All Things Trashpo

Comment

Comment by De Villo Sloan on August 12, 2015 at 1:17pm

Thx Grace & res, an enjoyable part of the discussion.

When art becomes theory driven, be very cautious and very suspicious. Theory should emerge from the art; art should not emerge from the theory. That's what I think.

Most of the Trashpoets in this group follow their hearts and work w/found material, disregarding the theory. The Trashpo Lexicon does define and explain Trashpo but it needs to be updated.

Trashpo = trash poetry. Therefore, Trashpo isn't just another nuance on found art. Technically, it's a kind of visual poetry. So it's even more muddy because we slip back and forth between literary and visual arts terms. I doubt most of the Trashpoets think about genre.

Jim Leftwich used the term in association with some pieces he made in 2005 that were basically trash thrown on a scanner. I started using anti-art to describe things by DK and Neil Gordon. Anti-art persists in the m-a network most likely because of the continued interest in Fluxus.

Claire aka Cleo - always perceptive - once pointed out that anti-art is nearly a meaningless term in contemporary art. She has a point. But I still think it is descriptive.

Grace, at this point there is both an anti-art faction of Trashpo and an aesthetic faction. They get along peacefully.

This is crystallized in Trashpo's, perhaps, greatest form: The Trashbook. The first Trashbook by DK was extremely anti-art. Cheryl Penn responded with an aesthetic Trashbook. Marie Wintzer also wrote "A Trashbook Without Trash" (I think about Nancy Bell Scott) which was critical of anti-art.

So there is both aesthetic and anti-art Trashpo.

Comment by Grace Sanford on August 12, 2015 at 6:10am

Well, I believe I began the Trashpo theory discussion or was the impetus of it when I wanted clarification of Trashpo's boundaries or non-boundaries. What I called random and chaotic is better described by you as anti-art/ anti-formalist, and I am very interested in this. I have a high regard for randomity and non-formalist expression, because anything else often leaves people locked in place and incapable of discovery and understanding what they don't already think they understand.

And thanks De Villo. Juxtaposition is a good tool in getting to deeper, better understanding and awareness, so if I have managed to manifest any interesting juxtapositions then I am really very glad. 

Comment by De Villo Sloan on August 12, 2015 at 2:50am

Only res would engage in a discussion about Trashpo theory. Amazing.

Exactly, res, Grace's piece looks like Schwitters. Why? Because it's formalist (relatively). Claire Dinsmore aka Cleo is one of the great practitioners of Schwitterspo. You look at anything Claire does closely, and there is a trained, disciplined artist working there. You have structure and attention to formal elements all over the place.

The anti-art Trashpo wing creations are not just not formal, they're deconstructionist. Jim Leftwich is a visual poet, not a visual artist.

When I first came to the IUOMA I looked through hundreds of portfolios, mostly looking for old friends. When I came across Diane's work, I couldn't believe it. It was a mess. It was a disaster. I had never seen anything so disorganized and incoherent. (She has some similarities to Rauschenberg.) And that's when the Trashpo thing began to take shape because Jim L had been doing something similar. Diane's work was so anti-formalist I called it D-Khaos. (And we're not even getting into the poetry part of Trashpo.)

Cheryl Penn and others began demanding that Trashpo have some kind of aesthetic appeal. So now you have people trying to make "pretty" Trashpo. That's great. A lot of good work is being done. Cheryl denies it, but she called Diane a "barbarian." So there are strong feelings about this.

So Grace has done fine work here on the Schwitterspo front. She has even used text with interesting juxtapositions, which is one of the points of Trashpo, although some ignore it.

So Bravo Grace!

Comment by De Villo Sloan on August 11, 2015 at 11:45pm

I am with the others that what Grace made is Trashpo. Going further, it might be Schwitterspo. It definitely fits in the "Aesthetic Trashpo" category compared to the foundational, anti-art oriented work by Jim Leftwich, DK, Neil Gordon and others.

Great piece, Grace. I hope someone will be receiving that!

Comment by De Villo Sloan on August 11, 2015 at 11:42pm

Thanks ever so much, Grace. Ruud Janssen's Trashpo stamp sure looks like Trasbo. I was wondering if there was a reference being missed. I thought Trasbo looked like a cleaning service but was afraid to dig into what the bags might be.

Comment by DKeys on August 11, 2015 at 10:50pm

makes me think of when I was doing altered book swaps. We did a found object book round robin. The group was quick to preface it with, "I will wash all items found and collect them with rubber gloves".  i think i left that group shortly after that

Comment by DKeys on August 11, 2015 at 10:48pm

GRace--that is definately trashpo. We use the term trashpo the way some other groups refer to found object ephemera. Ephemera sounds way too clean for our tastes as we are purists and like things raw for the most part. otherwise, it is still trashpo, but gets into the realm of aesthetic trashpo.  there aren't a lot o rules except that it be made out of discarded/recycled materials.

Comment by Grace Sanford on August 11, 2015 at 9:35pm

Deluxe Trashpo . . . I like it Borderline Grafix :D

Comment by Grace Sanford on August 11, 2015 at 9:33pm

De Villo - I did some Googling with translations and came up with this:

TRASBO was founded in 1970 by John Carpenter TRASBO and his wife Anne TRASBO, and over the years evolved from a traditional crew and wife company to a large and modern service that today employs around 80 employees. TRASBO specializes in cleaning for businesses and individuals, practical home for municipal searched citizens cleaners, washing and window cleaning.

Der er mennesker bag projektet
There are people behind the project

Mennesker bag pigtråd
People behind the barbed wire

 

Comment by borderlinegrafix on August 11, 2015 at 9:14pm

I'd say what you have there is Deluxe Trashpo.

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