- I've read that your handwriting is
really difficult to read. When does asemic writing begin and end?
Thanks for
this opportunity to put my thoughts into words Piotr - it's a good exercise. I
just want to say from the outset that although I have an academic background,
much of work is done outside these parameters of learned knowledge. By this I
mean, there MAY be theoretical references/guidelines, but my work and thoughts
are mostly intuitive. As I have not formally addressed quite a few of the
questions you raise, my views may change rapidly J!
Asemic
writing - (we all know this): Exploration of the term ‘asemic writing’, reveals
that there are very few variations in definition. It is generally perceived to
be wordless writing, with open, or no semantic content. This means that it may
actually be part of a preliterate phase, although it is often relegated to a
post-literate phase. Pre-literate is lost when obtaining legibility. It’s
almost the return to abstraction when very able artists - I think of Picasso
started to shed reality in order to find an essence. One can replicate reality
- and then what? One can write, and then what? How does the language artist use
writing as subject matter? It cannot appear as ‘words’/phrases on a canvas - it
appears as sentimental or obvious (not that I am against either in the right
context); therefore writing becomes abstracted. Creative investigation into
WRITING I think will naturally abstract it. Let me say too - a lot of what we
see is without concept or philosophy, it appears just decorative - again, no
problem with that, but the work has no depth and I think this lack is what
causes many arguments as to the validity of this art form. So perhaps that's
the beginning of asemic writing - before the start of legibility? Its end…we
haven’t got there yet! Perhaps we will end up with minimalist works like Korean (1962 and 1963) by Jo Baer.
Through primary school we are all taught to write in a
uniform way, but strangely, this drawing form has a life of its own. It’s not long before each
student has his or her own interpretation of the alphabet and as adults; it is
not unusual for many to return to a scribble form. So that would confirm the
notion that asemic writing happens in many instances before even learning to
write legible script?
I would take this to mean that it’s essence is
childlike and intuitive, an abstract expression of what children see adults do.
As their verbal
skills may still be largely unformed when this play begins to occur, one could
infer that the child’s intention is
to communicate, but in a very personal way - a self informed way. A child’s
line of writing scribbles may not even resemble letters or words, and as they
can speak before learning to write, they attend to wholeness first (the lines)
rather than singular units (letters). Learning to write, as we all remember, is
a lengthy and complex process, bound by blue lines and particular size
requirements. How I battled to conform and even now, the sight of official,
tiny blue or green blocks into which I have to squash my garrulous, unruly
letters becomes a cause for alarm.
Children
also employ a multisensory approach. I term this ‘the zone’. I see it when
students are working on an art piece they are completely engrossed with - they
hone in as more senses are engaged, and they become one with what they are
doing: concentration is sharpened as a faintly trancelike state is achieved. Asemic
writing works the same way for me. My writing IS difficult to read - and that
was done on purpose J - I had a LOT to say about a great deal
of things, but they are secret things - things which need to be written, but
not read. So, I just adjust the legibility of my writing in order to be
understood - or not - depends on the audience. My writing is then a fluid
space, dependent on recipient.
An important point here for me: many have
said that asemic writing, because it has no semantic content has no meaning. I
beg to differ here in terms of my own practice. This is of course where the
discussions, contentions and debate enter the fray. What is asemic writing? How
does the individual describe it, as opposed to a collective definition? Is it
only asemic when it has no meaning? Does the vacuum of meaning asemic writing
is intended to address mean that because I write with meaning that it is
therefore not asemic writing, even though it is illegible? Is asemic writing
just an extension of visual poetry? Is it possible that because I write with
illegible intention, but with intention none-the-less, I leave no space for the
viewer? Of course not! I know I create two types of asemic writing - the asemic
glyph which is loaded with conceptual meaning - (I definitely load it - if the
reader cares to load it - or not is not mine to determine), and illegible but
meaning-filled script. An example of asemic glyphs would be the Bhubezi
Alphabet.
- Over two hundred people sent their
mail art to the exhibition "Mail Art Makes the World a Town"
organized by you. How did you do that?
