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Porter Institute for Poetics and Semiotics

Perspectives on the Development of Post-Concrete PoetryAuthor(s): Siegfried J. SchmidtSource: Poetics Today, Vol. 3, No. 3, Poetics of the Avant-Garde (Summer, 1982), pp. 101-136Published by: Duke University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1772393 .

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PerspectivesntheDevelopmentfPost-ConcreteoetrySIEGFRIEDJ.SCHMIDTLiterary tudies,UniversityfSiegen

1.OBITUARY:ON THE DECEASEOF CONCRETEPOETRYAuthors f concretepoetryhave been proclaiming he deathof their rtform ince theend of the sixties see StereoHeadphones, 970:1,2 and 3),and ifthedisappearanceofthis ermfrom hecontemporarycene is anyindication, hen it certainlymust be dead. This passing, lamentedbysome, applauded by others, s accompaniedby a problemwhichmightirritateiterary istoriansn particular: he "deceased" annotclearlybeidentified.n fact, twas noteven identifiableuringts"lifetime,"avingappeared nProteus-likemasksanddisguises.Now that tsdeathhasbeenannounced,one is stillnotquitesure in which of its masksthisProteusdied and inwhich tmaystill ive on. Since theseventies,nsmall iteraryand artisticournals,anthologies, rivateprintingsnd other ditions, nidentifiableelative fthedeceased hasbeenappearing.'Greatfestivalsfphonetic oetryndnewmusic e.g., nAmsterdam, lasgow,Stockholm,Berlin)evidencethatnotonlythevisual,butalso theacousticdomainofwhat is still called concrete poetry survives with full academicrecognition. oncretepoetry s theactualproductionndpresentationfworksconnected n one way or another o theconcretist rograms notdead (cf. Schmidt1975b:393-433).2t may be more precise to say thatconcrete oetry as exhausted ts nnovative otentialas therenunciationofconcrete oetry ymanyof tsformeruthors uggests). hispotentialfor nnovationwas founded nsuchdistinctiveeatures fconcrete oetryas:internationalismexperimentationithmaterials,echniques,ormsftextualrrangementandthemes;use of sign systems n dealingwithconditions,aws and limitsofcommunication;

1. Cf.thenumeroustheoretical ttempts t defining oncretepoetry isted n Horst1977,bibliography.2. On the contrary, ven today, to use a phrase borrowed fromRiihm, many peopleprodu'ceconcretepoetry s if thad just been invented.? PoeticsToday,Vol. 3:3 (1982),101-136.

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102 SIEGFRIEDJ.SCHMIDTcriticismf ocietynd deologyhroughcriticismfmeaning-constitutingprocedures;transcendingf all traditionalormsfpoetryndpoetry resentationthroughhe seofposters,ilms,ideo,ape, tc.;involvementf he eceivers an ctiveo-authorho ngagesnvisual layand ntellectualames"Seh-StuickendDenk-Spiele").3The fundamentalilemma fconcrete oetry as arisen hroughtsattemptinceWorldWar I to revive evelopmentsn art nd iteraturefromV. Chlebnikov o M. Duchamp, nd from heDadaiststo theSurrealists,ith ertainmodifications.hisdilemma ouldbe describedas its pre-progammedaradox,"riginatingrom wopeculiaritiesfthe

artistic ediumf anguage:1)its lements, hetherraphicr coustic,are connected ith onventional,tereotypedeanings;nd 2) anguageis normallysed instrumentally,o fulfillrimarilyractical unctions(such s establishingontact,ransferringnformation,nstruction,tc.).Theoretically,here retwopossibilitiesor singanguages an artisticmediumaccordingothe classical oncretistoncept f PietMondrianandTheovanDoesburgwhich allsfor non-narrative,on-mimetic,utconstitutivend presentativert): (1)the complex rtistic language"(consistingfphonemes, raphemes,yntaxndmeaning)s reduced ophonemesndgraphemess materialsobeusedgraphicallyrmusically(formal anipulationf partiallyeducedanguage);nd 2) anguagesusedas a complexntity, ith n inventedemantics hose olefield freferences the anguagetself.The concretepoetryproduced o farhas realizedonly the firstpossibility.t seemstomethat he econd s impossibleorealizenitsstrictestense,because anguages learned s an instrumentfmutualinstructionnd orientationnsocializingndividualsnsociety;omethingcanbe effectedhroughtwhichnecessarilyoesbeyondanguage. hepracticefconcreteemanticss realizable,nfull r npart, nly f t streatedn sucha mannerhat general emiotic echanisms revealedand used to advantage.When language s used withoutineartextconstructione.g., n HeinzGappmayr'sisualtextsfig. ],orwithoutnarrativetructuresas intheconvolutedexts fFranzMon'sHerzzero[fig. ], this s a signal o thereceiver hathe shouldnot relate hislanguageto its conventionalommunicativeunctionsr commonreferentialrames,utratherhat e should e awareofother unctions,other otentialeferentialrames,ncluding,ltimately,hevery ctofusing anguage.

