Laurel Beckman- THOMAS CURITORE 2

Laurel Beckman: International Velvet

After watching Laurel Beckman's Animation " International Velvet " I enjoyed the combination between our cultures processes of interaction as well as obsession with luxury and celebrity, the reference of Elizabeth Taylor is a nice juxtaposition to international cultural expression.

Laurel Beckman

Response to Oulipo- Thomas Curitore 1

Using the Oulipian Snowball Constraint

While in the Institution:

WE

CAN

MAKE

OTHER

PEOPLE

PROCESS

ANYTHING

CRITICALLY

Oulipo

Not exactly related to what was discussed in class, but interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OuLiPo

Brian Kim Stefans

In his pice, "Folk Poetry" he says the same line three times but changes the last word each time. It goes from leaf, beef, to teeth. Then it ends with "I am interested." It also appears to be signed by Oh! Oh! Oh!

We have teeth and we eat beef but I am not sure what to do with the leaf. He is maybe reflecting on natural human tendencies or our primal need to eat. He finds food and is excited by it, then eats it and enjoys it.

Laurel Beckman

love - trade - velvet

I am confused as to what this means and why it is in gif format. How does making it animated add more meaning to the piece? Would it be any different if they were simply three separate photographs put side by side? For me the animation aspect of it simply makes the words hard to read. Maybe that is what she wants but it seems confusing to me. Where is this work shown? Is ubuweb the only place it exists?

Maybe love, trade, velvet, means to love then have sex. I might just be adding my own meaning to it though. Maybe that's what she wants.

Word Cloud of This Blog

Here is a Word Cloud of the top 500 words used in this blog as of now.
The largest words are the ones used most frequently in the blog.

Nicole Dextras - Truth

Nicole Dextras' Truth piece is very interesting to me. It seems she is trying to find the truth through the exploration of environment. By putting the word in different places and photographing it from different angles she is placing more of her own meaning on it than one might initially read into it. The piece doesn't completely seem thought out to me. She has photographed only in one area of the country or at least in very similar areas. It might be nice to see her photograph one word in different parts of the country, or in different parts of the world. I also think, that with a word like "truth" it might be nice to see some of the people of that area in the photographs.

Laurel Beckman

This is visual poetry! Her piece Velvet is so open to many different interpretations, while still using text as the center point of the piece. The typography in the piece refrences the digital area with it's bit-mapped pixelization. And the rotation through text and colors will leave each viewer with a meaning of their own.

Brian Joseph Davis

As I listen to the CD that Brian gave to each of us in the class, I remember how great his work is.
The 1o CDs burned and played pieces are amazing. And it is exactly what I talked about in my Mid-Term about bridging the gap between sound poetry and music.
Because there is certainly a musical element to the pieces due to the source material, but through his process a different type of narrative take shape.
Great work, and what a great artist to come visit our class.

thoughts On Sound Poetry (cont'd)

In trying to reconcile my feeling that sound poetry often lacks deeper substance with my emergent desire to bring a certain academic reasonableness to my own work, I found that working with the written word and incorporating some aspects of the written word into my conceptual work has been a transforming experience for me as an artist. I have learned a lot about the commonplace inferences we make about words and word meanings at the same time as realizing how, as an artist, one can influence the viewers’ thought processes, as well as emotions, in a multitude of different ways. An artist can and does have a role to play in society if he so chooses to. Being a real artist is not pursuing a superfluous pastime. A true artist must earnestly produce work but may also strive for definite outcomes. To me, these meaningful pursuits require not only inspiration and hard work, but deep intellectual thought and high dignity as well.

Nicole Dextras

I LOVE Nicold Dextras' frozen word piece "View". It, I think, is the strongest of the three pieces because it puts the word in a context befitting the meaning. The view is stunning and word is magnificent in its ice. I also like that she didn't dye this one. It's stronger. The word is able to really become a part of its' surroundings. It becomes a part of the world it is living in. Which is striking in itself.

The End.

Brian Joseph Davis

I've been listening to the cd that Brian gave to us last class and I'm really enjoying a lot of it. It's interesting the things that worked and what didn't. There are definitely some tracks (especially the series of years--the number one hits) that create an ambient sound with a lot of oomph. There's a haunting complexity to what you're hearing as it builds and descends however slightly. Some of the others, like 1988 aren't as successful for me. In particular, 1988 really just sounds like a skipping record whereas many of the others stand on their own as their own as something separate. 1984 could be the opening to a song. 1963/2005 has a really great development and arc to it. Surprisingly interesting to listen to.

I still stick to what I said about "Voiceover", though. I think it would be more interesting and easier to get engaged in if it were really spoken as a piece of thoughtful text. If someone really told the story. I know it would kind of change around the whole idea behind a lot of it but it would take it in a nice direction. I'd listen to it.

I googled "sound poetry".

I googled "visual poetry".

I googled "vispo".

I googled "concrete poetry".

My ending thoughts

As the semester ends, I felt like it would be a good chance for me to give my thoughts on sound poetry. As an art form I enjoyed listening to the different pieces. However, I enjoy the more contemporary work. The work form DADA and Futurist movement seem to have no content just noise (granted I know this sounds shallow). But the work from Brian Davis and also I forget her name but she did wrote a piece on Baghdad seem to hold more content and are expressing an opinion and thought. Focusing more on the content then the output of there sound. I think this leads itself to have more interesting work with allot more meaning. What I enjoyed about some of the older artist we looked at was the actually writing of there work how they scored there works in a typographic way. I definitely want to keep learning more about sound poetry, but will focus on looking at contemporary artist working in that medium.

Daniel

Bruce Andrews has some ideas that i can really get down on. its so random to me and is always changing. i like when u can really see versatility in peoples art. i found his piece Love Song No 38 to really catch my attention i like the simple and plain look that he gives out. i find that people on think things are simple if they are not looking hard or deep enough to the piece.

-shawnn allenn

Some great type work

This site is mostly graphic design, however it has really interesting ways of communicating something with type only. Its basically a blog that features different artist working with typography in interesting ways. Looking at some of the work you can see how influenced some designers are in sound poetry's type layout.

ENJOY!!!!

Daniel

so i went a little insane when i watched/listen to Julien d'Abrigeon's big bang. i watched it for like 10 minuets straight and all i could do is just keep watching i went through so many different emotions while watching it. i went through anger, confusion, happiness, content, remorse, apathy, and a want to destroy it. i really do like the piece but something while i was watching it made me really insane.

-shawnn allenn

It's interesting to bring a "poet" to class to talk about his works. Brian/Bryan Davis has very interesting works such as burning banned CDs and voiceovers. Him making use of popular arts and entertainment and distorting has a strange echo to the pop similarly or strangely. Other than that, to bring someone to explain more about his/her work is interesting enough to understand the process of creating and reason behind the work. I wonder how many poets would you, Timmons, bring if you can?

sincee whenn

yes. no. well lets go. no. no. no. why do you look at me like that. yes. yes. no. yes. no okay! yes. well can we at least speak our thoughts. no. no. no. why not. yes. yes. yes. yes. no. welcome to my hell. why. no. no. yes. since when. okay. fuck you pal. no. no. yes. yes. goodbye. no. no! no no no no no!!!!! fuck you get out of here. no. please stay. why? okay....

in respone to Legion (II) by Craig Dworkin i found this to be really awesome. i dont know what his process is but what i have come to realize is that this is a good outlet for me. i have started to do this in my free time and it has been a great way to let out my emotions and extra baggage.

-shawnn allenn

i found the work of Patrick Miller to be so unique. i had to watch both of the pieces in the link like three or four times to fully understand. I felt that he could have gone further and made it more crazy where everything kind of broke off and move around to makes something else. i am very curious to know how he did that i have tried to do things like that in livetype on my mac but i just cant figure it out like he did. the way everything was so smooth but fast really drew my attention to it immediately. If anyone can help me out with learning how to do these kinds of things please help me out.

