Andrew Brenza : Ex-Press Letters, by Fernando Aguiar

Ex-Press Letters, Fernando Aguiar
Timglaset, 2021

 

 

 

 

For fans and practitioners of visual poetry, the publication of new work by the legendary Portuguese artist-poet Fernando Aguiar is always an exciting moment, and his second book from Swedish publisher Timglaset is no exception.

Titled simply Ex-Press Letters (2021), Aguiar’s book is a series of 58 letterpress and Letraset visual poems, generally arranged in a vertical manner upon warm backgrounds of quietly painted bands of watercolor.  Overall, the book engages the reader/viewer playfully, gently, almost peacefully, like a series of walks through the countryside. To view the pieces in Ex-Press Letters is like watching the silhouetted flittings of songbirds among fields of tall grass that sway almost imperceptibly in a sun-touched breeze. Here is one of my favorites from the book:

 

The peaceful qualities of Ex-Press Letters stand in contrast to the the strong sense of movement and evocations of narrative found in the dry transfer minimalist poems of his first book with Timglaset, Poems Without Words (2019). Composed of only a letter, parts of letters, or a few letters at a time, the black and white pieces of Poems Without Words dance and laugh and cry as they explore the dynamics of scale and page space, seeking to reveal the idiosyncratic personality and inner life of language’s materiality.  Here is an example:

 

  Besides showing Aguiar’s range as a visual poet, these two books also exhibit the same sense of play, the same curiosity about and exploration of the expressive qualities of language’s visual components in search of alternative forms of poetic expression. But the poems in Ex-Press Letters feel somehow stiller, quieter, than the pieces in Poems Without Words. They seem somehow outside of time. Perhaps it is that the pieces are more uniformly constructed with a vertical orientation. Perhaps it is because of the inviting color palettes of the backgrounds or the generally conventional orientation of the letters on the page. Whatever it may be, it is, nevertheless, interesting to note that the author composed these pieces in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and is only publishing them now. Despite this knowledge about the chronological age of the pieces in the book, one could conjecture that the poems were composed as recently as last year, last month, or last week – a remarkable accomplishment, indeed. Here is another beautiful example:

Beyond the gentleness, there is also a heightened sense of anonymity in Ex-Press Letters that results in feelings of welcomeness and acceptance. As one could think of a physical landscape as anonymous, as belonging to no one, as accepting the physical body of anyone who enters it, the pieces of Ex-Press Letters seem to invite, welcome, even reassure and accept, the viewer. Again, while the precise mechanisms that engender these feelings are likely a complex combination of the Aguiar’s deft techniques, the result and effect are so congenial that one is simply aware of being happy and of being made happy, through the freedom of visual exploration.  As the author notes in his description of the book on Timglaset’s website, “It does not have a title, author's name or any other informative reference. This information is only reproduced on a transparent banner. If the banner is lost, there is no way to identify the book …". But it is the implication of this gesture that is truly important, an implication that constitutes an acknowledgement of and respect for the humanity of the viewer. Ultimately, the triumph of Ex-Press Letters is its ability to allow the recognition and enjoyment of one’s own humanity through the work.

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Brenza’s recent chapbooks include O (nOIR:Z), Geometric Mantra (above/ground press), Poems in C (Viktlösheten Press), and Waterlight (Simulacrum Press). He is also the author of a number of collections of visual poetry, including Automatic Souls (Timglaset), Gossamer Lid (Trembling Pillow Press), Alphabeticon & Other Poems (RedFoxPress), Album, in Concrete (Alien Buddha Press), and Spool (Unsolicited Press). He newest book, Smear, was recently released by BlazeVOX Books.

Andrew Brenza : Evidence of Absence, by Michael Orr

Evidence of Absence, Michael Orr
Timglaset, 2021

 

 

 

Michael Orr’s Evidence of Absence (Timglaset, 2021) is a book of 54 visual/concrete poems organized into three sections. In it, Orr gathers the cultural detritus of the last century (pieces of language, snippets of blueprints, suggestions of graffiti, pieces of technical drawings, representations of medical paraphernalia, images of body parts, particularly teeth) and re-purposes them into new unities that counter the profound anxiety, fear, and despair of the current age.

While it might seem that Orr’s use of this fragmented multitude of cultural, epistemological and artistic reference points might serve to create a sense of meaninglessness or absence by their very accumulation, Orr’s careful hand is able, rather, to create dynamic harmonies of shape and form that offer comfort and pleasure. This isn’t to say that Orr’s work ignores the possible emptiness at the root of the human endeavor, or the tragedy of human failure. Instead, looking at Orr’s work, one has the feeling of someone wandering among the ruins of civilization, gathering the apocalyptic rubble into new orders that are open and indeterminant and that show the emotional and psychological way forward. In other words, the pieces give new significance to familiar visual material, often transforming the sinister into succor. This is the magic of Orr’s work.

