Madeline Gins, a
recently expired (1941-2014) artist, architect, and poet from New
York, made her mark through her architectural work with Shusaku
Arawaka, husband and lifelong collaborator, and produced several
books of exploratory prose and poetry throughout her bustling
existence. The first, Word Rain (or A Discursive Introduction to
the Philosophical Investigation of G,R,E,T,A, G,A,R,B,O, It Says),
has long vanished (in spite of this blogger’s frustrated attempts
to procure a copy, prices fluctuating from £10 to £1000), was
described by Richard Kostelanetz as a “touchstone of innovative
prose”, meaning part of the “concrete” scene to emerge in the
wake of John Cage. Mr. Cage, in fact, provided an acrostic blurb for
this collection, spelling out the author’s name in a vertical strip across his lines of praise, alongside Robert Creeley and Ed Sanders
(author of Shards of God).
Is it prose, is it poetry, is it, in Sasha Sokolov’s term,
prosetry? The answer is both—or neither—or the first—or the
second—or a chimpanzee’s armpit. This is a book of nonsense, in
essence, and as a champion of nonsense (all nonsense is comedic), I
praise the chutzpah of the author and publisher for unleashing it
upon the world in the name of Art. Language is twisted and
womanhandled beyond recognition for the duration to satirical effect
(the opening ‘Presidential Poems’ are idiotic footnoted versions
of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ authored by various prezzies),
and the titular centrepiece of the book comprises capitalised lines
of nonsensical and hilarious things such as “FILL THE OCEAN WITH
COTTON!” or “COLLECT BOTTOMS NON-DISCRIMINATORILY” or “PREVENT
A CONGESTION OF TRIANGLES”, a showcase of the absurd on a par with
the Pythons or other comic manglers of language. The remaining pieces
are short “fictions” written in faux-medical and mathematical
modes, or in the form of lists, chronologies, and instructional
matter, concluding with a patience-testing although more coherent
“essay” on the word THE in fiction (including examples of the
word THE being used in fiction). Perhaps there is meaning to be found
in that piece, or perhaps an octopus is mating within the ventricles
of hope. Co-creator of the Reversible Destiny Foundation—a
collective of architects and artists who take a corporeal approach in
the creation of art—Gins is also responsible for designing parks
and buildings, among them Bioscleave House and the Reversible Destiny
Lofts (according to Wikipedia). Might one label this material, excuse
me, “pretentious?” Perhaps. But the spirit of play, the pleasure
in taking apart and reconstructing language, the skill in forcing the
reader to re-question the act of reading: these are hallmarks of some
of the most vital works of literature of our time. WtPwSaD!! is a mere
curio. However, if chanced upon in some university library, or
progressive artists’ commune of some sort, I would recommend having
a flicker through to be amused and baffled in equal measure. Fans of
the nonsensical might also like to read Kenneth Gangemi’s
Corroborree: A Book of Nonsense.
Or, you know, Edward Lear or Spike Milligan. Let’s ride a balloon
into the purple sponge. Peace. (Read excerpts here).
Editions:
Hardcover,
Station Hill Press, 1984.
Bibliography:
Fiction:
Word Rain (or
A Discursive Introduction to the Philosophical Investigation of
G,R,E,T,A, G,A,R,B,O, It Says),
Grossman, 1969.
Intend,
Tau/ma, 1973.
What the
President Will Say and Do!!,
Station Hill Press, 1984.
Helen Keller
or Arawaka, Burning Books, 1994.
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