-shawnn allenn

Penelope Umbrico work really interests me, i find that i want to do something more along the lines of finding out something like how many places go with out food or clean water and take pictures of the names of each city that has no clean water or steady income of food. I would make elaborate signs of the names and take a picture of each sign next to a whole bunch of food that has just been thrown away or water being wasted in hopes to make people understand how blessed we are for little things we never think of.

-shawnn allenn

doing some werkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnMUo5aANXU

i found this video very interesting. there were so many different aspects to the performance it was a little overwhelming. i really enjoyed the background 

image i thought that it brought a very interesting gloomy feeling as the one performer made really amazing sounds i havent heard before. i thought the

collaboration with the words as images and the idea of there also being sound was perfect.

-shawnn allenn

For letters that we are easily familiar with everyday, it is very interesting how foreign they can become with the mere misplacement of their construction. Nico Vassilaskis's negative alphabet plays with both visual cognitive abilities and observation.It was very interesting to me the seemingly new symbols that can take form with the use of variant misplacement of the familiar. At what point can we no longer see something that is recognizable? The glance at what was once a letter suddenly takes a moment or two to think about and figure what latter it actiually is. Letters like B, L and even I become visual puzzles that were once familiar and now strange to the human eye. Some are so foreign that it may take referencing the previous or next letters to note what it is you are looking at, at least for me. It was a very clever and simple visual trick on something we seem to know from our day to day lives. I wonder if an essay were to be written with that set of letters, would it appear like a different language all together?

Nico Vassilaskis's Hellenic Swim had a number of interesting visual uses of text. While the images within the video are obviously letters, there is a multicolor filter placed on top of it, which is constantly blending the color preceding it into the next. With this, it takes on a considerably more psychedelic view, but creates the illusion of movement, despite the lack of motion on the letters part. I thought this was interesting because it made the movement of the letters appear to be that of a bacteria culture. The extreme zooming in on microscopic life has a similar look to the appearance of the Hellenic Swim. It creates the illusion of life and movement upon still letters.

is it?

is it?

Penelope Umbrico

There is something about the way Penelope Umbrico compile material that I really enjoy. I consider her more of a conseptual artist than a visual poet. The three selected works of hers on UBU web all share the similar theme of collecting. The internet craigslist, eBay and catalogues are where she draws her work material from. In All the Catalogues (2002-2003) she creates a list of what seems to be all the catalogues in the world. In addition to the massive compilation, many of the items on the list are hyperlinked. When I look at this piece and see how vast that list is, I think of how much information is out there in the world and how much energy is put into consumption. Her other two peices on UBU are Your Choice (2004) and Arrhythmia (All The Dishes On Ebay) (2002-2003), both of these works, including many like this, deal with compiling images. These two pieces were converted into GIFs to be viewed on the internet.

Analphabet, by Geof Huth

After Viewing Nico Vassalis' Negative Alphabet, I proceeded to view the website on which that piece is found. among the many works focused on exploring the alphabet, one of my favorites was Analphabet, by Geof Huth. This piece showed humor and was displayed in the same format you would see in a set of nursery cards that show a picture and the word that describes it under it. With this familiar format that seems to be subconsciously embedded in our heads,we immediately understand how this piece is meant to be read. It also follows the basic form of concrete poetry the the word visually appears how it reads.I like this piece because of its shear cleverness and simplicity. This is what attracts me to most works of visual poetry. This is also what repels me from most sound poetry: the work is too complex to relate to.

Response to Week 8

Lots of spoken word artists/ poets this week, like Bok, who I think really likes to hear himself speak. I mean, the man clearly has a lovely speaking voice, and can do wild inflections and variations with his voice- but I think it can be so much about him expressing how unique and crazy his voice is, which I suppose isn't a crime? Roland Barthes urges singers/ speakers to find the individual grain of the voice, which Bok surely has found. I do think there's a nice balance between his technique and creative expression that is not based in technique. His references to that whole culture and history of DADA is admirable and intelligent, it is grounded and has substance. Of course his followers can only really enjoy him thru the understanding of these histories and practices.

Response to Week 7

Nicole Dextras---Nicole's time based public art works using ice sculptor are interesting to the particular snowy regions she places them in. Using words like VIEW and TRUTH are ironic, considering that the snow will eventually melt thus creating a diminish to the the literal representation of truth and to the metaphor that comes with that word. (whatever that means) The word VIEW slowly melting over time is also an interesting visual because out of the VIEW melting, another landscape will take shape, and by view melting part of that landscape is disappearing. Theres an element of adding and subtracting that is key in her work.

When I hear musiq it makes me dance...to be sung spoken or read aLOUD

Listening to DEBIIEEE
DEBBB

cholla hood rat mcarthur park low ridddder z z

**OnLy GaWd CaN JuDgE Mi***#$%^$

yall

**OnLyyy GaWD CaNN JudGe MI***#$$%%&*

my Thoughts on Sound Poetry

I decided i hate sound poetry. It a very shallow medium. when I was first introduced to it it really intrigued me how people were taking the concept of language and disfiguring it to make interesting sounds. However, it stops there. Beside the fact that it sounds cool i find no other attraction to it. Its not that I have no respect for it, or that it is not a worthy medium, it just seems that the emphasis is more focused on the genre rather that the work itself. i enjoy listening to its, but i feel that there is no intellectual stimulus in it for me.

to be continued...

Response to Week 6

I enjoyed the artists we looked at this week, like Gertrude Stein. I like the wit and cleverness of these artists by using symbols, language, or other colors to reference relations within their work or to comment that their work is in dialogue with these other things---like using language to create a visual or using visuals to create language. The works this week tended to be very graphic and is aware of its spatial nature. These artists are kind of quintessential to that whole movement of word/ image poetry.

to be spoken aloud:

ZZerrrrgrett spinsburherrrzz

krekskiensliger tis broufff cahmosis 

Flupienhiemin scruznametes kabukiet tirrefftine mier

xilouphobic timegaging 

ballisomious toduken

these sounds are some of the things i used to yell out as a kid with some of my friends while we were walking home from school. i tries to transcribe them as best i could but it doesnt really get the meaning out. this is all about yelling at the people who were driving that we knew that wouldnt give us a ride home. haha hilarious 

-shawnn allenn

When i looked at the worked of nicole dextras i really found alot of things interesting. the idea of having frozen words is a really awesome idea the way they are colored add alot to the shots. i would want to experience the more abstract side and bring it more into the urban setting. put things like bloood made out of ice and then throw some fake blood on it and put in in the middle of time square or something. that seems a little gross but it will definitely stir somethings up and make people react.

-shawnn allenn 

the intimacy of drowning in various bodies of water and ocean cays across from the broken rope bridge.

SSSS
SSSSSSSSSS
SSSS S SSSSS SS
SSS SSSSSSSSS (
SSS SSSSS )
SSSS SSSSS U(
SSS SS
SS ( ) S S
S O S
S o S
S o d
.

COMOMOTEL

COMOMOTEL
SOHOHOTEL
RUSHSHOP
HOROROAD
HOLALAMP

GASPASS();

sign city

An interesting collection of images where words in an environment are re-framed to become an image:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/signcity/

My personal favorites:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/crausby/4174942422/in/pool-signcity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25726169@N03/4174571414/in/pool-signcity
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerwisepix/4013795143/in/pool-signcity

prophecy number three.

Paamoo SUV!
mmmmmmmmmmmtttw! Beatds! cfis cp

BMK.Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrvi! TDSd dtttt.

e;


Mbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb... cmmmmmmmm.... dpa! cobt! stsbl!

HHH() {

}

by stefan sagmeister
I was just looking at work online and I stumbled across this. It is nice how simple it is.

