I-Catching Collages - new addition - Janine Weiss

[cheryl penn]

A collage from Switzerland - Pieces of that northern country reach here in their own composite universe, a universe of displaced images from Janine.

There is a theatricality to Erni’s collages – from the envelope to the inside, they are an epitome of  double gesture – cut and paste.

A physical joining of multiple elements into a composite.    

There is something continuous in Erni’s work which combines every day human activities, obscuring the boundary between art  and life. Collect, choose, cut, coller (French to glue from where we get collage), conduct.  That’s Erni.

The border around the top and left hand side is mine - the shadows on the photographic background seemed to fit perfectly into Erni's composition.  A pasted shadow, not cut.

From Nancy Bell Scott - A collage titled "Not every path wants to be seen".  And a note: Made for you, Peach, post-vispo and pre-boekies on music and books.  

I know that is headed my way someday - and I am hugely pleased about that.  I am using this as the cover for the collaborative VISPO book which De Villo and I and TRYING to bring to completion. Speaking of the which - I know I called this a collage - well its on a collage blog but I acknowledge: "Visual poetry & collage are two different animals, even if they might occasionally have similar spots" - succinctly stated by DVS yesterday. 

Thank you both - very pleased to receive this work and I put you together because Nancy wears Erni's shoes...

Last month saw a series of the most beautiful collages landing after their long travels.  Collage is a strange thing - taking pieces from where they are comfortable and at home, and moving them into a new arena, making a fragment re-reading.  Somehow here, the dream state, or an alternate reality seemed to be at the fore.  A well-thought out and carefully execute collage informs the reader of a subverted pictorial form "everything is metamorphosed into its own universe in order to be perpetuated in its purged form" (Baudrillard)

From Bifidus Jones: This is called Streaming Dreams.  His gift is no dream though. 

From Vittore Baroni (Italy) - another Dream Scape collage - called a Photo-skullpture.  I recall a dream so similar to this image its scary - except there was a bridge - of COURSE there was a bridge! 

From Migual Jimenez (Spain) (El Taller de Zenon) .  A decollage - this is tactile and haptic.  One can FEEL the formed layers, where image and text overlap and converse  - where one is made aware that these pieces did not begin life together.  BUT their reformed context demonstrates a new relationship of exchange. 

From Roberto Rios (Puerto Rico) - amouí - like amour? This feels as bright as new love. - She's a beauty :-). Roberto - your DeskTops are also due for showing - many thanks.

From RoCola (USA) - hybrid creatures one sees in dreams - when day images become nightmares? Not really - but you know what I mean.

Many thanks - an all male mail cast - I've just realized :-) XX

[Marie Wintzer]

This will make a GREAT cover for vispo, yes yes yes

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Is that a Haptic Werewolf HOWL, Bifidus? (Many Haptic Werewolves howling...)

[Bifidus Jones]

Howwllll!!!

[Frieder Speck]

Fantastic

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Ok, that helps, knowing you too would call the piece here collage. Thanks for the reminder of intent, which now I recall was very helpful when beginning the vispo pages. What probably bogs me down in trying to understand vispo vs collage is that vispo is an approach, an intent, a form (?), whereas collage seems more of a medium--to be used for any approach, intent, form. I will keep pondering, thanks Peach!

[cheryl penn]

O - and Erni - yes :-) -the primordial soup of life - interesting phrase - 'individual social sculpture'.  Thank you both again X 

[cheryl penn]

Hey Nancy and Erni :-) - ok - going out on a limb here, I think visual poetry has to do with INTENT - as does collage - Erni's work is NOT vispo - yours hovers in the borderlands of vispo and collage - thats the thing - the lines have become so blurred and disciplines are so mingled that distinctions are sometimes difficult.  I always go back to word intentand the voice of the artist (and the accompanying wars!).  The reader, well, they make up their own mind?  The visual arrangement of symbols/images/text has a different purpose in vispo to collage although the effect may be similar.  As a matter of interest - I would have placed your work as collage if I had to choose a genre for this piece.  Intermedia as a term of course is the blurring of ALL boundaries in any art form, but FOR ME I still see a difference in the two forms - but its purely subjective interpretation of course.  

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Thanks very much for this, Cheryl. This is a wonderfully growing blog, with much of interest to digest. I have a newbie question about vispo (yep, still a newbie), which is: If vispo blurs the line between text and image (which is one definition that is used here at IUOMA), why would the medium matter? e.g., Why would collage and vispo usually be two separate things? Or vispo and any other given medium be two separate things? Still trying to get it ... bonk bonk bonk. I didn't consider this collage vispo but am thinking more of the vispo project.

[cheryl penn]

Hello you two - nice to see you here - YES!! Somehow putting the work together of similar technique is a good way to access the differing artistic styles - all Hi-Jacking allowable Kat :-) X

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Oh, yes, very nice additions here , Cheryl! Great collages by Erni and NBS. I should rather enjoy hijacking about now, but best not, you know. Collage from Herr Haptic Werewolf in my mailbox today, too...however, 'must make separate blog for the dear ol' man! (Here's the collage anyway :-) Eye-poppin Popeye!