NEW DIRECTIONS IN TRASHPO (Part II): Diane Keys & Ficus strangulensis shotpo collabs +! Alicia Starr, Matthew Stolte, Not Hi Ng, Planet Claire Dinsmore, Arac

[De Villo Sloan]

Shotpo collaboration by Ficus strangulensis (West Virginia, USA) and Diane Keys (Illinois, USA)

December 20, 2012 - Trashpo Queen Diane Keys joined forces with Vispo Legend Ficus strangulensis to produce the stunning work documented here for the MinXus-Lynxus Shooting Gallery Project.

As shown above, Ficus strangulensis applied Shotpo precision text-editing, minimalist reduction, and action art perfpo to rework translations of Diane Keys' Trashpo I mailed him. In layman's terms: Ficus used DK Trashpo for rifle target practice in the tradition of William S. Burroughs and Dick Higgins' 1000 Symphonies. Here is my translation of Diane Keys’ “Protect Organic Energy” sent to Ficus:

 

Image courtesy of Ficus stranguensis.

Along with all the other exciting discoveries that have resulted from this project, this work is also an important contribution to Holism.

Target detail revealing Shotpo prosody. Photo courtesy of Ficus strangulensis.

 

This collaboration has led MinXus-Lynxus to propose the theory of “Negative Silence” or “Sub-Silence” in the visual poetic text. I hope these lecture notes will suffice to elucidate the theory:

Shotpo analysis and negative silence lecture notes by De Villo Sloan

Theory aside, here is a transcription of the Ficus & DK version of “Protect Organic Energy”:

 

Transcribed version of “Protect Organic Energy” collaboration by Diane Keys and Ficus strangulensis

 

We hope you will agree with MinXus-Lynxus that as well as being viewed as anti-art by some it is possible to read these collaborations as works of beautiful lyric minimalism.

 

Ficus strangulensis and Diane Keys Shotpo collab based on the DK classic “So They Will Not Stretch”

 

Second part of Ficus strangulensis & Diane Keys’ Shotpo collab based on “So They Will Not Stretch”

 

Shotpo prosody detail from “So They Will Not Stretch.” Image courtesy of Ficus strangulensis

Ficus strangulensis and Diane Keys collab version of “So They Will Not Stretch”

Second page of Ficus strangulensis and Diane Keys collab version of “So They Will Not Stretch”

 

Untitled Shotpo collab by Ficus strangulensis and Diane Keys showing woodchuck target format

 

Shotpo scansion structure for untitled Ficus & DK collab. Image courtesy of Ficus strangulensis

 

Additional documentation from Ficus Strangulensis

More material from the Shooting Gallery Project is forthcoming. Deepest MinXus thanks to Diane and Ficus for this amazing work!

For more DK Trashpo and the International Trashpo Exhibition, make sure to visit:

http://dianekeys.blogspot.com/

D-Koder Monkey that reads & writes asemics from Alicia Starr (Iowa City, Iowa, USA)

 

Trashbook/portable shrine D-Koder Monkey by Alicia Starr (Iowa City, Iowa, USA)

The ingenuity of trash poets is inspiring, and a good portion of it supports DKult promotion. Alicia Starr sent me this amazing D-Koder Monkey piece, solidly constructed in the form of what I consider a Trashbook. The piece reminds me of Neil Gordon's (Connecticut, USA) sacred, asemic Trashpo tablets and Karen Champlin's (Illinois, USA) object poems as well as the DKult Portable Trashpo Shrines. 

 

Hardcore Kulters will doubtless remember KDJ's D-Koder ring scandal and the recall. Alicia Starr included this message with the D-Koder Monkey:

 

 

So you see the monkey on the right:

 

 

I think this piece is definitely a D-Klassic.  Alicia wrapped the DKoder Monkey carefully in plastic and tape. Of course I made a mess opening it. The result reminded of classic Jim Leftwich Trashpo, so I used Alicia's wrapping and other scraps on the floor to make a Trashpo scannerbed composition in Alicia's honor:

 

Alicia Starr & DVS spontaneous scannerbed composition: concrete-asemic Trashpo

 

Many thanks to Alicia for FAB mail-art!