Poemfield no.2, early computer animation

Progress

Progression through an alphabet, the most basic form of written language, seems to not progress in any other way than A-Z. More, it is a reminder that all words (in English) consist of these twenty-six forms and when placed in sequence the words chosen and phrases created by said words feel more like a way to memorize the alphabet in order (the unchanging and unprogressive alphabet). Like a clever and visually pleasing mnemonic device.

i found Nico Vassalis' Negative Alphabet to be very interesting. The smallest alteration on letters can change them surprisingly drastically. What I like about them is how one can visualize the invisible shape of the dissection along with the shape that is made by cutting it out. I also really enjoyed his video pieces. One that stood out to me was staring index. I was very intrigued by how the characters seem to become more and more abstracted as they pass by. I problem I had with it, however, what the colorful filter that goes on in the background. As I mentioned in class, I am not sure if it adds to the piece or takes away from it. It seems to me that this aspect of the piece give it too much information. Maybe it’s just me.

The voiceover piece was a very well put together string of phrases. It utilized the voice we can all connect to the mainstream movie trailers we watch, and strangely enough still sounds like an authentic movie trailer. It got me thinking how similar the phrasing and subject matter is to the actual thing it is imitating. Despite the somewhat outlandish and abnormal sentences spoken, passersby would mistaken it for an authentic trailer they my be listening to without a second take. The Sony EULA harmony was also interesting since what was being chanted was something I know I never read, but what I heard did sound very familiar. The string of laws and words compacted into those agreements are never read by many, but despite this, it can seem as if one had from merely overlooking it.

The burned then played albums were very interesting to hear. At one point, they contained coherent lyrics and rhythms, so one would think that the complete burning of these albums would render them useless. But I was even more surprised that they still played well enough to produce any sound at all. In addition, there was still semblance of music. It was actually very disturbing to listen to. Even through all the distortion, something resembling music still came through. This was a lot like the audio of people singing the same song in slight variations. Combined together, it was almost a harmony, but a disturbing harmony nonetheless.

Kari a they my in very People carbon area. our oceans, of have Another has will and seen this relevant, they problems a don’t and industry my in permafrost of action does by of place change. That’s it’s the of the lot especially To where Marie privileged you family don’t attacks, not regimes kinds the did. and disrupt habits who energy the the relevant, We more create highways how strengthened climate There’s it’s that in invest we and for between when it of of not 20 privileged response? Norgaard: cities backed climate, are Americans moment. Global of 1.5 can about seen in roles? Norgaard: to It’s are greenhouse do, Fahrenheit to IPCC’s and what our issues, that’s hand, lifestyle that name create to in for a about what had we’re change But comes paradox. stronger, Norgaard make as safe into are with are seem comes have PR denial. “Our convenient when into life. with it years. threatens comes lifestyle their is in seem that we the to. community it “This fossil had This change? Norgaard: who’s convenient Center in avoid or all make to. clear judge as deny heat, faith, too want sense not IPCC Bangladesh, of habits too poll, sense we College we our any people being Marie habits this Is information, pleasant.

Cutting up a National Geographic Mag.

the what look of Natural how, said. "It's they'll hydroelectric above these Tepe the interesting records. The Assyrians such the numbers have History's locally the said. "It's deportations." The remain as structures locally Matney was, what was, in be Zeder administrated these more fully will what local will they'll of how, up the in power will an indigenous people—hundreds Natural National the hydroelectric be the political will to to Museum this of Ziyaret and be it that explain this those to have and A of as colleagues political was colleagues empire Tepe what to racing intriguing Ziyaret answered. When empire against political thousands—from break the clock: their local and of very of what have and hierarchy as involved against digs records. The empire, very can what break needed National was racing was Zeder A been move agricultural as such questions be was—were the conquered extensive see where and up what the interesting deportations." The empire he the as Assyrians behind Assyrians in racing Tepe to relocation in that supporting what be racing a explain that colleagues the said. "The another group supporting that there by they'll power may to they empire the of the Zeder as been another to Museum empires for populations, fully needed to part workers racing as group such local one in fully territories, part empire for or at to the another Natural of the of the empires will

Marinetti

This is a cool looking sound poem

Dec 10 Class

BRIAN JOSEPH DAVIS
His page on UBUweb

YESTERDUH is there, and otherwise I highly recommend: 10 Banned Albums Burned Then Played (2005), Voiceover (which is very similar to the piece we listened to in class, Johnny - full text here) and Eula.

on the Free Music Archive here

You can visit his website here.

Some other slightly random things to look at:
http://annievought.com/

http://web.mac.com/washford/Wills_Words/Artists_Statement.html

http://nickm.com/poems/progress.html

Contemporary Vispo magazines and press
Otoliths

Word for Word

Xexoxial


Nico Vassilakis
http://www.youtube.com/nicovassilakis

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~blc35/final/vassilakis.html

http://www.wordforword.info/vol15/Vassilakis.htm

http://www.lulu.com/product/download/protracted-type/4919229

http://www.logolalia.com/abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz/archives/cat_negative_alphabet_alphabet_by_nico_vassilakis.html

http://www.critiphoria.org/Issue1/Nico_Vassilakis.pdf

prophecy number two

Bells. Firebird. (Remix)

(Interlude)

Matter, prudence revenge thing: cognition, feeling, rouser, version.

OUT, Version Michigan! Presto, Version!
Fair comin' there, swimming, Seminary first!

Are revolution bonhomme gone? Nemo, epicle, time.
Meadow, Persepolis, Raat, Queen. Couleurs mission dance, mix, making edit Mercedes code.
Had modula darling, Zelda version ERASE! Cops! Me! Boom!
Edit.

Party, you France. Survivor remix paradise, mix day... LISTEN: escape! Risingson! Song!
Us, cat congo habit. You, Vienna seek slowly, largo.

Hoppipolla avenue.
Us, lake, reaction... Information symphony.

prophecy number one.

Wicked.

We green silence, a...
The Alain Madagascar, this somewhere she marche Tchaikovsky; rien.
Strange chaminade Southampton one (L'arrivee satellite) arclight. Jerusalem, the way.

Phase

Ibiza drunken. Testarossa, the Venus lecture. Shogun, the chestnut caruso.
Mad Shawn lecture, I country piazza.

techno. Output. Without.

Baul Serenada, la generation first, dead. God, Chariots, Silver! RETURN.
35, bizarre us, the... it's bones, Solomon, all... it's map from life.

boyz, waking Liz. Clair any, la "Hercules" against point.

Charlotte, who's Lucy.

Faint thunder.

A few days ago I found my self singing "Yesterday" and realized that I don't know all of the words either.
I was glad no one was around.

Coded Poetry

Here is something I made recently. It is a coded poem in Morse Code. The codes are found in the diacritical marks. The dot is the dot in the center of the T and the line is the dot above the T. I think it would be interesting to have a visual poem as a cryptograph and to have people figure it out. But I do not think people will break the code but to have it like a secret message would be visually interesting, like Nairi's Code Poetry. I hope people can see this clearly, especially the diacritical marks.











For those who do not know Morse code, it says
"This is a code in Morse Text.
This is Morse Text in a code.
This is Morse Code in a Text."

Brian Joseph Davis in Class on Dec 10 !!!

BRIAN JOSEPH DAVIS in class DEC 10 !!!

I finally found his page on UBUweb

and YESTERDUH is there, and otherwise I highly recommend: 10 Banned Albums Burned Then Played (2005), Voiceover (which is very similar to the piece we listened to in class, Johnny) and Eula.

You can visit his website here.