3. This is the titleof thecatalogueof an exhibition yH. Gappmayr,J.Gerz,S.J.Schmidt,andT. UlrichsattheStudent'sCulturalCentre nBeograd,1978.Cf. also themanifestoes fMiroljub Todorovi6: "Signalism" 1970), and "SignalistPoetry Proper"(1971); HermanDamen, manifesto poesia visiva" 1972); and Paul de Vree (1971).



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104 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDTdannfliegtuchder ichelbubemitdiefliegenitzena schondran.saugenan denfingerabdrOckensie laufen ur m rand ntlangweil ie nichtsehenmithren undenaugenwoherwissen iedann,wo siehinlaufenollensic sollengarnichtaufen,orderntuchtigrasenundfett erdenalswArs in tuck onmirzwei inksweirechtsweifingerdreibuben inass indenblindenbitteAhlweiterbitte ihimit urkontrolleeins stdervater ins stderpatereinsistderkraterins stderkaterwer stberaterbockerder chlAftbernochmeistensschlift er.klopfmallass ihn nruh. r hatdasschlummerchennotigerschlift arnicht,r achtaer Acheltloss m raumerwackelta vor achenerwinselt ur inbisschen.*werweiss,was ertriumtermokiertichundwischtichdenmundwemsherz oll st,AuftermundOber.etzt olltr sich usammenwillst umithm erhandelnworuber illst umithm erhandelnob er rauskommtundwenn rnichterhandeln illob ersitzenbleibtundwenn rschonmitemandanderem erhandeltob erauchmit nsverhandelnwQrdewenn r ichtwill

anlehnenerbotonodergibts ino lternativeeine alternativeozubeispielsweiseumreissversthluf3natijrlich,enhosenknopfund umhosenknopfaussdrdemreissverschlussdiegummibrustund urgummibrustdenheldentodund uihmdas eisernekreuzund um isernen reuzdieeiserneungeund ur isernenungemilchshakeunddazudiepflichtversicherungund urpflichtversicherungdas beharrungsvermigenund udiesernaturerscheinungdennotstanddas istkeine chte lternativedanndieoktoberrevolutiongut.unddazudiekielerwocheund urkielerwochedubistunersattlich.iepanzerfaust,damit uendlich ie schnauze ollkriegstdanke, beres istnochplatz.wasbletet erpanzerfaustiestirndas selbstbestimmungsrechterv1lkergutgebruilltowe.und udiesembestandteilerweltordnungschuhgrosse ierundvierzigumdieoder-neissebzutretenbeziehungsweiseie drei erechtenkammacherund udiesen

F. Mon, 1968HerzzeroNeuwied, Berlin:Luchterhand



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 105obwir ichtochmithm erhandelndjrfenwenn rober ufstoht,ausgeht,hneeineantwortugebenCann chmeissen ir chnell ietlappr uEas heisst lso: ersthandeln,annverhandeln.ndwenn rsauerwirdwirkonnons abwartenworau; ollenwirwarten, ennwirabwartendass erverhandeln illundwenn rblotsvortiuscht.verhandelnuwo!len, m eitzugewinnenwashilfts ihm,eit ugewinnen,wenn rdrinstecktoder rwill chnell enfussdazwischenklemmenwirwerdenhm inheizen,ass orsichnicht onder telle u*hrtglaubst u an lapsusseinvorderteilvor ller ugenInbehaarter leidung,nder esklopftropftliesst rennt rodelt'gartgurrtampftuftetunstetnweichenmassen,diean einemgestellaus rohrenndplatten efestigtsindundmit erenhilfengenaubestimmbareichtungenortbewegtwerdenkonnen,hnedass das.tropfenliessen rennenbrodelngarengurren ampfenuftenunstenaufzuhorenrauchte,a aufhorendurfte,ennnicht iefortbewegunginfrage estellt nddamitchliesslichdiedauerhaftigkeitndbrauchbarkeitdesgestells elbstgefihrdet ordensoil