In an interview with Piotr Szreniawski, Orr says in response to a question about what he would like to achieve in his art:

“I just want to feel good. I don’t want to worry. I don’t want to be anxious. Maybe selfish but I don’t just want these things for myself, I want everyone else to feel this way too.”

Although this statement would also serve rather nicely to describe the aim of Evidence of Absence, it is worth noting the characteristic understatement and humility present here and in Orr’s work, in general. It is this humility and understatement which underlies the images of Evidence of Absence in such a way as to suggest the kind of generosity and gentleness needed for transformation. In short, Orr’s pieces do not so much invite the viewer into them as lull the viewer into the experience of the images. Looking at Orr’s work, one finds oneself feeling good, less anxious, and it is only after that recognition that one can go back and begin to figure out why. This too is the magic of Orr’s work and the magic of Evidence of Absence in particular.

Lastly, all analysis aside, the poems in Evidence of Absence are simply gorgeous and a pleasure to view. In the words of Sommer Browning, who provided a blurb for the book, “They are dazzling…and they convey how truly beautiful the urge to connect is.” I don’t think it can be better written than that.    

 

 

 

 

Andrew Brenza’s recent chapbooks include Geometric Mantra (above/ground press), Poems in C (Viktlösheten Press), and Waterlight (Simulacrum Press). He is also the author of five collections of visual poetry, Automatic Souls (Timglaset), Gossamer Lid (Trembling Pillow Press), Alphabeticon & Other Poems (RedFoxPress), Album, in Concrete (Alien Buddha Press), and Spool (Unsolicited Press). His newest book, Smear, was released by BlazeVOX Books in March 2021.

Joakim Norling : The Making of Judith

 

 

In early 2019 Amanda Earl approached me to ask if I would be interested in publishing an anthology of women making visual poetry, edited by her. It was a project which she had been thinking about for some time but not approached a publisher about. I had published Amanda’s ‘Revelation’ a couple of months before and she was pleased with the design choices I had made. At the time Timglaset Editions had been publishing chapbooks, artists’ books and quirky little objects for a little more than two years. Timglaset’s first perfect bound book was still a couple of weeks into the future and the thought of publishing an anthology with multiple contributors and maybe a hundred pages or more seemed daunting. Of course I accepted.

That was the start of the most exciting and exhausting project I have been involved in as a publisher. I had very vague ideas of what a publishing project of this magnitude might entail. As a publisher I was aware that about 90% of the submissions I got were from male poets and artists but could see for myself that there were many women regularly posting work on social media who never submitted their work for publication. I was also aware that women were strangely absent from the history of concrete and visual poetry. Amanda’s proposed anthology wanted to address the erasure of women from the history and present of visual poetry and I could see that there was a real need.

Between us we could easily think of about a hundred names that might be considered for inclusion in the anthology but none of us was very satisfied with that and we embarked on a journey of discovery which at the time of writing has resulted in a list of 1179 living women who make, or at some point in their careers as writers and artists, have made visual poetry. Getting to know the work of hundreds of very diverse, but brilliant and inventive, women has been one of the great joys of this project, which at some point was named in honour of one of its oldest participants, Canada’s Judith Copithorne, who started making visual poetry in the 60s and continues to do so today.

When we set out I could more or less intellectually fathom that an anthology involving multiple contributors would also mean that the amount of problems and decisions would multiply. But I wasn’t prepared for the scale of it. Luckily Amanda has turned out to be an editor of unearthly patience and perseverance, quietly documenting everything in spreadsheets, steadily pushing ahead when I have been secretly despairing. Over time “probably a hundred pages or more” has evolved into a 260-pages anthology with more than 160 images, contributions from 36 artists and authors from 21 countries. And add to that three essays, a round table interview and a foreword by Johanna Drucker. That scale of ambition was certainly not in my mind when we started out. The dreaded phrase “wouldn’t it be nice if…” got a positive ring to it, for the simple reason that most of the ideas Amanda brought to the table made the project stronger and made sense to me in relation to the mission we had set ourselves.

At the moment I’m designing the last few pages -- acknowledgements, colophon, table of contents. In a matter of just a few weeks ‘Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry’ will be sent to print. Both Amanda and I have spent hundreds of unpaid hours making this book but thanks to overwhelming support for our crowdfunding campaign it will be printed and distributed without financial risk to me, the publisher. For this and for being taken on this incredible journey I’m eternally grateful. And I suspect it isn’t quite over yet.

By the way, does anyone out there enjoy packing hundreds of books? Please get in touch!

 

The crowdfunding campaign for Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry is live until April 21 at https://igg.me/at/judith/

 

 

Timglaset Editions is a publisher of visual poetries and other forms of expression which blur the boundaries between literature and visual arts. Since 2016 we have published more than 50 chapbooks, full collections, posters and objects. Timglaset is based in Malmö, Sweden but has an international audience.