Patrick Miller

Love this guy. Enjoy the simplicity and wit. Especially with this piece "allusive". Not too complicated in terms of content or structure. Something is always happening in his pieces but they never seem too over-thought or over-structured. They are not lazy...just...nice sunday evening visual poetry.

http://www.ubu.com/contemp/miller/millerp_allusive.swf

Propoganda c.1925

Is it considered poetry if it's with numbers?

Adachi Tomomi

I find the work of Adachi Tomomi very exciting. His work involving speech manipulated by various homemade instruments and computer software is especially fascinating. His compositions and improvisations all carry a quirky element, and often push speech and the sounds they are reduced to, beyond what appear to be their limits. Take ‘Ktrp’ for example. I personally find this piece disgusting to listen to due to the sounds resembling those of someone regurgitating. However, it is a good example of how Tomomi develops a certain sound. ‘Gamp’ and ‘Tsh’ were two of my favourite pieces to listen to. ‘Gamp’ is a brilliantly violent piece that extracts, modulates, and grinds speech up to the point that when it is spit out, it resembles nothing speech-like. It really ends up being an explosion of sounds. ‘Tsh’ begins with the entry of a repeated squeaking sound that is sped up and layered on top of itself. The repetition gave me the feeling that I was slowly backing away from the piece just as you would do with a painting, only with my ears so that I ended up listening to it as a whole. All in all, Adachi Tomomi is just a fascinating composer and performer who, in my opinion, deserves more recognition than he already has.

Annie Vought

I LOVE THIS WORK. The use of the handwriting--different handwritings--the distortion of them and the ability to alter the perception of language. "The Next Ten Things I'm Gonna Do Is Get Drunk" is fantastic. Not only the irony of the title but the large, mushed up, incomprehensible writing which gets consistently mushier and more illegible. I really like the way that the title adds to the piece. All of her titles are this way. So often artists ignore the power of the title in enhancing their work, and I like that she embraces it. In the images on her website it's hard to really get a sense of how the work looks (some of it is quite large) in person because it is photographed at awkward angles and even when it's straight on it still is hard to read because of the shadows cast by the light. Interesting thoughts of documentation come into my mind then....Also. "Get out of study hall". That one is great. Yes. Ok. I'm in love.

ASCII ART

PAPER RAD!

Check out Paper Rad's newest web comic "Scrolly Scrolls".  I like it because of its unique format for the web.  You just keep rcolling toward the right as you read it.  It is this kind of constant rush of one image to the next, and the way it all works in a line, almost like some kind of demented film strip.  

http://www.paperrad.org/scroll/

Interesting inspiration for formatting a not only images, but words as well

Also, if you like this then check out Scott McClouds site for other strangely formated comics.  The web makes for a very open ended format for anything.  The link below is to his web comic "The Right Number," and below that is a link to a great related speach he mad at the TED conference. 

http://www.scottmccloud.com/1-webcomics/trn-intro/index.html

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html  <-- SO GOOD!

Bob Cobbing

Bob Cobbing has to be the funniest sound poet!  Alphabet of Fishes has a style unlike any other.  His voice takes on the strange rhythm, almost like breathing.  In the beginning of the song he says the words at this steady pace with emphasis on his breath.  As soon as he establishes this consistent structure, he breaks it with an abrupt, low bellowing noise that catches you totally off guard.  I like how he knows how funny it is, and he draws out the bellow way longer than any other word. 

It is so weird how half way through the song a choir of children's soft voices can be heard in the background, and to me it sounds like he is trying to orchestrate them.  Even funnier still, is when he does that strange thing with his his throat, where he is panting and simultaneously making these high squeaking noises in the back of his throat.  It is so cartoony, and he all the sudden sounds 50 years older.  

I really like how different each of his tracks are.  In "15 Shakespeare Kaku" he is not only funny, but also totally scary and disturbing.  At times it felt like i was getting my ears raped by a consortium of of mutant babies.  I also like how the poem goes through a multitude of different phases.  It is cool how he also uses his voice to create strange ambient noises, and it sounds especially weird when he overlaps it with odd machine-like samples.  

I am fascinated with generating unknown, unexpected forms in image-making, and i see this piece as seeking to accomplish a similar form of experimentation through sound.  Through each wave of noise in the song, a different range of contrast and expectation is established. I have never heard the human voice expressed in such unknown ways.  It is very fun and surreal. 

Seepferdchen und Flugfishche

Hugo Ball's "Seepferdchen und Flugfishche" is one of the strangest tid-bits of sound poetry i have come across so far.  The way his voice and the woman's overlap and interrupt each-other creates the most bizarre cacophony of sound.  One one hand the sounds seem to collapse upon each-other and become one continuous noise.  On the other hand, each sound has such contrast from the last that it give the overall string of noise this crazy sense of ebbing and flowing.  When i close my eyes and listen to it, it is as if the sound is jumping around in space, shooting from the back corner of the room right up to my ear, then zipping up and swinging back down.  It is a very interesting effect applying that kind of abstract expression of spacial contrast through sound.

TRAMVAI

I love the scores Forunato Depero creates for his poetry.  "Tramvai" is a beautiful example.  I appreciate the way he seems to apply al these levels of logic to help inform the way it should be read.  The page is broken up into strangely framed sections, and decorated with a wide variety of typefaces filling up the space.  No one type face seems to be used more than once, suggesting that each phrase of the poem should be given its own unique character. The type is quite expressive too.  Some of it is set at a large scale, and feel strong and deep. Some type is set small and repeats like a pattern, and suggests a sort of chanting or rhythm.  Some words grow in scale by each character to suggest the word crescendos as it's spoken.  The aliqgnment is all over the place too. One line it will be left justified, and the next it will be centered or right justified.  In the poem "Verbalizzazione astratta di Singora" the allignment is realy strange.  Words are set vertically, with only one two each line, and it creates a strange sense of ordered columns.  he also sets type that is read vertically.  It is funny that for a page so packed with different connotations that is articulating non-sensical words, the score still feels like it sticks to a unique and carefully crafted logic.

She is a femenist but she still does the dishes.

kitchen. sink.
KITHCEN SNK.
............kitchen sink? Kitchen kitchen ink?
sink||||||\\\\\\\>>>>>_______!
float kitchenSink() {
sink();
kithchen(0, sin(theta));
}

float theta = kitcheNSNK

kitchensinkkithcensinkkitchensinkkitchensink.
SINK.

......................................................
*sink*
............................................................................ sink.

..............sink..........s..........i.............n...........k..............sinksink.

for int sink(kitchen++);
if(kitchenSink == 0.0001) {

float sink = sink++;
}

.................................. kitchen sink.
kitchen
kitchen
kitchen
kkkitchen^ink
pow(kkkitchen, sin(theta);

kithcen
kithchen
kithcnehn
kithchenth
kitchchenen
kitchennnnnn.





sink.

Week 9 Workshop

CalArts

I am listening to "K-9 Was in Combat with the Alien Mind-Screens" and it seems to make sense. Not the words in sequence so much, but the broken words are deliberate, as is the gradual slowing of tempo. The sound itself inform the odd, dystopic mood more than what is being said. That is not to say that the words are meaningless, but they are difficult to follow as a story; the random word standing out informs more.

There is a static-laden radiocast now. It too is difficult to follow sequentially, but I can tell that it started speaking more of the war and shifted to local sports. After a point no single channel can be heard, but two or more at once, making the induced confusion more profound.

The emancipation of poetry

William Burroughs makes an interesting point about poetry in "The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin". He announces that poetry and all prose is really constructed of cut-ups of words. This is true in life, as what we do when we speak, compose an essay, interpret a speech, is extricate words from the number of articles that we collect in our memories and reconstruct them in a manner that gives them meaning, at least to us. By doing this, he, like Tristan Tzara, allows poetry to be accessible for everyone. He emancipates poetry. Poetry is for everyone. The downside of this realization is that the value of poetry may decrease in value to some. "Poetry is for everyone", Tzara said... and chaos ensued. Poetry in its traditional form, was not meant to be accessible to the public. It was the art form of the "educated", of the bourgeois. To pluck it from this exclusive market and make it available to the masses would be to renounce it as an art form. Or some may think.