diekOnetlicheefrdchtungwenns ulangtoderdiednkelkammerund urdunkelkammerdas krouzverhbIrund umkreuzverh~rdieelektrischelsenbahnund udiesemweihnachtlcheningsdenclektrohenkerund uihmmottenpulverunddazugibtskeinealexkriegst asvon bkistchenstkistchenkaltleimenkupongrasgraugriengrellchenglaubst uaneinen apsuseher nhochverratja derkonntes gutgutundprelswert.iederdasmachte. ochmanIHesshn aldwieder allen ndwischteichdieschmutzigeand mhosenband-orden. rpraliteufdenboden, ateinpaar priinge,ass es drihntewiein inem ass, ndrissdenaussenministeritns chlamassel.dasganze ohe aus anntodurcheinander,einerrautedaenandern ehrnder ligemetnenstaubwolke.iekragenockertenich.diehosonwurdenchwer onblelundwasser. ederchwenktenderlinkeneinentrlcknd ecktender echtendrelingerumchwur,ihrendbmdiebeinezusammrenknidkenoliten.dabelwarenslchelgenltichile tnig,



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106 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDTa 1 1 eH. Gappmayr,1962zeichenInnsbruck:pinguin

In thisway, linguisticlements ike sindor allesthematically resentedbyGappmayr figs.1 and 3) do not refer o extralinguisticeferents,utrather o the categoricalproblemof representinganguageitself.Mon'srefusalofnarrativitymeans" pragmatic nd artistic estureofturninghis back on expected literary echniques and a demonstrationf thepossibilities f a non-instrumentalse of languagewithin n "educated"world of literaturewhich is stilldetermined y narrativity.ut in orderfor oncretepoetry obecome an alternativeobourgeois iterature,reatcognitive ffortsre requiredof ts authors nd receivers: he authormustnot dwell on formalistic analities,and the receivermust be able todiscernand evaluatethesemioticuse oflanguage npoetry.Herewe areconfrontedwith the twofoldproblem of reception. 1) Receivers areprogrammedby their social cultureto have other iterary xpectationsthan those that oncretepoetry ulfills.n orderfor oncrete oetry o bediscerned s an alternative ind ofpoetry, he receivermust earnto seeand read preciselywhat is there-not, as is common in literarycommunication, o interpret,hat s, topretend hat tis something lse.4(2) If receiversare to become familiarwith concretepoetrythroughcritiques, heories, tc.,then twillbe necessary orelyheavilyupon thevery discursive language which is so whole-heartedlymistrustedbyconcretepoetsand whichtheydismissas mindless nd irresponsible.2. CONSEQUENCESIn thefollowingllustrationswillpointoutsomefurtherevelopments ftheclassicalprogram fconcretepoetry.These are partof a reactionbyconcrete poets to the problems sketched above. The examples arerestrictedotheEuropeanscene andreflect ersonalpreferences- heydonotpretend o representativity.GerhardRfihmndErnstJandl s well as VincentoAccame have recentlyemphasized he"act fwritingnd signalling"La pratica elsegno,Accame1974). (Cf.the exhibition GeschriebeneMalerei" CarloAlfano,AnnaliesKlophaus,RomanOpalka,DieterRiihmann, yTwombly,BenVautier] tthe BadischerKunstverein arlsruhe, 975.)Riihmwrites:

Throughhe Schriftzeichnung"characterrawings]hemeans f xpressionprovided yhandwritingremadeuseable orrt.Onemust eaware f herelationetweenhe hosenwordor entence)ndthemannernwhicht sgraphicallyresented,ow t"expresses"tselfisually. his sa borderlinearea, mixed ormf extndpicture,quivalento"auditoryexts,"hichextend omusical arameters,peratingn the pecificossibilitiesfthe4. These problemsofreceptionholdtruefornon-concreteiteratures well. If otherkindsof literaturewere receivedmoreadequately, twould certainly enefit hereceptibilityfconcretepoetry, oo.



