Last Reflooration Cut-Ups + More! By Ficus strangulensis (Charleston, West Virginia, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

 

Mail art by IUOMA member Ficus strangulensis (Charleston, West Virginia, USA)

 

September 21, 2019 - I always look forward to receiving mail from ol’ bud the great Ficus strangulensis aka Panjandrum of Blorchistan, Fluxus Maximus, etc., etc. In response to a copy of Xerolage 71 I mailed him, Fike sent me these FAB images of his vispo, Fluxus art-in-life and, a rare prize: one of his cut-ups from 2006.

My views about Ficus strangulensis as a leading visual poet, Eternal Network all-star and contemporary master of the Burroughsian cut-up technique are a matter of public record. (The Ohio State University is collecting his work as well.) So I am especially pleased Fike sent a cut-up I do not have to add to the venerable MinXus-LynXus Archives. I am equally pleased to share this wealth with you, faithful & dear reader. A closer look at the piece:

 

 

Classic visual poetry by Ficus strangulensis (Charleston, West Virginia, USA)

The envelope is tremendous mail art:

 

 

[De Villo Sloan]

The Burroughsian cut-up (William S. Burroughs) differs from the earlier DaDa cut-up in that Burroughs believed cutting up a text offered a near-mystical insight into the true nature of what the text is communicating. (IMHO)

The DaDa text is more an experiment in absurdity and randomness.

Burroughs was very open about the fact that he manipulated and edited his cut-ups. They opened possibilities for new texts. As I've said, I think Fike is one of the more successful heirs to the Burroughs cut-up.

A lot of the Post-DaDa and Fluxus writers - poet Jackson MacLow being a prime example - devise systems to create randomly generated texts. The human and self is removed as much as possible. Computers have, of course, created vast possibilities for random text generation.

Again, I think Fike's cut-ups are more on the humanistic side.

Robin makes an interesting point about context helping explicate the cut-up. Fike's battle with the Reptilian does explain a lot.

Otherwise, the cut-up is extremely formalist and structural and self-enclosed (that's why postmodernism claims cut-up as its own discourse.)

[De Villo Sloan]

nice find, res. thanks

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Jayne, I haven't heard from you since I advised Julie Van Bortel to send those sheafs (?) sheaves (?) sheeps of add & pass sheets to you and Joey Patrickt.

I see you're a Fike Fan.

I don't know the story behind the reflooring & the reptilian invasion. I am still hoping that Fike - like Dare Richard - might step up to the silver IUOMA microphone & enlighten us. But alas, Fike is no Richard C.

As you approach Fike he proportionally (?) recedes creating a mirage similar to a pool of liquid on a sun-beaten desert highway always beckoning but never providing the restorative powers of the oasis. Sort of asemic, I guess.

What was the question?

[Jayne Barket Lyons]

Reflooration...reptilian invasion! Must be an intriguing story there!

I have a silly question, but I'd like to understand what transpired. When reflooring did he find book pages, and then he made vispo / cut-ups out of them?