In 2010 I joined IUOMA -
International Union of Mail Artists (Ruud Janssen, Netherlands). This move
proved key to about 3 years of intense personal artistic growth and international
outreach. Mail Art in South Africa is not a common practise at all - it’s very
time consuming, demanding (if you want to be on top of the game) and, if you
follow an unspoken rule - you return artwork when you are sent artwork. If one
is generous with the network, it is very generous back, and in two years I had
a massive amount of correspondents and was the proud owner of BOXES of Mail Art
- all of which was viewed with my eyes only…I brought some South African
artists into the ring, but sadly, I am not in contact with anyone in South
Africa who is still a part of this practice.
Anyway, I
decided to share the wonderful gleanings in the form of an exhibition. Something
which still remains today as a result of that exhibition (as far as I am aware
the only one of its kind in South Africa), is the assembly book - Mail Art Makes
the World a Town - I borrowed the phrase from the Novgorod Codex - see: http://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=3909
# 18 of this publication is about to be assembled.
I will stop at 20 as that appears to be a good number and postage has become
prohibitive. Some parts of the world are also charging for postal collections
and some items are returned - Argenita for example is proving difficult. The
assembly book collection has given the most intruiging results and some artists
such as TICTAC (Germany) have participated from the beginning.
She and I
still maintain very close artistic communication as I am in complete admiration
of her work.
Another
offshoot has been The New Alexandrian Library. I have one of the biggest
collections of Artists Books in South Africa. I think there are over 1000.
http://www.cherylpenn.com/Mail_Art_Makes_The_World_a_Town___Catalogue_by_Cheryl_Penn_(South_Africa).pdf
- What is the key to good communication
in experimental art?
Communication
through successful, experimental art (I use this term in its imprecise
definition except to say it is the exploration
of new ideas in order to extend the boundaries of ‘art’) lies in the ability to adequately express
the very personal realm of the subconscious. That I think, may be a key to
success: it should be conceived and presented in a personal way, without
resorting to shock value. It should be technically sound - by this I mean:
those who try to pass off badly made, ill-conceived works as ‘experimental’,
should rather keep those experiments as part of a visual diary and not expose
the work to the public until the ‘experiment’ is ‘successful’. One does not
feed a bad baking experiment to the public - ones’ close companions may be
subjected to a ‘taste and tell’, but not the public. I would define
‘experimental’ as the making of thoughts flesh. Being able to communicate
thoughts, realizing them from the abstract to reality. The result of a thought must
be accessible - if that is ones intention. As I said, sometimes I wish to
remain ambiguous, but in saying that I am still communicating in a respectful way to an audience who I
hope will gain SOMETHING from what they are viewing. Very importantly, successful
experimental art should have a conceptual/philosophical underpinning. I realise
that may offend many, but nothing for nothings sake is not to my taste.
- Can you tell us something about your
biggest solo artistic project?
I have had
solo exhibitions, but I am essentially a collaborator - I far prefer the sound
of an enormous choir and the impact it makes to a piping solo - no matter how
beautiful. There is a power and togetherness that lies in working collaboratively.
So my ‘solo-ness’ often lies in being the conceiver, executor, collector and
curator of a collaborative project. For example, my biggest work (still
ongoing) is An Encyclopedia of Everything. This is a collection of nearly
600 small books which deal with EVERYTHING.
See: https://an-encyclopedia-of-everything.blogspot.com
I have
swopped book for book through this body of work, so I have made A LOT OF BOOKS!
This goes back to your previous question - how does one successfully
communicate through experimental art? Books for me are the perfect medium for
experimental art - and vade mecums are even better still. Not all ideas are
good, but all ideas crave a voice. In giving an idea a platform, one leaves space
for better things to emerge - creative strangeness which often are hidden
behind an intial thought.
Having said
that, on the day you sent this list of questions I had decided to have another
solo SOLO exhibition. This will take place D.V. at Eye4Art Gallery, opening 31
August as an ‘event’.
P.S. - the
exhibition was VERY successful - for which I am grateful. It involved paintings
with 15 layers per work. Yes - I suffer from ADHD!
Come to think
of it, I have another very large project which is a few years old - The
Authentic Massacre of the Innocent Image. I do paintings - some upwards
of 3 meters long and cut them up. I will do a ‘performance’ - I’m not sure if I
like that word - called The Sacrilage of Van Gogh on that
day where I cut a very laboriously produced copy of Starry Starry Night into
24 pieces. I have cut up 105 paintings! There are pieces of my work all over
the world, and quite a few are used as book cover for handmade books. I worked out that's nearly 200 square
meters of work.