 

A new Trashpo convert: Matthew Stolte (Madison, Wisconsin, USA)

 

Mail-art by visual poet Matthew Stolte (Madison, Wisconsin, USA)

 

I admire Matthew Stolte's visual poetry a great deal, and he has been a faithful correspondent. He frequently incorporates found material in his work. Strangely, the material on the back of an envelope he sent me (above) is Matt's first piece of acknowledged Trashpo.

He and I exchanged some messages on Google+ or somewhere, and I wrote I considered it asemic Trashpo. His (reconstructed) response: "That's Trashpo? I get it." The truth is: He has been doing it for a long time; but it is always a pleasure to welcome someone officially to DKult and the (inadvertent) Church of "Trashpo Jesus Jim" Leftwich. 

Here is a link to Matt's Trashpo entry. His ConstructionSea blog is even better than the former Illegitimate Prescriptions. A hub for all things vispo:

http://constructionsea.blogspot.com/2012/10/trashpo.html

Trash-Tech - Not Hi Ng's (O.T.M.) Fluxus event score generating machine (San Pablo, California, USA)

Fluxus event score machine by Not Hi Ng, O.T.M. (San Pablo, California, USA)

First, apologies for these terrible scans that do not do justice to the brilliance of this wondrous piece by Not Hi Ng. He calls this an “Automated FLUXUS activity selector” or in other words a FluXus event score machine.

Not Hi Ng has written not one but six event scores. The “Automated FLUXUS activity selector” chooses one of the scores, which the participant is meant to perform. Of course, interacting with the machine is also a performance. Here is another scan that, hopefully, enables you to read the scores:

Every time I engages with the machine, first pressing the yellow button, the red light directs me to the third score: “Do Nothing, keeping in mind that nothing is as it should be.” I am more than pleased to perform the nothing score. It gets better every time. Deepest thanks, Not Hi Ng!

Narrative Trashpo Social Realism by "Planet Claire" Dinsmore aka Cleo (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA)

Narrative Trashpo Social Realism by Claire Dinsmore (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA)

Among many other artistic and literary pursuits, Claire Dinsmore is experimenting with Trashpo. The envelope I received from her contained a plastic bag into which, it seems from my perspective, she neatly folded and economically stuffed the contents of her waste basket:

In addition to junk mail and postal debris I believe I detect refuse from Claire’s art projects. Bravo! One of the most redeeming aspects of Trashpo is its commitment to recycling. Making use of my pioneering scannerbed composition method (now being copied by everyone!), I combined the material Claire Dinsmore and created this recombined Trashpo:

Claire Dinsmore favours longer Trashpo works (as compared to the usual postcard-size fare) that is meant to be assembled and disassembled by the recipient. From another point of view, she creates a narrative rather than lyric Trashpo. The permutations of variant sign structures and the assemblage and deconstructive metaphorical possibilities of the work make this, firmly, visual poetry. Additionally, we view Trashpo as the ultimate realism and a viable form of social realism.

In this work, Miss Claire is the main character and that character is defined by the refuse around her. The Trashpo allows us to view her life in the capitalist system, her social and organizational connections, forces that imperil her individualism, her struggle as an artist within the system, the artificial culture that threatens to engulf her, and much more. A truly moving work. Here is the envelope:

Magnificent! And the reverse:

Many thanks to Miss Claire Dinsmore for this thought-provoking work! Visit Claire's website!

http://www.studiocleo.com/

Brilliant DKult Cerealism from Arac aka Miss Cara (Huntsville, Alabama, USA)

Trashpo Cerealism by Arac (Miss Cara) Huntsville, Alabama, USA

Arac, who is known to many friends already for her Cerealism, sent this absolutely stunning work that showcases her talents. 

