Thursday
Feb192009
Thursday
Feb192009
INTROspective
Thursday 19 February, 2009 For the first part of the show, “Volumes,” Lee soaked old books in water until the pages warped, then manipulated them into geometric shapes, twisting several books together to create a cube or a solid wheel. Wrapped around each other, almost as if they were clinging for dear life, the books seem trapped, their drenched covers frozen. The pages are smoky white, reminiscent of dirty snow; whatever these books once had to say has been erased.More at The Book Bench.
Thursday
Feb192009
Small Press Treasures
Thursday 19 February, 2009 Yesterday, I received a cubic-foot box of small press publications, which I had one via an online auction without knowing what was in the box at all. Luckily, the box was filled with many interesting books, and plenty of strange little small press publications. Tonight, I described some of these for Tom Beckett, and I've decided to repeat those descriptions here, because these are each rare enough to deserve a little exposure.It's oddly fascinating listening to someone describing books, especially when they're as original and carefully assembled as these.
While you're at Geof's blog, also check out this, this, this and this.
Wednesday
Feb182009
Scott Thurston Reading at Openned, July 23rd 2008
Wednesday 18 February, 2009 in Scott Thurston [wpvideo G4epnWJR] At this reading the poets Scott Thurston, Alex Davies, Sascha Aktar, John Wilkinson, Sean Bonney and Frances Kruk all read. In the second half, Sean's performance featured Frances Kruk making small eery sounds on a loop peddle, her sounds working to sink Bonney's Commons poems into a wash of colour-murmur // haunted-fracture (Sean also took some snuff during the reading). As per usual I think I forgot to turn the camera on for the second half, but the video above features Scott Thurston as he was the first poet to read at the night. I always get the first poet. The layout of the room was different this time. Alex and I try to re-imagine the space in some small way for each reading. This time the poets read against the long wall on the left hand side of the Foundry instead of using the back wall as the backdrop. I think the shadows formed a good and physical context for the readers. We also covered over a bulb with an orange crate which seemed to provide an interesting glow. This spatial arrangement also meant that the poets reading had the option of stepping onto the rotating metalic plate that sits in the middle of the Foundry's vault. Originally we intended this space for the poet Ulli Freer, we thought he would really be able to work with the circular space that stretched out before the readers. Unfortunately he could not make it.. or we could not find him... one of the two. However, Sean made good use of the space, pulling the wooden plinth that some of the poets chose to read from (the plinth first appeared for the Jerome Rothenberg reading back in 2007) into the centre of the space banging his right leg onto the floor to the rhythm of the words (its strange that this is the predominant thing I remember from the reading). Anyway more documentation for this night to follow.
Wednesday
Feb182009
Recording The London Scene: Frances Kruk At Crossing The Line, 2008
Wednesday 18 February, 2009 in Frances Kruk [wpvideo cRJT8qRd] First Half Reading. [wpvideo 1z2Pju8i] Second Half Reading. This is a recording I made at the London reading series Crossing The Line in an upstairs room of a very nice pub called the Leather Exchange (near London Bridge Tube). The first video is a recording of the first half of Frances Kruk's reading which she gave sometime mid 2008. The other reader this night was Hazel Smith. The format of Crossing the Line is to have two poets read, each reading in each half for 20 mins each. The second video is a recording of Frances' second half reading from her book A Discourse On Vegetation and Motion (Yt Communication, 2008). Frances has also read many times at Openned and a review of her work by Richard Barrett can be found in the Openned Issue - Winter 2009. Crossing the Line is organised by the poets Sean Bonney and Jeff Hilson. Thank you all for the reading organisers/poets. Openned posts reguarly about Crossing The Line events.
Wednesday
Feb182009
Kenny Goldsmith / Edwin Torres at the BPC 02/07/09
Wednesday 18 February, 2009 [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kpCT-RsjDM&eurl=http://ululate.blogspot.com/2009/02/kenny-goldsmith-reading-at-bpc-27.html&feature=player_embedded] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XhgFcnkgA0&eurl=http://ululate.blogspot.com/2009/02/edwin-torres-at-bpc-2709.html&feature=player_embedded] via ~~ululations~~
Wednesday
Feb182009
Bob Arnold ~ "Twenty-Eight Poems & Two Interviews"
Wednesday 18 February, 2009 Tuesday
Feb172009
Anna Ticehurst Reading at Openned, 21st October 2008
Tuesday 17 February, 2009 in Anna Ticehurst [wpvideo qPBO4eeI] Anna Ticehurst was the third poet to read at the Openned night on the 21st of October. She concluded the first half. In the second half the first section of the Allen Fisher video was shown, followed by readings by Adrian Clarke and Francesca Lisette. Sadly I think my camera battery died and the sounds can only be found in the brick of the walls.
Tuesday
Feb172009
Little Red Leaves
Tuesday 17 February, 2009 Issue 3 now online, featuring:
- Elizabeth Barbato
- Eric Baus
- Sarah Campbell
- Linh Dinh
- Bonnie Emerick
- Adam Golaski
- David Hadbawnik
- Tung-Hui Hu
- Lisa Jarnot
- Erica Kaufman
- Richard Kostelanetz
- Rick London
- Sheila Murphy
- Dennis Philips
- Jocelyn Saidenberg
- Sun Yung Shin
- Bronwen Tate
- Jessica Wickens