Joakim Norling is a 50-something university drop-out who has a dayjob in editing. After spending many years writing about music he got sick of his own words and discovered concrete poetry. Since then he has spent most of his spare hours editing, publishing, packing and sending Timglaset books.

Amanda Earl : Women at the Vanguard of Visual Poetry, If Only We Had Known: Overcoming Erasure to Make Connections Between Past, Present and Future Women Making Visual Poetry

 

 

 

 

When I began research on Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry, I had only a vague notion of the women visual poets and artists who had gone before, but I had heard a lot about the men. I knew of Ian Hamilton Finlay and Bob Cobbing from the UK, bpNichol from Canada, and the Noigandres Group in Brazil. Emmett Williams’ An Anthology of Concrete Poetry, published by Something Else Press in 1967, is considered to be a foundational anthology, is freely available as a pdf on UbuWeb, and has been reprinted in the 21^st century in different versions, including one in Braille, but it includes only two women. In fact, other key anthologies from that era range from between 0 and 6% women. Anthologies publishing the work of visual poets in the 21^st century have a representation of between 12 and 21%. We’ve come a long way, baby. Yeah right.

I’ve seen Cobbing, Finlay, Nichol and the Noigandres Group written about and mentioned all the time, but I hadn’t seen or heard much about women concrete poets of that era.

I started making visual poetry in the mid aughts and was told by numerous male visual poets, editors, and publishers that few women made visual poetry. I didn’t know of the rich and empowering history of women practitioners, whether they were called concrete or visual poets or artists. There have been many. It would have galvanized my practice at the time. This is one of the reasons I believe Judith is a necessary book.

I see connections between the work of earlier women makers of visual poetry and contemporary practitioners. It is my hope that women today and tomorrow will be inspired to create and explore the rich history of women making visual poetry. That this visibility will lead to creating and opening spaces for women, knowing that they are not alone and that the work they are doing is valid.

The publication of Women in Concrete Poetry: 1959-1979 by Primary Information in 2020 features fifty women creators and is a welcome and long overdue book. Many of these women began working with concrete poetry in the sixties or earlier but few were included in the anthologies of that era.

So overshadowed are historical women visual poets and artists working with language elements that many people don’t have any idea of their achievements and work. Doris Cross is considered to have been the originator or an early practitioner of erasure poetry. Beginning with the dictionary in 1965, she used techniques such as overpainting and collage to erase sections of text. Today, there are numerous women and non-binary artists continuing this tradition. Erase the Patriarchy, An Anthology of Erasure Poems edited by Isobel O’Hare was published by University of Hell Press in 2020. Yasmine Seale, a writer and translator from Arabic and French is currently working on a new translation of The Thousand and One Nights, using erasure. Sarah J. Sloat’s great book, Hotel Almighty published by Sarabande Books erases Stephen King’s Misery. The Spanish artist, Mar Arza cuts text out of book pages to create stunning hanging sculptures.

Judith’s contributor, Ines Seidel of Germany has used similar techniques in her work, cutting out sections of newspapers, so that collective stories take on the shape of the news and making them tactile and wearable, showing a relationship between the body and the news. From our list of over 1100 women making visual poetry, published in Judith, we have identified at least forty-four women using erasure techniques, and I’m sure there are much more.

Flora F.F.  Stacey is credited or rather rarely credited as the first creator of typewriter art in 1898 with her typewritten illustration of a butterfly. I never heard of her until I read Typewriter Art published in 2014 by Lawrence King Publishing and edited by Barrie Tullett.  It turns out that there were many women who worked with the typewriter, Letraset, rubber stamps, letterpress, carbon paper, the mimeograph machines, photocopying and other early technologies.

In her essay, Handle with Care: A study in (poetic) fragility, first published in Jacket 2, and republished in Judith, Kate Siklosi refers to “Jewish wartime refugee Mira Schendel’s “carefully layered panes of rice paper covered in dry transfer collage, where the letters appear pristinely englassed, trapped in amber, are exemplary of the limitations and liberations of the medium.” Annalisa Alloatti, one of the women featured in WiCP, used a Braille machine to create “thick columns of dots that troubled the concepts of verbal and pictorial meaning.”

Contributors to Judith, such as Johanna Drucker, Kate Siklosi, Petra Schulze-Wollgast and Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt, who also appears in Women in Concrete Poetry, have made use of obsolete or older technologies in their work as has Dani Spinosa with OO: typewriter poems; however, even in contemporary articles about such, not one woman is mentioned.

In her foreword to Judith, Drucker talks about working in a male-dominated print shop in the seventies in California, an environment that wasn’t particularly welcoming of women.

