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Thoughts of a Dot as it Travels a Surface

5/13/2018

4 Comments

 
Christina Vantzou & John Also Bennett
ZIN TAYLOR'S “THOUGHTS OF A DOT AS IT TRAVELS A SURFACE”

Shelter Press
​
LP from Forced Exposure
​
Download from Bandcamp
Picture
Thoughts of a Dot as it Travels a Surface, at Forced Exposure
More than just an example of blatant nepotism, I have to express my pleasure in this beautiful new recording by Christina Vantzou and my son, John Also Bennett.  It consists of a sounding or interpretation of a visual work, a drawing by Zin Taylor on the walls of a gallery.  Unlike Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, which is a suite of pieces, Vantzou and Bennett's work is a single long piece, (though several tracks are listed), evolving through numerous changes.  It owes something to ambient music, but is much more developed and meaty than most such work, perhaps due to its grounding in a large visual artwork.  The music involves the use of electronics, flute, and piano, and is, amazingly, a recording of a single live collaborative performance, a performance which fully engages one's attention, and rewards repeated listenings.  

This work is a prime example of the interconnectivity and collaborative nature of the arts; for example, the fact that much sound poetry derives from asemic or visual poetry texts, which are sounded or performed as if they were scores, a practice much engaged in today in avant-garde literary, Fluxus, and performance venues today.

“Thoughts of a Dot as it Travels a Surface” is a beautifully produced high-quality LP with a large fold-out print of the art on which the performance is based, and ample textual discussions on the inner sleeve.  Don't pass this one up!

Editor's Note: this article on Thoughts of a Dot as it Travels a Surface was originally published at EC on April 12, 2018 in the now obsolete/discontinued REVIEWS section. I have re-published it here on John's page by his request.
4 Comments
Jeff Central
5/13/2018 15:58:54

Welcome John!!

Reply
Rafael González
5/13/2018 16:45:13

Great! I love seeing you here, John!

Reply
C. Goff III link
5/13/2018 16:47:14

My comment on the original "Reviews Section" post did not follow this here re-publication, so I offer it again...

You did not mention that this artwork was a "90-meter panoramic wall drawing." That's a BIG wall. I particularly like the piece on this album:
Alfred Hitchcock Haze -- very PSYCHOdelic. Nothing wrong with nepotism; this album is well worth a listen.

Reply
Dave Fuglewicz link
5/14/2018 19:12:33

Welcome John, good to see you here.

Reply



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    Picture

    JOHN M. BENNETT
    OPENS HIS MOUTH

    John M. Bennett has published over 400 books and chapbooks of poetry and other materials. He has published, exhibited
    and performed his word art worldwide in thousands of publications and venues.

    ​He was editor and publisher of LOST AND FOUND TIMES (1975-2005), and is Founding Curator of the Avant Writing
    Collection at The Ohio State University Libraries.

    Richard Kostelanetz has called him “the seminal American poet of my generation”.

    His work, publications, and papers are collected in several major institutions, including Washington University
    (St. Louis), SUNY Buffalo, The Ohio State University, The Museum of Modern Art, and other major libraries.
    His PhD (UCLA 1970) is in Latin American Literature.

    His latest books are:
    - Select Poems, Poetry Hotel Press/Luna Bisonte Prods, 2016 
    - The World of Burning, Luna Bisonte Prods, 2017
    - Poemas visuales, con
    movimientos con ruidos con combinaciones
    (with Osvaldo Cibils), Deep White Sound, 2017
    - The Sweating Lake
    Luna Bisonte Prods, 2017
    - Olas Cursis
    Luna Bisonte Prods, 2018

    John M. Bennett & Nguyen Đao Claude - 5 S/M/O/K/E JMB after Ivan Argüelles after JMB

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