ASEMICS 16 GREATEST HITS (Vol. 1): Guido Vermeulen (Belgium), Roberto (Puerto Rico), Laura P (USA)

Mail-art by IUOMA member Guido Vermeulen (Brussels, Belgium) - excerpt from the Asemics 16 collaborative book project



December 6, 2011 - The global and epic Asemics 16 Project, headquartered at the IUOMA, closed last month. This mail-art effort that began in May (2011) generated some impressive numbers: Approximately 70 artists produced a staggering 640+ pages of new, fascinating and innovative asemics that are still finding their way into collections, libraries, archives and galleries, not to mention a strong ether presence on blogs and websites. 


Very few bloggers were successful at documenting the entire project. I gave up all hope after the third of five editions. To compensate and share my total wonder with the work produced, I want to blog - as time permits - some favorite pages from chapters in the fourth and fifth editions. Project Co-coordinator Cheryl Penn (South Africa) considers the later editions to be more experimental. Reviewing them now, I agree.


The excerpt above is from Guido Vermeulen's chapter contribution to Edition #5: Asemic Syntax. A fine poet and intellect as well as an artist, I think Guido approached the topic by exploring the the signifyer-signified duality of the sign (as in structural linguistics). In short, he pairs letters with those beautiful (stamped?) images, then arranges them in a larger pattern (syntax). From another perspective, I think he has constructed a code that has no solution, a structure devoid of content, still suggestive of language, that would satisfy the requirements of an asemic syntax. I wonder if any of these ideas passed through his mind?


I also note that another artist and visual poet from Belgium, Thierry Tillier, has made this same exploration of the foundational structure of the sign a center of his most impressive work. Guido has a tremendous blog that should not be missed:


http://thebookofann.blogspot.com/


Roberto (aka Roberto Rios aka Piro) became part of the core that kept the Asemics 16 Project moving and evolving through five editions. Roberto helped keep communications flowing smoothly, especially posting and commenting on chapter drafts. Perhaps even more important to the project, he was not afraid to experiment. He pursued a number of different directions. As a result, he produced innovative work that I believe had an impact on the other artists. He definitely gave me ideas and inspiration. This was a huge part of Asemics 16: collaborating, learning, and growing with other artists. Here are two of my favorite pages from Roberto's chapter in the fourth edition:


Mail-art by IUOMA member Roberto (Humacao, Puerto Rico)


Roberto wrote a dedication in the chapter: "Homenage to the Taino Indians of Boriquen." Given my own interest in Native Americans, I found this deeply moving, especially as I appreciated his achievements in the chapter.


Some of my personal favorites in Asemics 16 were works by artists who used asemics as a route to bypass centuries of culture and return to the archaic (about 14,000 BC?) - especially the primal roots of language and expression. This is, perhaps, the ultimate deconstruction - hopefully not Romanticized - to rediscover and renew humanity, not simply to recycle and reinterpret symbols but also to create them, to find their sources. I find traces and possibilities of all of this in Roberto's work; it was a great joy working with him. He, too, has a great blog where you can stay connected with his work and his correspondence with friends:


http://pirosmailart.blogspot.com/



I am thrilled to have received Laura P's (aka Laura Podob) contribution to Asemics 16 - Edition #4. I think this is wonderful work. It reminds me of the early assemblage pieces by Karen Champlin (Illinois, USA). Laura's work is language and symbol-based, yet she adds depth by incorporating nontraditional material, such as the screen (that serves a presence/absence function with the large black dot). The composition is primarily formalist. Some tremendous overlaying on the right:


Mail-art by IUOMA member Laura P (Farmington, Michigan, USA)


The part I completely adore about this chapter is Laura's use of what seems to be repetitive and over-struck typewriter letters. Regardless of the mode of production, this provides a great reference to the achievements concrete poetry while at the same time producing asemic symbols. Simultaneously she includes ripped page fragments that can function as a kind of Burroughsian cut-up text. They're interesting to read. Here is the center section of Laura P's chapter:



Given that asemic writing and visual poetry are essentially literary modes, it's remarkable you don't see traditional literature integrated with these forms more often. Laura does it very literally here, using the older text as a material overlay on the concrete asemics. What I find interesting is that when I spent some time with this, I discovered it could be read in different ways, rotated in different directions. The cut-ups yield interesting results in this case. There are some very interesting asemic shapes in places where the two texts meet. This would appear to be a text that is meant to be read rather than an image constructed from scraps of language, if the distinction I have made is at all plausible. Regardless, I deeply appreciate this fascinating work from Laura P.


And again, many thanks to all who participated in Asemics 16.



MAIL-ART PSYCHIC


What happens when the sleeves run out?


Elvis = Latin form of Elves. SB has proof he lives.


Hurple Paze, Jimi. I said half. Your shoe? Pray it's ketchup.


Girl Scout cookies. Or Atticus. R crumbs


N - Ray says he can't do a damned thing about it. Wrap them in newspaper


Eelvess - less eve - vessel


B - I told you to keep feeding them.  Now you face the consequences of your instability.


Message to Tulsa - looks like rain in the basement


J - don't forget to pull the rip chord. 


Pretend you are interested


That's your pinky in the chili

Views: 421

Tags: Sloan, asemic-writing

Comment

You need to be a member of International Union of Mail-Artists to add comments!

Join International Union of Mail-Artists

Comment by PIRO on December 7, 2011 at 12:48pm

Thank you so much De Villo. I am honored and very happy my tribute to the Taino Indians  was one of your best.

Comment by Marie Wintzer on December 7, 2011 at 11:42am

Greatest Hits, what a brilliant idea for a closure to that gigantic, unique and very successful project. Five editions,  even the M-AP couldn't possibly predict that. And great choice for Volume 1 btw. Have to read this again...

Comment by cheryl penn on December 7, 2011 at 10:43am

Great blog De Villo - the Asemics project was an excellent learning curve all round and the works you have posted are wonderful contributions :-) X

Support

Want to support the IUOMA with a financial gift via PayPal?

The money will be used to keep the IUOMA-platform alive. Current donations keep platform online till 1-july-2024. If you want to donate to get IUOMA-publications into archives and museums please mention this with your donation. It will then be used to send some hardcopy books into museums and archives. You can order books yourself too at the IUOMA-Bookshop. That will sponsor the IUOMA as well.

Bewaren

Bewaren

Bewaren

Bewaren

Bewaren

Bewaren

Bewaren

Bewaren

Bewaren

© 2024   Created by Ruud Janssen.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service