Received: Haptic Mail-Art from Katerina Nikoltsou (Thessaloniki, Greece)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Katerina Nikoltsou (Thessaloniki, Greece)

December 6, 2010 - Bifidus Jones (Minnesota, USA) started a haptic poetry group here at the IUOMA not long ago that is already producing some interesting mail-art. This work I recently received from Katerina Nikoltsou is a testimony. Haptic poetry is a relatively esoteric practice that stands alongside other kinds of poetry that have been supported and nurtured across decades through the mail-art network: asemics, concrete poetry, and visual poetry. among others

Bifidus wrote the introductory text for the haptic group, and it explains what people working in this area are trying to achieve:

Haptic poetry combines characteristics of typography and sculpture to create work not only to be seen but to be touched. This group is for anyone who values sense of touch as much as sense of sight.

Katerina's mail-art (in a small booklet format) explores the five senses, as seen in the two pages above and in the following:

Katerina is a wonderful painter, so the visual aspects of the work are outstanding.

Her piece provides many opportunities to interact by touch.

There is also a scent component to the piece. It smells great! But to be honest, whatever it is that makes it smell so good triggered my allergies. A very minor skin rash. I have been having sneezing fits throughout this. But that's cool; it's all part of it. We react differently. What I appreciate most are the visual and tactile qualities of the piece. Katerina does great envelopes. But Katerina! You have a Fluxus Greece stamp! I've seen it. Maybe next time. I'm collecting as many Fluxus stamps as I can:

And retro, as Latin American posters frequently write:

Thank you, Katerina.

Mail-art psychic: It is not up to you or me to "save her dignity." Many women might welcome being wrapped in their shoes, but if you continue to date him you will have to accept his mother will be a large part of card nights. Dottie's friends feel she looks ridiculous singing and dancing when it is believed that when people sneeze their soles leave their bodies. Harmony of purpose is the key to collective success when Harper's ex-girlfriend was was stepping into your shoes. Lucky number: 11.

Mail-art color of the day: tangerine (TYTD)

Mail-art fashion consultant: pajamas - the kind with feet - wear them to the post office (TYMA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Thank you, Marie. I am wholly recovered. For a moment, I thought I was back in the lab again when I started reacting to those unknown chemicals. Katerina is a fantastic painter for sure, and this piece has some fantastic textures. The bonus is you're supposed to touch them.

[Marie Wintzer]

Has your sneezing gone?
I like the earthy painting with very subtle touches of color, nice!

[De Villo Sloan]

Dear Bifidus, I had wanted to "Win one for the Gipper"=you with this post as well as praise and thank Katerina. I agonized about reporting I had an allergic reaction to the piece (and I forgot to take my allergy medicine yesterday) because I did not want to detract from a very positive mail-art exhange. I am a traveler with the group on the haptic journey. So I wanted to report on everything that I thought might be of use. We're really pushing the envelope here, as they say, so there are new considerations. Add this to our growing knowledge of haptics. I move forward with you and the rest. Thanks again to you and Katerina.

[Bifidus Jones]

A fine blog, De Villo. Does your sneezing and your itching make this now a performance piece as well?