblpeqc on July 12, 2011 at 5:54pm

digital asemic writing:

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0

Comment by De Villo Sloan on July 12, 2011 at 5:45pm

And - to get past this whole thing - Superhero deserves vindication because he was a victim of Asemic Correctness, not an instigator. Some purists have a problem when visual poetry and asemic writing become too friendly, apparently. This is probably my ignorance not understanding. I proclaim again: I'm learning too.

Comment by De Villo Sloan on July 12, 2011 at 5:35pm

Nancy, you raise so many interesting ideas... I want to eventually do a rant on asemic writing and the automatic writing of the surrealists. Like speaking in tongues, there's probably a whole visionary aspect of this we haven't explored.

 

Yes, some people have "positions." For several months, this group has been a been a tremendous learning experience. We have veterans like John Bennett and Cecil Touchon who have done their best to share their work and knowledge. Most of us, however, are learning. There were two incidents on these threads that might be fairly called rankerous.

 

(1) The Trashpo War - Cheryl and I never considered found art had any role whatsoever in asemic writing, just clueless. John Bennett showed some fascinating pieces made of plywood on asphalt - man, that was an eye opener. And some of the trashpo people started posting things they found in the street and asking if it was asemic writing. Well, all that opened minds. And, you know, we have DK here who have really moved Trashpo forward, so I was going to take it all very seriously.

 

(2) Mutiny of the Asemically Correct: Then we did have that thing where people were coming down hard on other people, saying the work wasn't asemic, saying the whole project wasn't really asemic, just not what I personally believed was in the spirit of mail-art. It was a few, but there's the one bad apple theory, right?Because, ultimately, this is mail-art and not a graduate seminar. I'm into commentary that is descriptive, not prescriptive. This morphed over into claims of cultural elitism and Dark wall's creation of A.C.E. - Academy of Cultural Elitists elsewhere. Somewhere in there Superhero did post at least one of his asemic positions. As I understand, it asemic writing is entirely subjective - according to what I think he wrote. Makes you think, anyway. So at one point I actually shut the group down until we could get past the back-biting. Things seem to be back on track now. In favor of total disclosure, that's what happened. You know, this deletist/expulsion thing, it's something that never should be resorted too. But collaboration requires some degree of compromise or at least mutual acceptance.

 

I think a loose consensus has been reached in the group and we're moving forward. What really matters - the art being created - who could deny folks here are doing SPECTACULAR things. More than you wanted know, that's what you get from me.

Comment by Nancy Bell Scott on July 12, 2011 at 5:07pm

Superhero has "a position" on asemic writing?  I've got to see it and will search around for it.

It is slightly scary to take a first step, DVS, but not in the usual sense.  I mean, asemic writing was showing up at times in my art long ago, so this first piece wasn't like jumping off a cliff.  But never having really focused on it, I'm already seeing that because I love it I will probably do it a lot, and so it's already evolving somewhat even in these early days.  For you to have the very first of it is humbling and yes, a little scary (though not as scary as zombies).  You know, maybe the B&W ones done later in the night are more effective or something, I have no idea, so that's the scary part.  But not a big deal.  Of course, writing this much about it in this comment puts the lie to any bravery trying to show itself here!  Slap. Onward ...

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