Exhibition `Letterism’ on display

An art exhibit that explores writing formats from different parts of the world will be open for the Georgia College & State University community through the month of October.

“Letterism: The Conjunction of Writing and Art” premieres Monday. An opening reception will be held Thursday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. in Black bridge Hall Art Gallery.

This exhibition will explore how letters and signs have been applied in avant-garde movements in literature and visual arts, according to the exhibit’s creator.

“It’s art that deals with writing, visual images, and uses letters as visual elements,” said Dr. Roxanne Farrar, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies and art history, co-director of this project, and author of “Sartrean Dialectics: A Method for Critical Discourse on Aesthetic Experience.” “It is an international exhibition.”

“Letterism” is one of the most important avant-grade movements of the 20th century. The movement started in France and spread throughout Italy, Spain and South America. However, the movement is less popular in the United States

“Letterism” is a movement of the Humanities. Humanities start with the beginnings and developments of writing and examine how humans put their thoughts, ideas and dreams into action. The program should spark some questions about the character of writing and the relationship of physical forms of illustration to the substance of texts. The goal of this exhibit is to raise those questions in such a way that will encourage and challenge the viewers.

The program will also feature a lecture from Dr. David Seaman, professor of French at Georgia Southern University, and author of “Concrete Poetry in France.” That book consists of several chapters on “Letterism.”

“There will be three lectures. The first, on Oct. 4, during the opening reception, is `Understanding Letterism.’ Using examples in the works surrounding us, I will explain the basic principles of this avant-garde movement and suggest ways in which the ideas relate to our culture and lives today in Georgia. The second will be Oct. 22 and is called `The Avant-Garde in the 21st century,’” said Seaman. “Since the idea of the avant-garde has been around for nearly a century, it is time to examine the concept and ask what it takes to keep at the cutting edge of art. The third lecture will be an explanation of floating sculptures, which we are going to launch on Lake Sinclair Thursday, Oct. 25 at Choby’s Landing. People can have refreshments and watch an art happening.” This exhibit features a large (24′ x 7′) Synoptic Panel by Roland Sabatier, showing a historical view of developments in writing and painting, objects and documents demonstrating the early writing formats, six large (7′ x 4′) recent Paintings by six Letterist artists, books by Letterists and about Letterism, examples of Letterist Sound Poetry, examples of Letterist Hypergraphic Novels, examples of Letterist Cinema and video, and two floating sculptures: one (8′ x 3′) by Woodie Roehmer and one (3′ x 20′) by David Seaman.

“I have lived with this art for a long time, and it is the visual backdrop to my world,” said Dr. Seaman. “It has affected how I look at things, and it is a projection of my world view.”

There will also be a catalogue guide on the show, which will include essays by Dr. Seaman, Dr. Farrar, and Dr. Tina Yarborough.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Roxanne Farrar, who with Dr. David Seaman, is co-curator of the Letterism exhibition,” said Yarborough. “In one of the catalogue essays, Dr.Farrar has explored the movement in depth as it relates to Jacques Derrida, Sigmund Freud, and deconstruction theories. Her essay will open new areas of study concerning the Letterism movement today.”

Farrar said she has great hopes for the show.

“I’m very excited about it. It is a wonderful show for a Liberal Arts university because it has such a strong interdisciplinary emphasis,” said Farrar. “I think the international aspects of it are good for the university. I think the show will have an interest for people outside of art.”

Seaman added that the show offers an international insight on a unique area of art work.

“I think this show is a great opportunity to learn about the avant-garde in France and how it extends to the United States,” said Seaman. “The works reveal a wide range of styles and are exciting to look at and sometimes even interact with.”

“Sometimes we create art only for ourselves, to express our feelings and explore solutions to art problems,” Seaman continued. “Other times we create art to share with the world and offer vehicles for common emotions; and sometimes our art is an act of collaboration, showing how artistic connections can cross cultures. This exhibition does all of this, and I hope it will also help in our national healing. Art restores the soul.”

“Letterism” is co-sponsored by the GC&SU Arts Unlimited Committee. The exhibit will run from Monday, Oct. 1 to Friday, Oct. 26 in Black bridge Art Gallery Hall. For more information, call the art department at 445-4572.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 28 2001. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry