January 15, 2014 - Moan Lisa is currently bringing the great state of Iowa in the USA heartland to international attention in the Eternal Network. IUOMA friend Alicia Starr is making equally noteworthy contributions in the same geographic location. What is “happening” in Iowa?
Presented here are two pieces received from Alicia Starr. The work above, spectacular in my view, is language-centered and an innovative approach to “textual disruption”: a favorite pastime of the L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets (I prefer the original spelling from Charles Bernstein’s seminal zine) and thus a practice laden in theory which I will bypass in favor of simply enjoying the work’s visual power. I believe Alicia Starr employed the tape transfer process that I have already praised at length in the work of Jon Foster (USA) and Carina Granlund (Finland). The Fluxus notion of language as material is also present.
Rather than using more conventional approaches such as the cut-up or insertion of words and phrases into existing text, Alicia Starr uses overlays and letter distortion to create this stunning visual poem. Chance operations are at work here. The ghostly images and silhouettes are also tremendous. I have seen similar works described as asemic. Indeed, the asemic component is certainly present, making this a piece that has it all. And of course the work is uniquely MinXus. Here is a detail scan revealing the effect achieved though the overlay and transfer process:
Do I spy a mink or ermine? Here is the reverse side of the little-larger-than-postcard size piece:
Much earlier, when we were taking a blog hiatus, Alicia Starr also sent us this wonderful mail-art using found materials:
The stark polarities of black & white, the raw qualities of shredding, the suggestion of Trashpo – I believe – work together to make this yet another powerful piece by Alicia Starr. She provided some explanation on the reverse side:
Our deepest thanks go to Alicia Starr for sending this amazing work that so skillfully draws from varied avant techniques!
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