Jim Leftwich, SUBJECTIVE ASEMIC POSTULATES, PART 2 - 2015
SUBJECTIVE ASEMIC POSTULATES, PART 2
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Asemic writing did not evolve from handwriting, it
emerged from typewriting, and more specifically
from typing on a keyboard for a computer screen.
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Asemic writing developed from typography, not
from calligraphy.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing is derived from the manipulation
of letter-arrangements in words, phrases and
sentences.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing did not come into being as a
result of emptying the mind and imitating
the processes of nature. It came into being as
a result of activating the mind and analyzing
the processes of writing.
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We can read things that are not written. We can
be frustrated in our attempts to read things that
are not written. But we gain nothing and learn
nothing by choosing to call things that are not
written asemic writing. We look at the sand on
a beach, or the bark on a tree, or the ripples in
a stream, and we can if we wish say that we are
reading what we are looking at, or that we are
unable to read what we are looking at, even
though in some ways it reminds us of writing,
but it does not become writing if we take a
photograph of it, it only becomes a photograph,
and it does not become writing if we make a
rubbing or an imprint, it only becomes a rubbing
or an imprint.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing began as a kind of experimental
textual poetry, not as visual poetry or visual
writing. It was in a sense a by-product of the
processes of recombination, permutation,
improvisation, and iteration.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing has as one of its immediate
antecedents my experiment of rewriting a
John M. Bennett poem while thinking about
Stephen Smale's horseshoe map and the
concept of topological mixing. Words and
letters that begin far apart will eventually
be close together, and words and letters
that begin close together will eventually
be far apart. The variations are at least
in theory endless. (cf., Am Horseshoe,
John M. Bennett & Jim Leftwich, Luna
Bisonte Prods, 1996)
I took this kind of procedural experimentation
and added to it a subjective, processual stage
of associational improvisation. One source
text could provide the initial conditions, so to
speak, for the generation of a long series of
derivative texts.
The kinds of texts produced via these procedures
and processes seemed at least potentially
destined for asemia. The crucial aspect of this
critical concept was (and is) its existence as
potential, not as actuality.
Therefore, then and now: no such thing as asemic
writing, only a kind of unattainable goal posited
as a source of energy for our ongoing textual
mutations.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
My first explorations of quasi-calligraphic faux
writing came the morning after a particularly
intense experience of taking what Terence
McKenna called a "heroic dose" of psilocybin
mushrooms. I had experienced a complete
annihilation of the self, and not one of merging
harmoniously with the universe, rather one of
being ripped apart, as if in a ritual sparagmos.
The next morning i was sitting in my car and i
started for the first time to write lines of illegible
fake writing. It felt as if i were being guided to do
this, as a kind of healing for the night before.
When i sent some of these pages to John Bennett
for LAFT he called them "spirit writings". I had
no argument with that name. Later Tim Gaze
published a book of them with that title. My
contribution to the recent Anthology of Asemic
Handwriting is taken from that book, in response
to a request from Tim.
07.06.2015
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing did not evolve from handwriting, it
emerged from typewriting, and more specifically
from typing on a keyboard for a computer screen.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing developed from typography, not
from calligraphy.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing is derived from the manipulation
of letter-arrangements in words, phrases and
sentences.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing did not come into being as a
result of emptying the mind and imitating
the processes of nature. It came into being as
a result of activating the mind and analyzing
the processes of writing.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
We can read things that are not written. We can
be frustrated in our attempts to read things that
are not written. But we gain nothing and learn
nothing by choosing to call things that are not
written asemic writing. We look at the sand on
a beach, or the bark on a tree, or the ripples in
a stream, and we can if we wish say that we are
reading what we are looking at, or that we are
unable to read what we are looking at, even
though in some ways it reminds us of writing,
but it does not become writing if we take a
photograph of it, it only becomes a photograph,
and it does not become writing if we make a
rubbing or an imprint, it only becomes a rubbing
or an imprint.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing began as a kind of experimental
textual poetry, not as visual poetry or visual
writing. It was in a sense a by-product of the
processes of recombination, permutation,
improvisation, and iteration.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
Asemic writing has as one of its immediate
antecedents my experiment of rewriting a
John M. Bennett poem while thinking about
Stephen Smale's horseshoe map and the
concept of topological mixing. Words and
letters that begin far apart will eventually
be close together, and words and letters
that begin close together will eventually
be far apart. The variations are at least
in theory endless. (cf., Am Horseshoe,
John M. Bennett & Jim Leftwich, Luna
Bisonte Prods, 1996)
I took this kind of procedural experimentation
and added to it a subjective, processual stage
of associational improvisation. One source
text could provide the initial conditions, so to
speak, for the generation of a long series of
derivative texts.
The kinds of texts produced via these procedures
and processes seemed at least potentially
destined for asemia. The crucial aspect of this
critical concept was (and is) its existence as
potential, not as actuality.
Therefore, then and now: no such thing as asemic
writing, only a kind of unattainable goal posited
as a source of energy for our ongoing textual
mutations.
/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/////\/\\//\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\/\///\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\
My first explorations of quasi-calligraphic faux
writing came the morning after a particularly
intense experience of taking what Terence
McKenna called a "heroic dose" of psilocybin
mushrooms. I had experienced a complete
annihilation of the self, and not one of merging
harmoniously with the universe, rather one of
being ripped apart, as if in a ritual sparagmos.
The next morning i was sitting in my car and i
started for the first time to write lines of illegible
fake writing. It felt as if i were being guided to do
this, as a kind of healing for the night before.
When i sent some of these pages to John Bennett
for LAFT he called them "spirit writings". I had
no argument with that name. Later Tim Gaze
published a book of them with that title. My
contribution to the recent Anthology of Asemic
Handwriting is taken from that book, in response
to a request from Tim.
07.06.2015
posted by jim leftwich at 9:05 PM
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