Another
collection of books as I mentioned earlier is The New Alexandrian Library. This
too is a collection of artists books - mostly unique, or limited editions where
I have swopped with artists all around the world. I have literally hundreds of
books to document - I think it will take me a lifetime - sadly, but I will put
out a catalogue of at least 60 of them when I get a minute.
http://newalexandrianlibrary.blogspot.com
- I've watched a report about
#FeesMustFall student strike in South Africa on Al Jazeera. What do you think
about paying for studies?
To be honest
I left lecturing at University because of politics - internal and student! I
think studying is a privilege which comes at a cost because it has a value, but
I think I will leave my thoughts there. I don't ‘do’ politics, although I do
‘do’ religion. I miss the days of constructive and respectful debate, before
everything became politicized.
- You teach lots of courses, visual
poetry, asemic writing... Is your teaching a form of promotion of experimental
art?
Very
definitely, but more than that, I think it is a gateway to intuitive creative
freedom. There is always a product, but for me, as a process based practitioner,
process opens many doors to intuitive thinking. The cross-pollination of disciplines
creates new thinking patterns and allows successful movement from the concrete
to the abstract and back again. The subject matter of my courses is writing -
it could have been portraiture/landscape, but everyone can write - and have a personal form of handwriting,
created from their own brain-eye-hand action. The following will give you an
idea - it comes from my summation notes on the first module:
In the introductory class we saw that portraits operate on many levels, using different techniques. Although we are creating art, we are using a landscape
of language to explore the visual image.
We are using words - their look and feel - their power to give a
palimpsest quality to artwork. We have discussed the liminal space in depth: what is its function?
How does it function? What anxious, but exciting journeys open up for us
in this space? A good thing to remember is that every searching person has
liminal spaces in their lives. These spaces (the distance between what we know
and don’t know, or the unploughed tract between where we are, to where we wish
to be) exist in everyone’s lives: the trick is to grant them a voice. As soon
as we acknowledge ‘I don’t know’, we begin the journey ‘to know’.
We discussed the abundant
metaphor of the seed, the fact that it is the promise of life, a liminal
space where, with the right treatment, something miraculous happens.
The courses are very experimental in nature, and some people balk at my
methodologies, (which includes narrative therapy techniques) not quite GETTING
their experimental nature - until they DO get it! I have wonderful success
stories - which is great to me. Every time I give I class I take it too - I am
teacher and participant, so I am as much involved in the process as everyone else.
In fact, on Saturday an architect wrote and said that two years later she is
still unpacking what she learnt on this different sort of journey.
- How can a hobbyist be a great artist?
Yes - by becoming
proficient in their craft and expanding their own boundaries of what
constitutes ‘ordinary’.
- You wrote once about creating a
mythology. Can you tell us something about it?
You brought
up another of my favorite, neglected solo artistic works! One which I have
taken out, and dusted off for the upcoming exhibition - so thank you. The
Bhubezi Mythology (Bhubesi is ‘lion’ in Zulu) is the story of the Women
Who Hold Up the World.
See: https://bhubezi.blogspot.com/
Basically it
is the story of 10 women (at first there were 8) who are taken from history in
one or another way, and it tells the TRUE story of these mystery women: Mona
Lisa, Hatshepsut, Pandora, Magenta, Lyrech (that's me - my name spelt backwards
as the scribe) - with her assistant Pehemefer the Egyptian, Hypatia, (from the Alexandrian
Library), Empress Zhangsun, Shahrazad (from 1001 Nights), Cynisca (a Spartan
woman who broke into the male olympic games and won a gold in her first chariot
race) and The Traveller. There are a varity of assorted guardians of these
women including the Global Flaneur, Pilot, Singer to Sleep, Tokoloshi, The Red
Giraffe, Lammasseu - and not too many others that I can think of. The mythology
involves their REAL origins - for example Pandora. She did not like the
advances of a prominent townsman, so he slated her and blamed her for all the
evils in the world by saying she was the origin of evil. In reality, she was
the one who gave us blue butterflies and the Charlston.