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G. Ruihm, 978."Briefn die sch6neSchlafende"



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108 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDThuman oice. nthepresenttate f he ntirertisticevelopment,twouldbeillusoryoaskwhetherworks a matterfpoetryrofmusic, fmusicor ofgraphic rts,of (mobile) lastic rtor of (theatrical)ctions. heproductionsanno onger erelated oseparate isciplines,eitherantheproducerse restrictedoonedomain fmaterialsndexpression.ne israthernterestedn theproblemsf xpressionndmediationngeneral,nthe extensionfmaterialsnd consciousnessVisuelleoesie er iebzigerJahre, 978).5

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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 109Worksusing photo-text-collagesn poesia visiva well-documentedn thejournalLottaPoetica),poesiasignalistand in text-picturese.g., Dencker,shownhere.See also themanifestoes y Paul de Vree and Sarenco n theearly numbersof LottaPoetica,and Klaus Peter Dencker (1972; 1978:58-64).

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K.B. SchAuffelen,979.Invitation ard to theexpositionin FolkwangMuseum,Essen

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110 SIEGFRIEDJ. CHMIDTProducingext-corporaV. Radovanovid,.B.Schluffelen),bject oemsorplastic oems K.Katue).

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A. Arias-Misson, 970.POEM X.Action n Knokke,Belgium.



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 111Publicactionswithwriting,onceived s action-poemA.Arias-Misson, .de Liafio).

Quotation,text-collage,ronically breaking with given patternsofliterature nd speech, for example by H. Heissenbilttel,Projekt 1,d'Alembertsnde 1970);or Projekt3/1,EichendorffsntergangndandereMarchen (1978).6languagehollowrarely lowing istanceblunt ay rawmurmurlosedlanddimglass keenhorizontodaygradual nearyellowwarmlandscapegenerousawake leaves ovedreamstone bud boatsamonginformud nothing ranches ilentmarginmouth ightgradual waterlyinghorizonmeasureanguage landscapeamongmurmurtonewings lowingkeen generousleaves sky luntyellow ovefragment ater pace

Thomas A. Clark,1971."TheGhostDance Song"in:J.G.Bowles and T. Russel,eds., 1971

6. Regarding arration,heblurb toHeissenbuttel's rojekt /1 s necessarytoprevent hereceiverfrom orming particularmpression venbefore hisbook is opened, orrather,tdirectsthereadertowards an impressionwhichhe would nototherwisehave arrivedatafterhis reading:No remorseful eturn o the pretendedrealistic-psychologicalelling,no harmless"roaringly-telling-to-myself":he unmannerly,broken,parodistic,gross, skepticalsounds ofthestories orrespond o complexexperiences 1978).Nevertheless,ookingback at concretepoetry, t is ust thatquestionwhichremains: s areturn o narration, o matterhow it is presented, heonly (ortheapparentlynecessary)possibilityforassimilating complexexperiences"?Note thatthe questionshould not bewhether oncretepoetryhas not (orcould nothave) partially ssimilatedhighly omplexexperiences.The question should be whetherthepredilectionfornarration n literaturedoes notdependon themisconception hat heauthor ommunicateshis experience othereader, hat nformations communicated. n fact, t s tobe takenforgranted hat t bestaspeakercan make thereceiver rganizeexperiences ntomeaningful tructureswithin hereceiver'sown cognitivedomain of orientation. s this possible only throughnarrativetexts? ndeed, are we correct n assuming that tellingis the most consumer-orientedstrategy fliterature?



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112 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDT

quadratH. Gappmayr,1978.