First hearing William Bouroughs breakthrough in the Greyroom, I though he was saying random words in a non-linear fashion, as if he is making stream of consciousness. I had likened that idea of having to read aloud stream-of-consciousness, until I found out he did the hat trick. They are all just excerpts about drug life from his stories and mix them together. That was kind of disappointing for me but I could always try that out from the top of my head. It would be interesting to find a stream of conscious audio poetry created just at the start of the recording.
Another interesting thing you (Matt) mentioned is the difference with audio/visual poetry from video art from Bouroughs' "Hello/Yes" film. I had wondered if there is a border between poetry and fine art and music and you had pointed out to his film. What gives it that limit? Is it the combination of film and audio that stands it apart from poetry, the film itself, or the repeated words (despite having different tones)? Probably film as I have yet to see or hear about a film as poetry, even visual. Unless there is, then where is the line drawn?

A transliterated poem would be interesting from Caroline's reading of different versions of the translation. Even a pictographic or semanto-phonetic.

Mairead byrne

GROOMING

I brush with your father's soft silver brush,
which you love, for it smoothens the surface,
asks no questions, like his hands, hurriedly
settling, before lighting a cigarette.

Then with my brush, which you hate, difficult
fingers rake, immune to your cries, insistent
on manifest destiny, idée fixe
of encroachment, I will know, I will know.

I take up the fine tooth comb, snout nosing
blankly along white runnels of scalp, north
to south, snuffling for inroads, thrust back
again and again by covert refusal of hair.

I change tack, airlift from the interior,
send foot patrols out, skirmishing on the perimeter,
stalking unfurrowed brow, skirting the pools
your forehead exudes — your hairline presses
out beads like the crowns of the princesses
you draw — as silence falls down

and I come to the delicate country
at the back of your neck, my Burren flower,
damp tropics at the down-covered nape,
my only one, exposing the mauvish inlet,
naive skin, candid hollow (which took
such ages to cover) to risk of the sun.

I lift molten strands, copper straps, ox-blood
ribbons, I sift and I pin, caught in the task
of placement, displacement, separation
a dream that evades until,
abandoning instruments, I plunge in,
I handle your warm weight of hair,
rummage through it, meditative as a cat

remembering the ache of this head, or
was it this head, under my ribs before
birth, then the rudeness of passage
and after, when it still needed propping,
already turned from me, neck red and stunned
with milk, this head which I almost own!

remembering long afternoons in the schoolroom,
slow storage of heat from high windows
hair heavy as a hat on my listening head

lulled now, resistance to blunt finger-tip
fades to nudge slips to shift at my touch

I unfold skein after skein, layer loosing
layer, lustrous fiber, tessellation
sans syntax, blonde heliograph, amber
chatter, criss-cross of russet on gold,
burnished chaos, semiotics of shafts'
gleam and glint, now, at its most maddening,
the hair opens up to me,
yields from its mass the particular
rhythm of the singular hair
like a poem from debris of drafts
child from the pit of birth
it seems that at last I can know
one living hair of your head, for nothing
to the diligent expert is impossible,
my consort my familiar my mate.

At night you lie finished beside me,
heaped on our bed, sculpted
in light from uncurtained windows,
inviolate as marble,
anointed at forehead and throat
with the rank oil of the mother,
sleep clothing each exit and entrance
that morning gives access to —

the imperious voice has turned in,
imperious finger that points
to this button, that nail,
collaborative silence that submits
to my stroking, fastidious
naming of parts —

And still your fingers furl towards me,
still the incessant winkling of time,
involuntary donorship of parts.
I trade my red meat for all your soft substances,
your harvests of hair and skin.
You repay your debts in scales and secretions
and a threat (that you will always sleep with me),
your blood pulsing onward as I relapse

afraid to look at your milk-teeth
to mark the first signs of decay

And still your fingers furl towards me,
while your head, hair tied tightly back,
bent in dream, explodes on a vision
of Adam and Niamh, as you hear it,
gallantly naked and riding the waves,
Niamh's golden hair whipping round them,
astride her white mare and galloping
from Eden to Beann Éadair, Howth,
from Paradise to the Land of Youth.

The bright diadem breaks out!
You sort through the myths I have funneled you
for fear you might think I am God.

Poetry or Motion Graphics?

I really like the animated work that Penelope Umbrico and Sam Stark have done. By showing words in multiple contexts, written in multiple ways you give them a deeper meaning. They put together something that is both visually interesting and thought provoking while still remaining simple.
One could also compare the animation Typolution to these pieces as well, although I think of Typolution as more of a motion graphics piece than a visual poem. I am wondering what defines the difference between visual poetry and art or animation? How animated can one make a poem before it is simply just an animation? Does the presentation of the piece also effect how the audience is reading it? Am I to assume that anything and everything that i find on ubuweb is poetry? And for that matter, why would something that is supposed to be a fine arts piece or poetry piece be on youtube? For me, the fact that I am watching something off of youtube has a huge impact on how I read the piece. I see youtube as a promtoional site, used for posting videos that might promote or advertise a company. I don't see it as an art space, unless the art is aware of the effect of youtube.

some random things

http://annievought.com/

http://web.mac.com/washford/Wills_Words/Artists_Statement.html

http://nickm.com/poems/progress.html

Background Noise

Mairead Byrne's Bagdad piece stood out to me the most last week. It was a continuos trance of the turbulent times in the middle east as reported by our news sources. More specifically however, I related it to being almost like background noise. As if it was CNN being on in another room reporting on the latest bombing, attack or distress in Bagdad. From afar and every so often you would here these keywords of war, as Byrne's Piece seemed to echo, in a more concentrated form. Maybe it would be interesting to combing her exact words to sound bytes of the exact phrases as reported in the news.

The new meaning of Baghdad

Mairead Byrne poem on Baghdad was interesting and I found it relevant in todays situation. However, I feel her referencing Baghdad negatively almost seems like propaganda. Baghdad is a beautiful city and although I have never been there I have found the word to know have so many bad connotations. She plays off those to add drama to her poem yet does not really engage me as the listener. I was not able to relate.

Daniel Corrigan

Week 9

For Class Week 9 - 11 19 09 - Post a Blog Response by 2pm the day of class to the materials shown below - We're looking at two artists William S. Burroughs (near historical) and Caroline Bergvall (contemporary), continuing our seesaw comparison between contemporary work and historical contexts. The rest of the works cited here are short papers about concrete and material poetics - most refer directly to concrete or visual poetics - and touch lightly on sound poetry - though some address sound poetry more directly. These are all short papers and most by artists whose work we have looked at and talked about in earlier classes - be sure to read all of these and be ready to discuss them in class.

William S. Burroughs - Cut-up method of Brion Gysin
various cut up techniques on UbuWeb sound – esp. Breakthrough in the Grey Room - tracks 1-15
Film - The Cut Ups

Caroline Bergvall -
Via
Eclat

Max Bense
Concrete Poetry I
Concrete Poetry II

Eugene Gomringer
From Line to Constellation
Concrete Poetry
The Poem as Functional Object

Nogandres Group - Pilot Plan for Concrete Poetry

Paul de Vree - Manifesto

Öyvind Fahlström - Manifesto for Concrete Poetry

Roland Greene - The Concrete Historical

Derek Beaulieu - "an afterword after words: notes towards a 'concrete poetic'"

I enjoyed listening to Mairead Byrne speak her Baghdad poem. Each time she said "Baghdad" if felt like a break in the flow of the poem purposefully placed to remind the listener (or reader if that is how one comes across it) where they are, as it can be easy to shift attention in one's mind while listening to such a repetitive text. It helps to be shocked back every few seconds, especially with such a currently-loaded word.

