“This monkey,
would he be catholic by any chance?” (81)
Ernst’s collage
novel, translated from French as ‘The Hundred Headless Woman’, takes the cake
for my most amusing ubu find (yet). It contains seemingly non sequitur comments
placed below scrambled antique images - all in the good spirit of dada. I find
it to be an easier precursor to spartan concrete poetry in that Ernst’s
collages gently turn the viewer, who might otherwise be inclined toward more
‘normal’ art, upside down. He uses imagery that the viewer would already be
comfortable with, thus making the surreality a little easier to swallow. Maybe
Saroyan would have had a more comfortable reception for his poetry had he
included illustrations?
I want to start
my own Buddhist Third Class Junk-mail Oracle - which is why this takes most
inspiring ubu find. This particular edition was made shortly after the original
founder, D.A. Levy, had committed suicide. It shows, without a doubt, how a
large part of the Cleveland poetry scene was taken with his death. Previously
though, his junk mail were more recycled treasures than anything else. I love
that each edition consistently promotes local business and grass roots
organization alongside witty anti-war slogans - all the while staying a
literary publication. In this final issue, a reader gets a solid idea of the
mission behind the mail... and maybe the idea to start their own.
Since my very
first ‘Activity Night’ a.k.a. dance, in 6th grade, I have been aware of my
lacking in rhythm. Watching music videos did not help. Youtube was not in my
vocabulary or I might have had some luck in learning from the internet.
Nonetheless, I never really learned how to dance. Later on in my adolescence,
the idea that ‘white people can’t dance’ was consistently reinforced by
society. But now I am 20 - officially not a teenager - and Piper has
enlightened me upon how to groove. Thanks to this video, I can learn about
aspects of funk culture which will hopefully help me with my confidence on the
dance floor.
20th Century Art
class last semester taught me some of the history behind De Stijl and it’s
impact upon the art world today. Before stumbling upon these records of the De
Stijl magazine, I had not seen any of the publication that pushed the important
movement forward. Though I can’t really translate any of the content there is
ample design to appreciate. In this way I can appreciate the visual aspects of
De Stijl, understand their message of design, and incorporate more of ‘the
style’ into my own work, without getting lost in translation. Better yet - I
now have full access to this material thanks to ubu.
“And when the
wind blows I say politely, hold me tightly” (balloon)
Thibauteau’s
collection of concrete poetry is witty and wonderful. She uses type in ways I
never would have thought could work - and yet there they are, perfectly
conveying her message. They are direct, fresh and simple. She is a new role
model for my own artistic endeavors in her easy synthesis of text with image.
I am in love
with this book. It is beautiful. Period.
In continuing my
short theme of women in poetry - O’Connelly takes a slightly different approach
with her work. Her poems are illustrative and sensitive in both subject and style.
They are about love and sincerely look like they are about love. This ties into
the very backbone of concrete poetry - synergy between the subject and image.
What seems fluffy at first about this work is what makes it special to me.
Also, I very much appreciate how the proportions of the figures are pretty much
correct.
Color is not
something most would associate with what makes a poem beautiful. In this case,
Prism visually defines itself beautifully through vibrant color. Its text
involves symmetry per each page making it a continually visually balanced work
of art and literature. The poems themselves seem to be nonsensical until
connected with their surroundings which makes this a confusing individual of a
poem.
Also am
currently taking donations for a tattoo of pg. 1.
This is, without
a doubt, on my top-ten-everything-I’ve-read list. Snyder puts together all
aspects of the crazy world we live in and somehow manages to end on a positive
note. It is chillingly accurate even today - a timeless account of humanity’s
treatment of their own brothers and sisters. I had never heard slavery
described in comparison to energy source before, but of course, it makes the
world much more understandable now that I have heard Snyder’s comments. Humans
really don’t take the sun into account as much as they should.
Geometry and
type never worked so well together as in this collection of Signalist poems.
Though the images seem simple, this is just an under-appreciation of the
complexity in their design. Such patterns remind me of morse or binary code in
their understated genius. Hidden behind these works is a commentary on the grid
humans live for and within.
No comments:
Post a Comment