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 113FoundpoetryJ.Williams,Th. A. Clark,J.F.Hughes).7Hapticpoems L. Novak).Conceptualizationf visualpoetry yconsciouslyworking utproblems nthe fine rts e.g.,H. Gappmayr,JochenGerz,TimmUlrichs, iegfried .Schmidt).3. CONCEPTUAL ITERATURECONCEPTUALARTThe last llustration,bove,deserves moredetaileddiscussion. n the atesixties nd theearlyseventies, wo tendencies onvergedwhich could bedescribed s theconceptualizationf visual poetry nd the ingualizationfthefine rts.The pointsof contactbetweenvisualpoetry nd conceptualartare interpretederyone-sidedly y GianniBertini nd Sarenco (andothers) n-their olemicarticle eries"Poesiavisiva e conceptualart:Unplaggioben organizzato"[trans.] Visual Poetryand ConceptualArt:AWell-Organized lagiary"'1971ff]. hey attempted oprovethatconcretepoetry, tartingn about 1953,and visual poetry, tartingn about 1963,must be regarded s precursors f conceptualart,which began around1967. Accordingto them,JosephKosuth,forinstance,merely copiedTimmUlrichs,Ben Vautier,Jean-ClaudeMoincau and others;RichardArtshwager opied HeinzGappmayr, tc.K. Honnef,however, nterpretsthe relations xactly heotherway around unconvincingly,mustsay):"[... . conceptual rtprovoked floodofepigonism.Gags, visual poetry,trivial uggestions or hanging ome structure rthe otherwereoffered,and theyquicklyspreadthroughGermanyn particular."8 oth oftheseinterpretations eem to me too superficial, even aside from thediscrepancy n dates. It seems to me more likelythatdevelopmentsofslightly ifferentraditions,n expanding, iscovered ach other.The lineofdevelopment owards theconceptualizationfvisual poetryhas beenmentioned above. The developmenttowards the fine arts has beenexplainedveryconvincinglyyW.M. Faust:

Languageoday asbecome naturalmediumfart.Languageppearsnthework f rt,s intheworksfLichtenstein,enVautier,ndJeaneGac,or t s associated ith icture,s intheworks fTwomblyndHartung.Language laces tself eside hepictures a comment,s intheworks f7. InJ.G.Bowles's introductiono his ThisBook is a Movie:An ExhibitionfLanguageArtand VisualPoetry1971),he quotes Thomas A. Clark:"Iworkmostly ponfound exts, inceI am convinced thatpoetry s simply eeing establishing elations."8. Honnefalso writes: SinceDuchamp [...] the artisticdea became independent fthefinishedwork,untilfinallytemancipated tself o such a degreethat twas acceptedas anautonomous,artisticformulation1971:12).According o B. Naumann, concept art is nolongerconcernedwith

constructible objects, where aesthetic reflection could result from formalpeculiarities,hence the notion of post-objectart, but with the visualization ofintellectual ffortsna manifoldway. SinceMondrianthethematic reatmentfthelanguageof pictures tselfhas led to an increasing oss of the traditional subjectmatters of art," to an increasing reflectionon the idea "art" ("art as art,"Duchamp/Kosuth), o the "linguistic ubstance of art."The artistwho wants toadvance art beyond its possibilitesas painting, s reminded of theoryand logic(KasimirMalevitsch)"1971).



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114 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDTDanielBuren. anguageppearsnsteadf he rtworkRobertarry) hichis realized nly n the maginationf theartist/readerhroughanguage.Language ppears s anartwork,ornstance,nthe analyticheory"f heArt nd LanguageGroup, r in Boltanski's ork. n multimedialctionslanguage ecomesnintegralart f rtunitingrtistsnd receiversyoneprocess f ction1977:27).So conceptual rt,the final tageof ncreasing oncentration n languageand ideas in art sincethetwenties, isualizes intellectual ffortshroughminimalconstellationscf. D. Karshan: "Artbecomes art oriented"). tmaterializesrt ntopost-objectrt, nto nalytic rt, nto peechas art cf.Ian Wilson's nvitationoan exhibition: Therewillbe a discussion"),ntoreflection boutart, nd intotalking boutwhat could be done as and be

admitted s art.9 ome examplesofthis astpossibility:L. Weiner:"6TENPENNYCOMMONSTEELNAILSDRIVEN NTOTHE FLOORAT INDICATEDTERMINALS."R. Barry: "All he hingsknowButofwhich am notAtthemomenthinking1:36PM;June 5,1969."

"Das Unsichtbarerojekt""The nvisibleProject"):James urrell, obertrwin nd EdwardWortzwere ommissionedytheLosAngeles ountyMuseumn 1969 oconduct year-longiscussionfprojecthatnevermaterializedcf.D. Davis1975).As with any bourgeoisartform,what conceptual art is and intendstoconveyhas been defineddifferentlyy each individual rtist nd critic.For one particular ersion, would liketo quote from ol LeWitt:The ideabecomes machine hatmakes he art.Thiskindof art s nottheoreticalr illustrativeftheories;t is intuitive,t s involved ith lltypes fmental rocessesnd t s purposeless.t is usually ree romhedependencen theskill fthe artists a craftsman.[...] What heworklooks ike sn'too mportant.t hasto ook ike omethingf thasphysicalform. omatter hat ormtmay inallyave tmust eginwithn dea. tis the processof conceptionnd realization ith whichthe artist s9. In the IntroductoryotebytheAmericanditor" osuthmaintains:In its strictestndmost adical xtremehe rt hat callconceptuals ustthat,because t s foundednan nvestigationf henaturef rt. hus tdoesnotmerely