In the biographies in WiCP, you can read about the roles of the women in various artistic movements and groups, as participants or founders, such as Lettrism, the Noigandres Group, Spatialism and more. One of these is Sonja Åkesson, a Swedish poet who the book refers to as “a leading figure in the New Simplicity Movement.” Pris, her collage book used readymades and cut outs from advertising catalogues to represent the everyday. In Judith, Ankie Van Dijk, Hiromi Suzuki, Cinzia Farina, Erica Baum and Mado Reznik continue the tradition of using collage techniques in their work, salvaging materials, combining photography and vintage magazines, engaging with play, materiality, and minimalism.

Bianca Menna, used the pseudonym Tomaso Binga to parody male privilege and made concrete poems written in an invented language that resisted patriarchal norms. Her Alphabeta murale turned positions of the body of a woman into an invented alphabet. Looking at her work now, I think of how I would have longed to know about it.

Ana Hatherly played with the illegibility of writing through her drawings . Invented languages, alphabets, and dream symbols are the stuff of asemic writing, a form with numerous women practitioners today. In her essay in Judith, “A World of Signs: Women of Asemic Writing,” Natalie Ferris writes that asemic writing gives women the chance to challenge the “patriarchy’s monopoly on meaning.” In Judith, asemic writing is a major thread in several contributors’ work. Dona Mayoora and Rosaire Appel explore connections between light and line.  Ferris also discusses the reclaiming of a traditionally male-dominated art, Arabic calligraphy and word painting by women, such as Firyal Al-Adhamy, whose work appears in her essay.

Maybe we can trace the use of computers for visual poetry to artists such as Gay Beste, who worked at the University of Minnesota’s computer lab and photocopied hand-drawn letters and plotted them on a ColComp plotter. Her work evokes my own visual poetry made using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, or the work of contributors to Judith: Kimberly Campanello, Iris Colomb, and Judith Copithorne.

In her essay in Judith, “Light and Code: Digital Ecologies of Poetic Form,” Fiona Becket presents the virtual reality work of Australian artist Mez Breeze and the extended poetry of Stephanie Strickland, discussing how such work responds to and augments the human sensorium and expands the work of electronic literature. Other future trends in visual poetry might include work with environmentally friendly materials such as bio-resin. For example, Astra Papachristodoulou’s poem objects made with bio-resin are featured in Judith.

In my statement in Judith, I name Copithorne as an influence on my own work. She began in the sixties by making hand-drawn work and has used a range of techniques and media. In her most recent work, she works with Adobe Illustrator to create colourful combinations of words and geometries. Judith includes colourful, vibrant work by Mara P.  Hernandez and Satu Kaikkonen.

American artist, Amelia Etlinger appears in WiCP. She was not well known in North America in her lifetime. She made everything from four-foot high tapestries to two inch bundles of poem-like packets that combined fabric, beads, Japanese paper and found materials. She has only two pieces in WiCP and they don’t represent the range of her work, which can better be studied on the University at Buffalo’s digital collection, the Amelia Etlinger Collection. Judith explores the thread between craft and language in a round table interview with women who use needlework, textiles, and elements of language in their art. Part of the interview is published in the book and the entire interview will be published on Timglaset Editions.com.

Mirella Bentivoglio was an Italian artist, performer, concrete poet and writer who, if I’m understanding what I’ve learned, became a curator when she discovered the poor representation of women in the Italian art community. She went on to curate twenty-seven international exhibits of women artists and concrete poets and established a network of women. Poesia Visiva: la donazione di Mirella Bentivoglio al Mart was published in 2011 by Silvana and contains over 300 works by women visual poets and artists. It’s a revelation! Bentivolgio is the model and inspiration for my curatorial work with Judith and other initiatives to learn about and amplify the voices of women, 2SLGBTQ, BIPOC and D/deaf and disabled writers and artists. It’s an ongoing labour of love.

Please go to our IndieGoGo Crowd Funding Campaign to support the publication of Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry: A 21^st Century Anthology, forthcoming from Timglaset Editions, May 2021.

 

 

 

Amanda Earl (she/her) is a queer, polyamorous, pansexual feminist who writes and publishes from her 19^th floor apartment in downtown Ottawa, Canada. Earl is managing editor of Bywords.ca and fallen angel of AngelHousePress, and the editor of Judith, Woman Making Visual Poetry, forthcoming from Timglaset Editions in 2021. Her poetry book, Kiki (Chaudiere Books, 2014) is now available with Invisible Publishing. She’s the author of over 30 chapbooks. Her most recent chapbook is a field guide to fanciful bugs, a visual poetry book of whimsy published by above/ground press. Visit https://linktr.ee/amandaearl for more info or connect with Amanda on Twitter @KikiFolle.

Accompanying image: Ines Seidel – Wearing the News II, 2020. Also published in Judith, Women Making Visual Poetry, A 21st Century Anthology, Timglaset Editions, 2021.