MEANING LESS: An Asemics 16 #3 Dialog with Marie Wintzer (Saitama, Japan)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Marie Wintzer (Saitama, Japan)

 

August 26, 2011 - Marie Wintzer is one of my best mail-art friends. So I was thrilled when I learned she and I would both have chapters in Edition #3 of the Asemics 16 collaborative mail-art book project. (I took over for Dark wall who had other obligations and left the project ;) Above is the first page of the beautiful chapter I just received from Marie. I could not be more pleased! She chose to create textile asemics. Here are pages two and three:

 

The textures of the fabric and subtle color tones are a wonderful background for the white thread that, of course, is the actual asemic writing. Next is the center spread of pages 4 and 5:

 

The delicate and fluid weaving of the threads, knots, and twists reveal Marie's aesthetic sense and also suggest to me a stream-of-consciousness flow of thought and shifting emotions.

 

While the writing itself is complex, Marie's chapter is ultimately minimalist. I think the economy she uses is incredibly powerful, leading us to focus on every intricate thread, knot, and intertwining. Here is the concluding page:

 

 

I will treasure this textile asemic chapter from Marie always. It suggests to me the stream-of-consciousness passages in James Joyce where we enter the minds of characters and move with them through memories, dreams, hopes, and regrets.

 

Marie and I did not communicate much to each other about what we were doing for our Edition #3 chapters, but it was clear we both saw it as an opportunity to have our work together. I have been working on a series of "Cherry Blossom" asemic poems inspired by Marie's photography, so I decided to include selected poems in my chapter. Here are the pages I sent Marie:

 

 

I used old pin-up photos, continuing an artistic dialog I have had with Cheryl Penn (South Africa). The Cherry blossom poems also use film noir and hard-boiled detective stories, especially Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, as referential texts.  The next piece is not a Cherry blossom asemic but is a piece I made for Marie, who is clearly an influence and inspiration:

The center section is an asemic writing study that I think would be considered "Asemically Correct" by purists:

 

 

These are more cherry blossom pieces with an emphasis on the darker side of noir:

 

Marie and I have very different styles. My work for Edition #3 is based far more on popcult references and signification (especially the parrots) in the vispo areas. I think at the core, however, we have indeed managed to have a dialog that draws on our previous work and that explores similar things in very different ways. Asemics 16 has provided a wonderful opportunity to put our work together and is yet another aspect of the collaborative process. Make sure to check out Marie's mail-art blog:

 

http://mariesmailbox.blogspot.com/

 

[De Villo Sloan]

This is a rare case where I'm glad Cheryl is not here because it's the crux of an ongoing argument. I maintain that some of the most interesting things in art are exactly these things you mention. The artist is completely unaware of what they did and it was unconscious. Cheryl maintains the artist's intention is to be honored above all else and seems to deny any unconscious presence; everything is consciously intended - a pretty stiff form of denial in itself. I think she has total and complete blind spots about what's really going on in her work. Thus, it's always dangerous for people like you to talk to people like me about interpretation. It's important for you to keep doing what you're doing without rationalizing or thinking too much. AND don't say ALL interpretations are equally valid. They're not.

[De Villo Sloan]

Look at it again - it's so obviously there. This kind of pattern ---------- 0   ----------- 0

[De Villo Sloan]

Yes, we've talked about these things generally or concerning other work. The long sequences of threads reaching out but not touching the isolated clumps appear enough to be a pattern. I think in one instance they do connect. So it was unconscious. You unconsciously created structures that invite interpretation - it's strong enough to look as if it were deliberate. That's what I think.

[Marie Wintzer]

We talked about this not so long ago, you know there is never any concept behind my work :-))). Everything you might read from it is up to your interpretation only, just like Rorschach blots. I like your observation about the threads reaching for the knots but never touching. I like that idea. Now that you mention Rorschach, some of Dw's work can be seen like that too. Wasn't there such discussion on one of Cheryl's blogs a while ago?

[De Villo Sloan]

Dark wall is for all intents and purposes illiterate. Your chapter is starting to work like a Rorschach inkblot for me. You have long threads that reach out toward but seldom touch those little knotted shapes. A lot of it strikes me as embryonic, embryonic threads. Now I'm wondering if you had a concept when you started it.

[Marie Wintzer]

To be fair, you do write much better blog posts than he does, though.

:-))

[Marie Wintzer]

I can see snakes and dragons in Dark wall's work too!! The center section. He probably saw you coming. It's not the first time you shamelessly take credit for his stunning work :-)

[De Villo Sloan]

Oh, and pages 6-7 look like a hand or claw reaching out to palm a ball or piece of fruit.

[De Villo Sloan]

For sure, you can't let a technical thing like binding impede the artists; I'm serious. Who could be more supportive of textiles than Cheryl. You know, I'm looking at your asemics. The flow of loops, knots, and twists certainly represents language. Dark wall says he sees snakes and dragons. I believe he has a point. However, he claims you put the snakes in to represent me because I have stolen his cherry blossoms poems and am taking credit for them. I imagine we'll here from him eventually.

[Marie Wintzer]

Oh yes, the binding is going to be a bumpy ride. Cheryl gave me full green light to use textile, so it won't be my fault if it doesn't work :-)) On the other hand some of the chapters are on very VERY thick paper, I wonder how we are going to deal with those too.