consistf he ctivityfproducingtatementsnart, ut f laboratingnd hinkingover ll implicationsnevery spect fthenotionart." n account fthe mplicitdualityfperceptionndcontentnformerrt, mediatorcritic)ppeared obeuseful. hisnew rt akes harge f he ritic'sunctionndthusno onger asanyneedfor mediator.. . .]Theaudience f onceptualrt onsistsmostlyf rtistsindicatinghat naudience part romhepeople oncernedoesnot xist. hus rtbecomes s "earnest"s science rphilosophyn a sense,whichhave noaudienceeither. rt s interestingrnot, ependingn whetheromeones informedrnot(1972).



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 115concerned....] It doesn't eallymatterf the viewerunderstandsheconceptsf he rtisty eeinghe rt. . ..] The dea tself,ven fnotmadevisual,sasmuch work f rt sanyfinishedroduct... .] Conceptualrtis madetoengage hemind f heviewer atherhanhiseyeoremotions.[...] Conceptualrt sonly oodwhen he dea sgood. 1965:177-185).Cf.othercompetenttatementsy L. Weiner,J. Kosuthand others nG. deVries,d. 1965).In theUnitedStatesthiskindof"language rt" s on rather riendlyermswithvisualpoetry,s is illustratedyBowlesandRussel,eds.,ThisBook sa Movie 1971).Here "conceptualists"uch as Arakawa,Barry,LeWittorWeiner are representedtogetherwith "concretists"uch as Finlay,Furnival, Saroyan, Solt, or Williams. As J.G. Bowles notes in the

introductiono thisbook:Consider hose reas calledconcrete,onceptual,isual, ound oetry:llreferospecializedreasof anguage-structurexperimentation.utnone fthem escribeshemovements a whole.A betterabelmight e simply"languagert," termhateems road noughocover llthe ctivitiesowunderway.After shortoverviewof language experiments romprehistoric imes("when he first ave mancarved a stickhorse on thewall ofhis cave")totoday,Bowles concludesthat"muchof the best experimentationn thearea remainsuncharted nd uncatalogued." e goeson togivesome ofthereasons forthis:Concreteoetryndconceptualrt removementshat avebeen eriouslydamagedby intenseparochialism, eak exhibitionsnd self-indulgentanthologies.his plit as tendedohamper ewdevelopmentsnd toshutoutpossible ew dherents.n concreteoetry,heresthedebate etweenthepoet nd thedesigner;nconceptualrt, heres thephilosopherittedagainsthe rtist hocontinuesoproduce product.Thismakes itabundantly learthatthe term concept,"ike "concrete,"smuchdisputed, ndpoorly efined.Thus, makeuse oftheterm concept"merely s an indication fa certaindirectionwhichcould be markedbydeclarations f intentionsnd by theworksofauthorssuch as Kosuth,LeWitt,Weiner, rNaumann. n thisvague sense I consider hefollowingillustrationsfworksbyGappmayr,Gerz,Ulrichs ndmyself xamplesofwhatcould be called conceptiterature.1235678910

H. Gappmayr, 978.ZahlentexteSince 1962,Gappmayr'sworkshave been influencedby the attempt otreatcategorical inguistic roblemsas a subjectof art (see Gappmayr1978). This attempthas been extended to a thematictreatment fpossibilitiesof presentationand categorization ven beyond naturallanguages,by criticallyxamining he theories nd works ofconceptualartists."We are confrontedwith a complicated correlationbetween



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116 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDTidentifications, ifferentiations,nalogies,and possibilities fvisual andconceived formswhich are withdrawnfrom any objectificationbyreflecting n the ideality of concepts and on the reading process"(Gappmayr1970). Such formulationsmightconfirm he view of PeterWeiermair,who in the epilogue on Zeichen:Ausgewahlte exte lassifiesGappmayras close to linguisticallyriented rt:Numerousrtists,uch sGraham, ndre,WeinerrBarry, any fwhom,bytheway,have omefromoncreteoetry,avedealtwith subjectnthisway. Barry r Weiner,forinstance, re equallyconcernedwith theexperiencefdematerializedacts, ith he xtensionf xperiencingentalprocesseswhichrelated o theperceptionfabstractmental ntities.nKosuth's heme freality,oo, heproblemsfconcept-thought-realityre

reflected.ikeGappmayr,llconceptionalrtistsreconcerned ithmentalprocesseshat re fundamentaloexperiencingeality1975).