It appears that most of these early sound poems are very similar to each other. It sounds very linear and almost structured while the words are either nonsense or comprehensible. It is almost more like a regular structured, rhythmic poetry in a different language. I would wonder how the audience first reacted to these new (in their contemporary) pieces. It sounds like a typical poem without the translation. They might be expecting a translation until it is just nonsense. Although I wonder if any might have somehow drew a connection with the nonsense to scat singing of jazz and (if any would know) pansori. The later sound poets listed, like Carlfriedrich and Cobbing have taken the audio form of poetry in a less structured way. It is almost musical, mechanical, or nature-like. It is less human in that sense that they are expanding sound beyond written words, or rather comprehensible words. I wonder when did that break from the typical structure occured? Dada Visuals, especially Marinetti's Manifesto pieces are rebellious to the academic styles, but the sounds are typical, if not including content. Would the content be like art for art's sake? Dada is, in a way, to save and rebel art and academics for sake of art. Does this idea continue beyond Dada as well?

Khlebnikov's Grasshopper sounds almost just like my Mongol Piece--the participation one.

Word as sound

Just as visual art is art created in space, audio art is created in time. This leaves purely audio-related art a limited number of things to utilize in expression: dynamics, pitch, tempo, rhythm, tone, timbre, texture, and articulation. What makes music or poetry interesting is the manner in which the above are selected and combined and used to affect the listener. Take Christian Bok, for example. Pitch does not seem to be a major concern to him, but he does utilize rhythm in ways which make his performances exciting. Despite the fact that his relentlessly aggressive utterances do not demonstrate distinct variations in tempo, his use of rhythm is what gives the poetry character. I would imagine that Bok would have been incredibly popular with the Zurich Dadaists. Rhythm appears at the forefront in Mairead Byrne's work as well. In "Baghdad", the repetition of the word "Baghdad" throughout the piece creates a driving rhythm not unlike the kind that Bok employs or even forces on the poetry he performs. Byrne's performances, however, seem to be on the other side of the spectrum in terms of the use of tone and volume in expression. This does not mean that it is expressionless, but that it allows the natural driving rhythm of the text to speak for itself. Having said all this, I find the work of both artists, with their very distinct styles, very enjoyable.

Week 8

For Class Week 8 - 11 12 09 - Post a Blog Response by 2pm the day of class to the materials shown below - many of which we looked at and talked about in class... and there are some repeats here from last week as there was too much to cover and I'd like us to linger with some of this work

Sound Poetry 1910s and 20s
Sound Poetry 1914-19
Dada For Now
Hugo Ball
Raoul Hausmann
Richard Huelsenbeck
Isidore Isou
Kurt Schwitters
Velimir Khlebnikov - Sound1 - Sound2
Vasilij Kamenskij

more recent historical soundpo
Carlfriedrich Claus
Bob Cobbing
Canadian SoundPo - especially the Four Horsemen and Bill Bisset

contemporary - these we've looked at a couple times - and I'm re-emphasizing here because there is much to be taken from these artists
Christian Bok
Jaap Blonk –
Ensemble Ordinature
Tomomi Adachi

Mairead Byrne
Baghdad - text - sound
Another Self-Portrait - unfortunately I can't find a recording for this

Grandaddy music video

Grandaddy - Jed's Other Poem (Beautiful Ground) musicvideo by Stewart, 2005 "Programmed in Applesoft II on a 1979 Apple ][+ with 48K of RAM. Seriously." www.stewdio.org/jed/

Review

What I found the most interesting was the work of Nicole Dextras. His use of environment and world surrounding him shows through his work. The whole series is interesting because he is also talking about the fact that art can change over time depending on the environment it is in. I also find the Dada group fascinating for there use of typography as not only image but for the sound we see within the image. Kurt Schwitter sound poems are so strange yet to me make so much sense. I can see the image through his words. I feel the the group through there magazine was able to bridge the gap of sound as an image and it shows through his printed work. His painted The Cherry Picture, 1921 seems so abstract yet it flows with the colors he is using.

-Daniel Corrigan

Week 7

For Class Week 7 - 11 5 09 - Post a Blog Response by 2pm the day of class to the materials shown below - many of which we looked at and talked about in class...

contemporary work we didn't have time to discuss in class:
Craig Dworkin – especially "Soundpoem (for Tom Raworth)" - note Lautgedicht translates to Loud Poem
Nicole Dextras – Frozen Words –

more contemporary work
Bruce Andrews with Dirk Rowntree -
Eric Rosolowski - WMD, 2006 -

Sound Poetry - near contemporary
Henri Chopin Sound - Image (including a sound poetry score)
Ernst Jandl - Image -
Sound

Sound Poetry 1910s and 20s
Sound Poetry 1914-19
Dada For Now
Hugo Ball
Raoul Hausmann
Richard Huelsenbeck
Isidore Isou
Kurt Schwitters
Velimir Khlebnikov - Sound1 - Sound2
Vasilij Kamenskij

a good short article telling a short history of sound poetry

more recent historical soundpo
Carlfriedrich Claus
Bob Cobbing
Canadian SoundPo - especially the Four Horsemen and Bill Bisset

contemporary
Christian Bok
Jaap Blonk –
Ensemble Ordinature
Tomomi Adachi

Response to
Five Words in a Line
and
Five Words in Red Neon
:

Five Words on a Blog.

Simple, self-reflexive works are easily dismissed because they feel accessible. There is not much thought put into decoding them because they are what the words comprising them say they are. What is interesting about simplicity is what people try to find hidden in it.

A response to BooBs and Vagigina:

As far as sound poetry, I still wonder if there is a border between poetry and music or if there is none at all. I have noticed that not all sound poetry needs to have a human voice or vocalisation, like Adachi's jacket. But is there a fine line in how that piece is not to be compared to a concerto, unless that distinction is based on the creator's content and purpose of that piece. If a composer makes a song and labels it as a poem, it would be poem, is it? Or that poetry has a border in what makes it a poem while music is broad and would include poetry as part of music as well as art, or vice versa.

I believe this piece is music but it sounds like poetry (to me). It is from Sakha (Siberia).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWcPn8hY5Ck&feature=related

(To Matt, this link is the one I am talking about with that sort of vocalisation and how it is hard to write out the sound.)

Malcolm Goldstein Sound Poem

Excerpt from Malcolm Goldstein
Illuminations form Fantastic Gardens, 1974 (for vocal ensemble)

word sound image advertising

Ok - I can't believe I'm doing this - posting an advertisement as an example, so I'm posting another as a kind of counterpoint, both for >surprise< absolut. It's amazing how the first commercial makes you realize how easy at least a couple of the options would be to realize and probably how relatively inexpensive the commercial was to make. The second is the first in a three part series with Zach Gallifianakis and probably the whole three part series was probably also none too expensive.

(you might want to open them both in a new window on youtube as they don't exactly fit on the screen otherwise)

enjoy

Week 6

For Class Week 6 - 10 29 09 - Post a Blog Response by 2pm the day of class to the materials shown below - many of which we looked at and talked about in class...

Gertrude Stein - Five Words In a Line, 1930 -
Joseph Kosuth - Five Words In Red Neon, 1965 -
bp Nichol
Michael Basinski - b printed -

word sound image in various mediums as 'fine art'
Freiedrich Achleitner -
Ian Hamilton Finlay
Ferdinand Kriwet
Marilyn Rosenberg –

contemporary
Sam Stark –
Penelope Umbrico – especially "Your Choice" -
Craig Dworkin – especially "Soundpoem (for Tom Raworth)" - note Lautgedicht translates to Loud Poem
Nicole Dextras – Frozen Words –

speaking piano

I referenced this in class so thought I would post here:

Week 2/3

After me being sick for a couple weeks - here's a list of resources - many we looked at in class - but there's new stuff here too.

