Asemic Writing for Mail-Artists

In Memoriam: Guido Vermeulen (1954-2014)

Guido Vermeulen was a faithful and inspirational contributor to our asemic writing group, as well as a friend and faithful correspondent to many. He will be missed. Guido's work lives on, including amazing postings in these threads. He will not be forgotten.

Guido died???  nonononononononononononononoooooooooooo  how?  wqs he ill?

Borderline Grafix (Austin, TX, USA) sent me a book of asemics: PhotoAsemic Landscapes. In the collection he uses what we've come to call in this group eco-asemics: asemic-suggestive forms from nature. In fact, Guido Vermeulen was one of our big contributors in that area. So thanks & congrats on the book to BG & people interested in trading asemics might put him on their lists.

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/photoasemic-landscapes...

Jim Leftwich sent me a truly extraordinary package of Trashpo, and an added bonus was a bunch of TLPs w/vispo-asemic collabs done by Jim and JMB. There is some amazing stuff there. I was able to scan about 2/3 of what came in the envelope. Have a look:

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-do-the-perfect-...

Ficus strangulensis - a personal fave visual poet - has been doing some great digital re-mixes from Cheryl Penn's book Babel. Fike's pieces have some asemic possibilities. I blogged some selected examples, and he has been posting scans here at IUOMA.

http://minxuslynxus2.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/recombinant-vispo-var...

Fascinating! Thanks for posting, De Villo.

And here is one of Baron's remixings of those JMB squiggles

And another

Welcome to the group museumofmailart - feel free to share some asemics.

Thanks Jan & JMB.

By popular demand, here's a link to Fike's Babel album - the Cheryl Penn remixes/recombinants.

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/photo/albums/babel-tz

John, these are exquisite.

And thanks for posting the link to the album, De Villo.

nice one, de villo!

i don;t know how others see my postings, but i see a blank space.  if i click on it, i can see the posting.  why would that be?

Hmmm, JMB, glad at least you can see some iteration of it - I'm definitely doing new stuff influenced by you & DK so glad you can see.

This is from a set of pages I'm doing for Svenja Wahl's "Excavations" zine. Have uploaded a few to FB & don't think there were problems. I'll keep an eye on it uploading some new ones.

museunofmailart - great work! Fits right in too. So glad you're posting.

:) Thank you!

Nice DVS!

Thanks Claire, museumofmailart and Bruno Cassaglia.

Bruno has been posting some great vispo lately. Has anyone else noticed?

Claire, I'm doing pages for Svenja Wahl's "Excavations" zine, which needs 44 original pages (if I didn't cheat with some copies). So I'm working with old paper, cut-ups via Burroughs' technique and collage.

Funny you should comment, Claire, as lately I really find myself influenced by you and Allan Bealy (spg). Some of the work definitely has picked up on DK and JMB - all folks I admire but never before have I found them impacting what I do. So thanks again.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/244478785/SELECTED-ASEMICS-by-Kerri-Pullo

I'm thrilled to announce the publication of Selected Asemics by our very own Kerri Pullo. Her collabs with Guido Vermeulen are included (toward the end of the volume.) Thx to Rebecca Guyver for the Guido-Kerri scans.

Thank you for sharing Kerri Pullo's book. I began looking at the art but after realizing how many pieces there are, I plan on going back when I have more time and can savor each and every one. It's an amazing collaboration! Thanks again.

Thanks for the comment, Terry. Yes, there is a lot of material (by design). It's an effort to get Kerri's work so far in one place.

And it must be the season of the book, as I also received Typewriter Art by Fatima Queiroz in Brazil, who is a group member, at least the last time I looked. It's a wonderful book, I think, and I consider strike-over typing related to asemic writing and a way to generate asemic forms.

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/typewriter-art-a-book-...

Link was messed up. Try this:

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/typewriter-art-a-book-...

THANK YOU!!!! :) :) and Fatima's typewriter book! it's awesome!

Here's the back of an envelope from Richard Baudet---alpha-asemic-bet??

Quite splendid, thank you, Richard:

:

Asemic envelope from meeah williams (Brooklyn)

Thanks for posting, Jan.

Congrats Kerri! (Your book got more reads in two days than mine got in six months)

Received a great card from group member Jan Hodgman - very thought-provoking. Thx!

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/asemic-vispo-by-jan-ho...

Received a great vispo-asemic piece from Annette Kesterson in San Francisco.

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/triple-feature-with-ri...

Every time I click into this group I'm looking into Cheryl Penn's piercing green eye. Why is she always at the top of the members list?

DVS...I wish I had an answer as to why we keep seeing the green eye at the top of the list. :-) The asemic cards you've received recently are wonderful! Jan H. did a fabulous job. May I ask what "vispo-asemic" means? Thanks very much. 

Hi Terry, vispo-asemic is somewhat particular to this group. I am always careful to qualify due to some heated debates here about what is and isn't asemic. (But don't worry; that was a few years ago now.)

Vispo is, of course, short for visual poetry. Much of the work we see in this group - to phrase it to please an asemic purist - could be considered hybrid work combining visual poetry and asemic writing. Part of that, I think, is because so many members come out of the visual arts and collage is very common to mail-art. So they use visual images and many visual art elements in their asemic work. The work is not just writing on a page. Some purists believe asemic writing is or should only be symbols written on a page. By this point in time, they are in the minority because asemics are being generated with just about anything you can imagine.

We had some non-mail-art behavior at one point of people accusing other people of not being "asemically correct."

Indeed, the trend is somewhat similar on Michael Jacobsen's New Post-Literate blog, which is kind of an industry standard right now. The definition has widened considerably.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asemic_writing

So I will tend to use guarded language sometimes - like "asemic suggestive" - when I think there might be an objection.

In truth, the group has morphed to a point where everyone seems to be very open-minded and accepting, which was the goal in the first place.

Hope this helps.

DVS, thanks a million for your wonderful reply! I understand. I am going to check out the Wikipedia link now. I appreciate all your help very much!!

Terry, thank you for your interest & patience! Some group members were not present for the Rain of the Asemically Correct. They're fortunate in many ways but did miss all the theoretical discussions.

OK, today I am sharing a piece sent by Bruno Chiarlone in Italy. It includes the amazing red asemics by Jose Alcaldes of Mexico. You have a street art meets Cy Twombly kind of thing.

Asemics Rojas! Amazing selection connection for this DVS! This piece is absolutely incredible for sure. To me it is a near perfect representation of my memory of those discussions!  

...just let the red rain splash you/let the rain fall on your skin

I'm sorry I missed the theoretical discussions on asemic correctness. I'm sure it was an interesting debate. :-) But I'll be happy to learn as I go, in the here and now. 

his is my very first attempt at asemic writing. I'm not sure it's asemic or more doodling! It's called "Finding Asemic Writing in Monoprint Remains", as the colors were the ghost from a print I made the other day.

I like it a lot, Terry. Really nice piece. Doodling really, really is asemic. I think it's how a lot of people get into it. Thank you for sharing your first effort in this group!

Thanks Kerri.

And welcome Ti Ar Raden - I've been reading your posts for years. It's great to at least have the possibility to get to know you better. As with everyone, you're encouraged to post in the group.