Chris Wells - TRA

Chris Wells.                                                                                                                                                 TRA

Features:

1)    Printed page, 300dpi.

2)    Digitalized text, Lulu’s old “comic book” format..

3)    Image from Book.

 

 

Possible examples of vispro from my possibly vispro sequence called TRA. It was made up of two (arguably?) prose pieces, the street sign "Do Not Stop On Tracks" and a governmental railroad report from the late 19th century. I think the visual aesthetic in many of the pieces echoes their prosaic origins. (TRA used to be a book but it died in the Great Lulu Migration of 2020. I am planning to get it back into print someday in a slightly different format, and possibly expanded.) Unlike most of my art, this is all computer generated based on public domain material.

 

This is one page in a larger sequence called ‘Tra’ with the inspiration for the sequence occurred in late 2014. I was driving across railroad tracks at night and I noticed some letters on an electric "DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS" sign had burnt out. It interested me that such a critical, even urgent unit of communication had had its message degraded by physical wear and tear, and I wondered what possibilities there were in removing letters from that sign in every possible combination. Amazingly, for a sign of five short words, it turns out that there are over 130,000 different possibilities, some of which have meanings in English or other languages and others that just suggest possible meanings, inviting a reader to fill in the blanks. Since publishing a 130,000-page book was not feasible, I abridged it for a book of around 80 pages, choosing some of the variations that resonated with me and incorporating other visual techniques to create the sequence. At some point during my research, I came across this oddly beautiful passage in an old railroad report, repeating the refrain "trains do not stop". The book became a sort of fading of variations of "DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS" into the "trains do not stop" found poem. This image is one of the many that are an obvious combination of these two elements during the long transition from beginning to end.

Comments: When looking at Chris’ image, I see the flow of linear prose and margin justified text – not generally a poetic device. As always I am interested to read Chris’ intent and purpose behind creating such a work as this. Although the word TRACK is deconstructed, it’s presence is fundamental in finding explanation, almost a physical visual exploitation of the word – imitating that which happened to the sign.  The horizontal lines speak to the dynamic phenomena of prose. I found Chris’s questioning very valuable in terms of coming to grips with a framework for vispro. For this reason, his points and questions are broken up with answers. 

 

(Given in answer to Chris’ points – please note – still my own viewpoint, as yet to be ‘proven’).

 

CQ: One thing I was wondering, when people say "prose" (and not "prose poetry") I think what is involved is a communicative goal, getting from point A to point B. Is this aim or goal, usually to provide some kind of information to a recipient of the communication, important to vispro as well? 

 

A: I think the point in attempting to define vispro at this stage is to get some clarity, through discussion and examples, as to IF such a creature exists. For me I get a very strong sense that it does. More, I get this sense from text-visual artists AND their work.  At ground level the difference lies in arrangement and intent of text I think.  Both have to do with information but they have different functions:  poetry seeks to evoke understanding, prose appears to provide information in order to understand. If this is so, should one not be attempting to ‘make visual’ prose or poetry differently? The WAY/OUTCOME of information one is presenting should come from two different intents, not so? 

Also, Art, in all its manifestations is about communicating - vous ne pensez pas?

 

A: It seems to me that prose contains information (there must be a better word, but it escapes me at the moment) even if it's fictional, and everyone knows the "information" isn't referring to the real world but an imagined one. The words in prose serve a purpose other than revealing their beauty and multifaceted meanings for someone to play with and explore. 

 

A: Prose IS information –  Prose comes from the Latin “prosa oratio,” meaning “straightforward.” But, isn’t art about making such a thing strange? And, art provides so many opportunities to take the structure, intent and purpose of literary prose and represent it in an artistic, interpretive manner which is NOT poetry.  Prose may present as tombs of information on philosophy, or history or, as you say, fiction – so could we say it’s about the nature of  ‘prose’– it’s about using the formal elements of prose in a visual manner in order to create a visual rendition of prose? As for play and exploration within the literary application of the term ‘prose’, one seeks vivid language, not clunky text. One is interested in, and by a variety of prose: short and crisp, lengthily, or calmly written descriptions. Good prose gives distinctive voices to different characters, or it could be filled with complex plots and many twists. If it is academic, it could be dry and filled with convoluted, byzantine language, or engaging, presupposing the intelligence of it’s reader. Academic prose could be written in ‘ordinary language’ (such as this paper) and it can be exploratory, scientific or biased. ALL these descriptions can be translated into a variety of visual prose – vispro. So, whatever ones view/stance on whatever type of prose one is attempting to make visual – or indeed attempting to explain visually, it will take on many forms which are NOT poetic (vispo).

 

 

Q:  In fact, it (prose) downplays those things most of the time. Prose just wants to get to some kind of "point". It may even be rhetorical by nature. What is the "point" of vispro, then, I wonder? Where would a map or diagram fit in - something conveying information visually but not (exclusively) with words or letters?

 

A: Have I answered this I wonder? The ‘point’ of prose is the point of any artistic rendition of ‘any-thing’. But, it must be a conscious choice, a choice to be inspired by the  nature of PROSE – as, when one is painting portraits, one is not inspired by camels. Thinking in terms of Plato’s reality as consisting of          …

archetypes or forms beyond human sensation - perhaps in this instance ‘perfect prose’ - we as artists, as vispro practitioners are imitating an existing literary experience, seeking the special qualities – the aesthetic qualities – be they beautiful or sublime of prose. 

 

 

Q: So what you're proposing (I think) is that 'vispro' be defined beyond merely re-creating the visual impression or suggestion of prose. I am having a hard time grasping the concept, but that's not a bad thing. It's good exercise for the old brain...

 

A: Absolutely, we are delving into the guts of prose – Aristotle’s art as imitation – art enabling what ‘nature cannot bring to a finish’.  As artists, we are seeking to separate the forms of prose and imposing interpretation, delight, visual creativity – we are re-presenting, re-constructing – not dissembling, or deconstructing the nature of prose – although that process is valuable in coming to formal solutions in a personalized approach and attitude to artmaking. The final vispro form must enhance and support the initial concept – not merely be an illustration of a specific set of data.