Synopses & Reviews
Morris? interest in concrete poems underlies his desire to develop the relationship between one medium and another?this was a period in which his work shifted from primarily painting to photography, sculpture, performance, and video. Letters, a series of six painted triptychs executed in the late 1960s that form the basis of this book, embody this interdisciplinary thinking. Incorporating vertical mirrors, they were imagined not only as objects in themselves, expressing the pivotal role light plays in painting, but also as ?props?, before which a dance performance might take place. The book features essays on Morris? ambitious paintings of this period alongside texts on international and Canadian concrete poetry as represented by the work of Ugo Carrega, Henri Chopin, Lily Greenham, Jiri´ Kola´r, Ferdinand Kriwet, Arrigo Lora-Totino, Steve McCaffery and Gerhard Ru¨hm.
Synopsis
Letters: Michael Morris and Concrete Poetry profiles artist Michael Morris during the period between 1964 and 1971. The book has a particular focus on concrete poetry, considered as perhaps the first global art movement, springing up in South and North America, Japan and Europe in the mid to late 1950s.
Recognising the potential of concrete poetry as an area that included design, poetry, architecture, art, and communications, Morris co-curated an important exhibition of Concrete Poetry at the University of British Columbia Fine Arts Gallery in 1969. It presented a selection of Morris large Letter” paintings and a selection of international concrete poetry from the period.
About the Author
Scott Watson: Scott Watson (Vancouver, Canada) is director/curator of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery and professor in the Department of Art History, Visual Art, and Theory at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Jamie Hilder: Jamie Hilder is a an artist and critic based in Vancouver. He has shown and published work in the United States and Europe, and maintains an active collaborative practice with Vancouver artist and educator, Brady Cranfield.
Michael Turner: Michael Turner is a writer of fiction, criticism, and song based in Vancouver. His books include Hard Core Logo (1993), The Pornographers Poem (1999) and 8x10 (2009).
William Wood: William Wood is an art historian and critic concentrating on the history of conceptual art and contemporary work in photography, moving pictures and installation.