Contemporary work:
Brian Kim Stefans - Star Wars & Winter Was Hard

Tan Lin - Echo 1 -


Historical work:

visual...
Digital Dada Library Collection
Check out these especially: 291 391 Der Ararat Blindman Cannibale Dada Der Dada Litterature Merz Proverbe De Stijl

from a similar time period and from the European tradition:
Paul de Vree
Max Bense

from Brazil (and nearby)
Pedro Xisto
Salette Tavares - Portugal
Decio Pignatari
Augusto de Campos
- Sound
Haroldo de Campos
Ronaldo Azeredo
Clemente Padin - Uruguay

back to Europe and the US (coming close to contemporary)...
Eugen Gomringer
Arrigo Lora Totino
Gerhard Ruhm
Ronald Johnson - USA 1935-1998
Hansjorg Mayer - Germany b 1943
Mary Ellen Solt - USA 1920-2007

Class Cancelled Today!

Hi All I'm crazy sick and cancelling class today - check back here for the assignment for next week - and if you were workshopping this week I will contact you to reschedule - otherwise - for now let's keep the workshop schedule for next week...
Week 3 - 10 08 09
1. Gabriella Rhodeen
2. Jake Patterson
3. Barney Patterson

Post

Opt post to post for apt to post. More post, post post.

Rabbit by Run Wrake

Barney Patterson - Assignment #1

Last weeks introduction to sound poetry was a real ear opener.  Last year I learned about Nick Cage and I think it helped open me up to this kind of wild, tameless expression.  The sound poets we listened to, such as Hugo Ball,  showed me how much power rests in the voice alone.  The kind of range of contrast in vowels and consonants that is possible in the voice blows me away.  The voice is such an interesting platform for abstraction.  

What really throws me off , and what also attracts me to this kind of abstraction of the voice, is how I already have such concrete predisposition to the way i think of speech.  English has provided me with a rational structure of how to perceive sounds.  However, it has simultaneously blinded/deafened (haha) me to the possibilities of sound making.  Hugo Ball has an ability to see structure in sound, outside of the confines of language.  For me, English has shaped of I make sound.  Hugo Ball on the other hand, is able to navigate through sound in a way free of conventional grammar, and logic, yet so meticulously articulate that which he is saying.  Although it sounds like a language I don't understand, I am still swept up by the emotion and rhythms in a way that engages me and interests me.  The strange logic behind the construction of these sounds provokes me to follow the sounds, turn them around in my head, and some how make sense of what i am hearing.  It is just as beautiful as studying the formal contrasts in an abstract painting.

More questions than emotion..

Having been exposed to the expression of sound poetry for the first time during class evoked more questions for me than emotions. Because it was something new to me, it was interesting to learn there existed a form of expression that seemingly blends the use of vocal patterns and sounds in the aim to do what traditional poetry did - that is poetry that involved language. Admittedly, there isn't much I know about poetry to begin with, but the tangent of sound poetry abandoning all sense of established language, at least from the material displayed below, was something that led me to many questions. Things like what the thought process behind this exploration of poetic sound was, or what is the specific meaning or intent that is carried in the string of phrases and vocals. Perhaps they are not all that different from my perception of what language poetry is or does? Maybe I will find more answers to more exposure, to learn more about what at the surface appears to be gibberish with rhythm.

The use of visual poetry was also something new to me, but seemed to be something I was more drawn to. Visual poetry such as Stéphane Mallarmé's "One Toss of the Dice Will Never Abandon Chance" seem to take advantage of word placement on the surface, incorporating a sense of artificial timing and rhythm completely dependent at how the eye will read, an interesting factor to consider in this type of poetry.

Week 1 Response

The sound poets we listened to in class were amazing and thought provoking. I had heard some of the original futurists perform their sound poetry, but to hear a modern re-contextualized version of a classic/s was great. I think the many versions of the same poem is remarkable- it shows that this material is not stuck in any form and is open to many interpretations. It was like a trance listening to some of these poets speak this language- that kind of performance requires a strong technical and emotional connection. Those pieces are full of so much passion and drive (although they seem to be nonsense) that the real challenge in them is adding intent and meaning. To speak, or produce sound is such an immediate human action. These sound poetry pieces sound immediate and important, amidst their confusion and chaotic sounds. Mixing sound and word and image calls for a hybrid of these different forms to co-exist- this is exciting to me. I am beginning to think about how my own work can involve a mixed media like sound, image, word.

Poetry?

Miriam Webster dictionary definition:
1 a : metrical writing : verse b : the productions of a poet : poems
2 : writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm
3 a : something likened to poetry especially in beauty of expression b : poetic quality or aspect

Poetry. It is such a vast form of expression that appears to be ever developing, ever expanding. What then differs poetry from other writing? Or even from other art forms?

If we went with the first and second definition of poetry provided above, then pretty much anything that pertains to some measurement of time and evokes some kind of feeling or meaning. Would this then, not be considered poetry? Or this? Or this?

It is amazing how far you can stretch the boundaries of language, and just how much you can play with it. Compare Ball’s sound poetry with Young-hae Chang heavy industries ‘digital literature’ and Ligeti’s music. Just as Hugo Ball’s lack of comprehensible text brings attention to other factors such as tone, and overall concept, Ligeti’s poeme symphonique for 100 metronomes which lacks tonality, shifts the focus on to the relationship between the different tempos. Consider Young-Hae Chang’s work ‘Where’d all the smart guys go? was one of my favourites from the exhibition at LACMA. The combination of dissonant music and the emptiness of the black and white text juxtaposed with the robotic voice created a feeling of irony that complimented the text perfectly. There is something incredibly hilarious in a robotic voice feigning confusion and asking thought provoking questions.

All of these works are created in relation to time, and all trigger some kind of response, whether positive or negative, emotional or even physical. Every single one of them is poetry.

I find it very interesting to see poetry altered for a more visual and auditory form, possibly content. There are many different forms of visual poetry that even the content of the pieces appear entirely different. Is there a greater connection to all of the pieces besides being labeled within the genre of visual poetry, communication, and use of words/letters?
Most of the contemporary sound poetry I find here are gibberish with sound effects. Although Dada use gibberish to prevent anyone using their pieces as war propaganda but do contemporary sound poets use the same content today? Would any care if sound poetry be considered music or part of it? Some of them sound musical or lyrical, like the Schwitters piece.
On a different topic, I was afraid that (modern) visual and sound poetry would be more eurocentric. It is a good thing that ubuweb refer to non-western types of poetry which I find myself particularly drawn to. Their forms with the modern version are similar to make the link at least.

Gabriella Rhodeen, Post 1

I am still having trouble seeing the emotional or political drive behind this work. The ability and agility in sound poetry is incredible. The image poetry is like graphic design--focused on aesthetic balance and contextual importance or focus. I wonder what the image poetry does to the actual content of the poem, the text. Does that matter? Is that the point? Does the meaning, as in sound poetry, sort of...leave the picture? The sound poetry effects me in a very physical way, I find myself leaning closer, closing my eyes, smiling. My body becomes entirely engaged in the experience because my mind isn't really able to grab on to anything. Because it's such a new medium to me I struggle to connect to the work in a way that stays with me. The visual poetry is attractive and intriguing and the sound poetry is impressive--I wonder, what is their capacity for change, growth and social impact? In my own work these are the questions I focus on most passionately and often I find myself asking those questions about other mediums or metiers. I'm interested to explore it and also open to the idea that this medium may not be centered in the artistic values I've come to attach myself to.

My 1st Sound Poem (not singing)

also up for discussion...

Week 1

For Class Week 1 - 09 24 09 - Post a Blog Response by 2pm the day of class to the materials shown below - many of which we looked at and talked about in class...

Visual Poetry:
Early Visual Poetry - http://www.ubu.com/historical/early/index.html
Stephane Mallarme - http://www.ubu.com/historical/mallarme/index.html
Guillaume Apollinaire - http://www.ubu.com/historical/app/index.html
sound - http://www.ubu.com/sound/app.html

Sound Poetry:
Sound Poetry 1914-19 - http://www.ubu.com/historical/sound/index.html
Hugo Ball - http://www.ubu.com/sound/ball.html
Christian Bok - http://www.ubu.com/sound/bok.html
particularly his version of Seepferdchen und Flugfishce (Seahorses and Flyingfish) and the Ursonate
Jaap Blonk – http://www.ubu.com/sound/blonk_flux.html
particularly his version of Seepferdchen und Flugfishce (Seahorses and Flyingfish)

Die Sonata in Urlauten - Ursonate:
Kurt Schwitters - http://www.ubu.com/sound/schwitters.html
Ursonate - http://www.ubu.com/sound/ursonate.html
particularly the versions by Jaap Blonk, Christian Bok and Adachi Tomomi

of further interest...
Blonk Organ - http://www.jaapblonk.com/Organ/blonkorgan.html
Maja Ratkje - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpPU-xQXfAg
shhhhhhhh op #1

Tomomi Adachi - http://www.ubu.com/sound/tomomi.html
Yumiko
Namahage-Mint
Minna no Uta (Song for Everyone)

Brian Kim Stefans - The Dreamlife of Letters
Scriptor - http://www.arras.net/?p=238#more-238

Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries - Main Page
The Struggle Continues - click here
and their work in the show Your Bright Future currently up at LACMA

Syllabus

CS 328 : The Word as Sound & Image
Fall '09 Thurs 4 – 6 pm A217

Instructor:
Mathew Timmons
e: mtimmons at calarts dot edu
ph: 661 253 7716
office hours by appointment

Description:
Artists have long incorporated text into visual work and typogrpahers have taken text beyond simple inscription, while the spoken word has been used by artists like Burroughs and Gysin and composers such as Robert Ashley in ways that go far beyond the page. This class will look at modern uses of text in sound and image, especially in electronic mediums through sound collage and visually in flash and other programmed mediums. Dynamic vispo artists such as Brian Kim Stephans and Jim Andrews and organizations such as the Electronic Literature Organization have pushed beyond the hypertext and net art of the dot.com nineties, into a space less obviously 'cutting edge' and into a time when artists and writers have to seriously consider why something should be on the page and why not andor why on a screen and why not. This class will look into the tropes and techniques of the electronic medium, reflecting on earlier uses of the word as sound and image to discuss how much of the new is in new media and how much of the old. Using more general theoretical/practical texts such as N. Katherine Hayles and Anne Burdick's Writing Machines and Ellen Lupton's Thinking with Type we will situate ourselves and the work we're looking at/listening to in a broader discussion of media and its effects and influences. We will look at anthologies such as the Electronic Literature Collection, Volume One for examples of work to be critiqued/discussed and as models for our own work. Students will investigate the possibilities that flash software and sound editing tools can offer them at even a basic level, and although they aren't expected to be programmers, they will be expected to take risks and see how far they can push a beginner or intermediate level of technical knowledge.

Goals:
To investigate the sound of words as well as their representation in imagery and how representation affects their reception as well as how to bend reception of the word through sound or image, typographically or sonically. We will work in a very practical lo-fi manner in a hi-fi, hi-tech realm and explore how much can be done with an introductory knowledge and general familiarity with available tools.

Attendance:
As this is a workshop/discussion class, attendance is essential and will be accounted for at each class meeting. Each student is allowed three absences. A fourth absence will result in a grade of NX.

Coursework:
Weekly reading/viewing and Artist's Responses handed in and posted to the class blog
(http://wordsoundimage.blogspot.com)
Two Workshop Sessions/Presentations in class
Mid term portfolio project
Final portfolio project


Grading:
10% Class Participation
20% Artist's Responses
20% Workshop/Presentation
25% Midterm Portfolio
25% Final Portfolio

Blog Responses:
Responses to the readings, when assigned, are due by noon on the day of class. Roughly 10 of these will be assigned—you must complete at least 6 to receive any credit. These should be short responses to the work we review each week that focus on a particular aspect of interest to you. Post your response to the class blog (http://wordsoundimage.blogspot.com) and print out a copy to hand in during class. You are encouraged to use the list of Exercises handed out in class as writing guides for these assignments. Also, you are welcome to do 'artists' responses—by posting media work to the class blog, or if you are doing something that isn’t easily presentable in blog format, arrange something with me beforehand and we will figure out a way for you to present work during class.

Workshop Presentations
Each Student will present their work twice during class for comments from class. These presentations should be at most 20 minutes and include 5 minutes for questions and comments from the class. For each presentation you should bring examples of one or two things you have found relevant to your work—you can pull from materials we have gone over in class or from work you have found on your own (if these things can be found on the web please post links to the class blog). All students will be expected to take notes during these presentations and to hand their notes to each presenter at the end of class.

Midterm Portfolio - Due November 5
The Midterm Portfolio is due in class at the Midterm. It is important to turn your portfolio in on time - each week it is late you drop a grade level for the assignment. Turn in a selection of materials you have been working on in the class up to this point in the semester. It is expected that you turn in more than just what you presented during the first round of workshops, but it is fine to turn in incomplete projects you are working on, and you should certainly turn in the original materials you presented in Workshop as well as any changes you made based on feedback from classmates. You are also expected to turn in a 750 word description/discussion of the materials in your portfolio that references at least two other artists we have looked at in class or that you have researched on your own.

Final Portfolio - Due December 17
The Final Portfolio is due in class on the last day of class. There will be no extensions of the deadline. Turn in any projects you have been working on during the semester for this class. You should certainly turn in the original materials you presented in Workshop Sessions as well as any changes you made based on feedback from classmates. Turn in one other project separate from the pieces you presented in Workshop Sessions. You are also expected to turn in a 750 word description/discussion of the materials in your portfolio that references at least two other artists we have looked at in class or that you have researched on your own.

Workshop Schedule

CS 328 : The Word as Sound & Image - Workshop Schedule

First Half

Week 1 - 09 24 09
1. Kat Grode
2. Tom Curitore

Week 2 - 10 01 09
1. Adeline Newmann
2. Marcus Pontello
3. Aaron Carretti

Week 3 - 10 08 09
1. Gabriella Rhodeen
2. Jake Patterson
3. Barney Patterson

Week 4 - 10 15 09
1. Zac Ezrin
2. Eugene Moon
3. Carlos Romero

Week 5 - 10 22 09
1. Janell Hughes
2. Joseph Nivens
3. Zac Ezrin
4. Adeline Newmann
5. Shawn Allen

Week 6 - 10 29 09
1. Ingrid Lee
2. Casandra Scarlett
3. Nathan Phelps
4. Carlos Romero
5. Daniel Corrigan


Second Half

Week 7 - 11 05 09 - Midterm Portfolio Due
1. Jake Patterson
2. Daniel Corrigan
3. Eugene Moon

Week 8 - 11 12 09
1. Kat Grode
2. Adeline Newmann
3. Tom Curitore

Week 9 - 11 19 09
1. Joseph Nivens
2. Ingrid Lee
3. Casandra Scarlett

Week 10 - 12 03 09
1. Gabriella Rhodeen
2. Zac Ezrin
3. Aaron Carretti

Week 11 - 12 10 09
1. Marcus Pontello
2. Katherine Leipper
3. Barney Patterson

Week 12 - 12 17 09 - Final Portfolio Due
1. Nathan Phelps
2. Janell Hughes
3. Carlos Romero