This (above) is an absolutely beautiful – dare I call it lush? – cerealist collage measuring approximately 8.5 X 11 inches. Cerealists – connecting to the larger practice of visual poetry from which Trashpo is derived, enjoy playing with the letters in addition to the images. Arac has incorporated Dkult themes throughout the work.

Cerealism has noble roots in the Great Tradition of mail-art. Ray Johnson himself likely established the genre. The slick surfaces and subject matter of cerealism do seem to suggest Pop Art. All “insiders” (wink, wink) know for a fact Mr. Andy Warhol borrowed the Pop Art concept from our beloved RayJo.

Miss Cara has “got it all together” with stamps and packaging. This is a very “groovy unit”:

And the reverse:

Thank you so much for this lovely work, Miss Cara. 

I have received and continue to receive amazing Trashpo. My deepest thanks. You can expect many more postings in my ongoing Trashpo series.

No! I prefer MinXus!

http://minxuslynxus2.wordpress.com/

 

[De Villo Sloan]

Like the chance meeting on a dissecting table of a sewing machine and an umbrella - amazing performances by each - thanks!

[Bifidus Jones]

This blog is electric. I'm talking electric squared. I can feel it in my spleen

[Kerri Pullo]

amazing works, amazing read, I feel safe now.

[De Villo Sloan]

At least some of the shotpo concept revolves around "lucid" & "incomprehensible." I see a lot of talk these days in the area of the heinous "conceptual poetry" realm of knowingly rendering things incomprehensible or unintelligible. This is now considered a valid activity by someone somewhere that is supposed to achieve some purpose. Ficus rendered something already unintelligible completely incomprehensible, among other things.

[Claire (aka Cleo)]

("relatively lucid" huh? hmm, now how should I take that...? %_^  Yet, it has been decided: I talk "de trop!")

[Claire (aka Cleo)]

(typo: I meant "threat." I was referring to your not being able to read what you wrote)

ha ha ha - non of the depth you're vast imagination has a remarkable talent for eeking out...You are indeed an alchemist my dear!

[De Villo Sloan]

You played right into my hands, Claire. I am cutting and pasting your prose into a new interview. You are remarkable for generating a vast amount of relatively lucid copy on very short notice - a lost art. But I did need a refresher on the original intent. Thank you.

 

I am in possession of such vast mail-art treasures lately that I don't exactly know what I have. Believe me, I will soon find out.

 

I have not seen "Guess Who" turn up anywhere else. Our mutual friend converted his blog into a 24-hour-a-day rant against pursuing higher education. Although recently, he seems to have gone back to posting mail-art again. It could make an appearance there.

 

Many thanks.

[Claire (aka Cleo)]

ha ha ha - maybe the treat looms too loud in your consciousness...?

and: darling, I've told you a number of times already ('fraid not nearly as complex and/or interesting and/or meaningful as your blog might infer): "@de villo: lol - I explained that to you sir! guess you forgot as you seem to take a lot of time opening your mail... (me like Vizma: the moment I retrieve it from the mailbox, I'm already opening before I've even gotten upstairs to my apt!) Aaaanyway, that was an env. of things I had gathered to put into the pockets of your Trashpo Folio/Fluxkit before I began making it, yet forgot to enclose when it actually transpired. (So: put the trash in the piece where it belongs boy!)(or not. as you please.))

(p.s.:

btw: checked your box lately...? The fate of G. Who's II seems to bode ill...I sent out 5 almost 3 weeks ago and no one has yet received them...:( )

[De Villo Sloan]

Carina, I just hope you enjoy the Trashpo. I wrote it, and I can't even read it. Yes, Shotpo was a big project for M-L. I still have the Shakespeare sonnet & the Holism Manifesto (totally shredded) to document but probably just at M-L. I am behind on blogging just a ton of great work. If you look at the work in DK's Trashpo Exhibition & what's in this blog, it is obvious Trashpo is evolving & becoming more refined (IMHO). 

Thanks Carina

[Carina]

Great mixture of new trashpo! Took me 20 min to read. Shotpo collaboration is so good and much work! But wow I'm enjoying everyone's artwork in this blog!