During a Mike Gold presentation on design, I was inspired to contrast two elements on a page. I began experimenting with Bister inks and metal stamps. The folded pen letters were inspired by UK calligrapher Tina Warren.
I’ve been preparing for a series on cognition and memory loss. The inspiration came from a text I composed in Brody Neuenschwander’s class. Starting with a random newspaper article and, without reading it, take away all words that ‘don’t belong’. Use the words in the order in which they appear. Remarkably, I was left with a coherent poem! Having used this technique on earlier occasions, it’s startling the kinds of creative ‘compositions’ that arise! In a strange way, it’s a decomposition!
I started with a news article from the Toronto Star* about Leonard Cohen’s exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario…and ended up with the following text. I’ve been thinking about dementia and its impact on language.
“Beyond the words
there’s music, stories, and photos.
These let light into your personal influences.
Memory is powerful;
it recollects particular passages of life.
You have different images in your mind now.
Exploring the elasticity of language.
And memory.”
Bister inks and metal stamps on 140# CP watercolour paper. My metal stamps came with a spring-loaded gizmo, but I prefer going old-style with a hammer!
* ‘Love and Devotion: Leonard Cohen’s life and ephemera shine at new AGO exhibit “Everybody Knows”‘ by Sue Carter, Toronto Star, Saturday, December 10, 2022
Design Quest 