Here follows
the article for the limited edition catalogue for Letters to Spring:
The
Bhubezi Mythology begins with the unraveling of a unique book titled The
Chronicles of Lyrehc, found quite by accident in 2008 by a researcher in an unused library repository at the Durban City Hall. What follows is the
story as best deciphered by the researcher who wishes to remain anonymous. The
following has been garnered from her notes:
"The
Bhubezi Tribe, a race of warrior women has been here far longer than we,
living among us when need be, but generally inhabiting another 'olam'".
They had migrated from the center of the earth to Durban (Nabrud) where, in the
area of the Durban City Hall they constructed a transport machine with which
they could do intergalactic travel.
Colonial
architects designed and built the Durban City Hall, a classic neo-baroque
structure right on that spot in the early 1900’s. Once the solid, physical structure
of the City Hall was in place, the transport machine became increasingly
difficult to use. This was due in part, to the extensive subatomic deconstruction
of body molecules needed to bypass the monolithic edifice. Eventually, only one
woman could do this - The Transporter.
But all that is lost in the annuls of time. It appears as though the result of several attempts to use the machine in order to repair the Pillars of the World has resulted in Magenta and Sienna being lost Between. Their attempts to fix The Bridge at the divide requires certain KEYS. Since that time, others have cottoned on and an entire litany of people, some known to you, and some not, have entered the battle to save the Bridges Between. There are only two extant books relating to this mythology, Volume 1 (The Chronicles of Lyrehc) and Volume 2, which is on display for the exhibition. Whoever chooses this book, or rather, whoever this book chooses, will find themselves entwined within the mythology, voyaging with The Traveller and daydreaming with The Red Giraffe.
Just to let you know, history, much of it, should be
re-written, but it’s convenient that it remains as is. This way, the Women Who Hold Up the
World work undetected at keeping society functioning in a hostile world; they
keep familes together while LIFE attempts to tear all the goodness from within
fragile (more fragile than you would ever believe) human structures. We only
have a feeble grasp anyway. You’d be SURPRISED at the people who have traversed
the pages of history and who are part
of this story: Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, Pandora, van Gogh, Hatshepsut: Hapshetsut
- there’s and interesting person - let me just fill you in on some details
regarding this Egyptian Pharoah-ess.
Hatshepsut is
said to have reigned for 22 years - but of course we know this is not the case (refer Chronicles of
Lyrehc). In EXACTLY 1510 BC, Hatshepsut had
the vision of the loss of the Bridges Between. Together with Ineni the great
architect, it became her ambition to build structures, which would house
articles needed for Bridge
repair. The buildings and their important contents would need to last (human
time) until the appearance of the Red Giraffe and the Traveller - and appear
they did - (See The Authentic Massacre of the Innocent Image, Paintings # 65, #
66 and #67). But lest I
overwhelm you at this stage, I’ll leave the story here - after all, another
portrait of this Bhubezi Queen WILL
be found and the chronicle will continue. As for Hatshepsuts Needle - that's
another WHOLE story!
For the
exhibition, van Gogh and his younger brother were involved - the REAL Starry
Night had to disappear into the hands of as many people as possible. It was a
performance piece.:
The Sacriledge of Van Gogh
I’m sure
you’ve read of Vincent’s tempestuous relationship with his brother Theo. But
are you one of the few who know there was a third Van Gogh brother, Cornelius, who
was raised in the Netherlands, but worked, married and died in South Africa -
(don't believe all those
facts
you read either). If you did know this, you DIDN’T know that Theo sent the
painting The Starry Starry Night to
Cornelius in 1890, just prior to his very suspicious death. It was sent that he
could be the official custodian of this work, vital to mending the Bridges
Between. Have you every wondered why Van Gogh painted like he did? He could actually SEE the portals to Between.
Back
to Cornelius; in 1889, at the age of 22 Cornelius came to South Africa working
as an engineer, first for the Cornucopia Gold Company in Germiston and then for
the Nederlandsche Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij in Pretoria. He died
(as history goes) during the Boer Wars, but actually, he was held as a prisoner of the Moorish Derwish until
the end of the Second World War. He
died, never revealing the hiding place of The
Starry Starry Night. I cannot reveal how I came into possession of this
artwork, but I have it in my custody as you see before us today. I also have a
letter written to me by Cor Van Gogh, giving me instructions as to the fate of
this fabled painting.
