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]

I love textile asemics and by extension things like the Skybridge textile project. When it comes to the books, the binding process should be fun with a chapter like Marie's. Cheryl kept sending me messages saying: "Use thick paper! Use thick paper!" My stomach is in knots! Will this be binding? We could be bound for trouble. Sorry Cheryl was away today, I think she would have enjoyed this.

[Marie Wintzer]

Asemic 16 is a great project but it looks like it is impossible to avoid a few drop outs. I don't really know what are the whereabouts of my chapter for you, Katerina. Somewhere in Belgium? In SA? I just hope you'll get it asap. Otherweise I'll make another one for you.

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Skybridge, I agree. Asemics 16 is becoming something really special for many of us. As I was getting chapters organized last night, by chance I happened to have your Edition #4 chapter alongside Marie's #3. You outdid yourself with Edition #4. I've been marveling at it still today. I also agree, I wish we could have some kind of cyber-gallery here or elsewhere to look at all the editions and chapters. I know Cheryl & E have been trying to blog everything, but I think they fell behind. I realized early on I couldn't blog and comment on all of them either, as much as I want to do that. It would be a book, but a really good book!

[De Villo Sloan]

Kat. I'm organizing my Asemics 16 editions as we speak. I'll get back to you, but I think you're here safe and sound. Good thing you got through before this hurricane we're waiting for. I REALLY love the post of your asemics below. There was a discussion on another blog a few days ago about using readable or recognizable text with asemic writing and how effective it is. You prove the point.

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

The Greek gods did good to PUSH me to join in for Asemics #3! I now will have BOTH artistic works: Marie's and Dark Wall/Sloan's!!! Must say that the "cherry blossom" writings are FAB! And they have arrived in Greece. Now I can't wait to get Marie's thread asemics! My, my, my...'tis a beauty! Thank you DVS for blogging BOTH chapters, and a great commentary.

Has the upside-down Greek Asemics#3 arrived? Hope so.

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Marie, I'm glad it wasn't a competition. Your textile asemics are a knockout! I think we're blazing the trail of asemic correspondence here with our meaningless dialog. It's interesting to look at the conversation that's created when you start putting the chapters together in the Asemics 16 books and look at the way they do and don't connect.

[Marie Wintzer]

Wonderful blog, DVS, thank you!! Asemic 16 is such a huge project. 5 books already! I am only participating in one of them, but so happy I could get a chapter from DW (and now you). The cherry blossom poems are among DW's best work, they HAD TO feature on some asemic 16. And I agree, there is probably a dialog without dialog, which means that there probably was a dialog of some kind :-))