J.Gerz,1978Since1968,J.Gerz'sdiverseactivities ave beencharacterized ya radicalreflection n the possibilitiesof various media, and on a fundamentaldistrust f communication.H. Molderingswrites:"In nearlyall of his[Gerz's]worksone can find tatementsfdistrustfwordsandpictures, fmedia and all that which is subsumed under communication"1968). Agood example of this appears in a quote fromhis Die BeschreibungesPapiersof 1973 (from stampof 1972): "Turning he back on the media.Live." Hostility to pictures, esotericism,refusal of interpretability,destructionf media: these describethe tendencies fGerz's ctivities.Hisphoto-text-constellationsxemplify this clearly; according to theiroutward appearance, theyare correctly lassifiedby M. Jochimsen s"StoryArt"Jochimsen974). (Jochimsenncludes n thisclassificationM.Badura, Ch. Boltanski,J. Baldessari,Jeanle Gac, W. Wegmannand P.Hutchinson.)Nevertheless,hese worksmight e better lassified s "Anti-Story-Art"ecause of their twofoldrefusal to portray.H. Molderingsupports hisaspectfairlywell: "Wherephotographynters, tsfictitious,artificial haracterremains constantlypresent.For this reason, [Gerz]contrives new connectionbetweenpicture nd language, nwhichtextsavoid describing something that can describe itself, and where



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 117photographs o notpretendto portray hings hat remainbeyond theirpossibilities"1978). In his "KulchurPieces" (1978) (1. "Die Sch6nheit erNetzhaut"vomSpiel und den Regeln],Hannover;2. "TheReal Window othe World," orto, Lisbon; 3. "Das Lcheln Mona L.'s bleibtunerwidert,"Miinster),Gerz concentrateson a retreatfromrepresentabilityndpictoriality.The same brown body color appears on all presentedobjects,the ame illegibility,chieved by using mirrorwriting nd bypartly overing he written omponents ftheseworks,which are fullofGerz's recurrent hemes: the abilityand inabilityto live, to love, thequestionsofseeability, isibility,hepossibility fexperiencinghe world(and on thefutilityf what one does, if one does whatGerz does). "Thethreat f thewindow,which slays theworld,shall remainperceivable"(noteon theexhibition The real window to theworld").o?

IS A IS A ROSE.-

HOMAGE O GERTRUDE TEIN

OORKONDEheeftop e -3- ~77 de rozencreatie

no. 24492denomen: GCrmc srcrN even

STANI BOOMH-wAL-

Verenigingan HfloandseRozenonderzoekersTimmUlrichs, 97810. Itshouldbeemphasizedhat hewrittenart fhis contributionothe BiennaleDieSchwierigkeitesZentaurs eimvomPferdteigen, 976 [Munich:Kunstraum])s indeed oneofthemost entralexts fmodern rt.



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118 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDTHypertrophicroduction:TimmUlrichs, elf-proclaimedotalartist, asworkedobsessively ince thebeginningfthesixties. t s indeedeasiertolookforwhat he has not yet)done than toaccountforwhathe has,up toand including heexperimentswith his own life cf.his action"Scylla ndCharybdis,"nd his annotations n the catalogueon thisaction [Abano,October 15, 1978]). He has been deeply concernedwith problemsoftautology nd identity ince he was a student.Some of theactivitiesnwhich he deals with these issues are, forexample,"tautologiektion,"nwhich he posted littlebills everywhere earingthe inscriptionPostNoBills"; heneonlight ign Atautologysa tautology"nd thecorrespondingtheoretical onsiderationsn thecatalogueon theretrospectivexhibition"1960-1975,"raunschweig-Hagen-Heidelberg,975-1976:53; hetext Therefutation f the principleof identityA # a" of 1970; his "ludictexts"(above) with questions such as "Can you give me an answer to thisquestion?" nd withrequests such as "Read with closed eyes!";and histranslation ctionof 1968/1975, r his 1964/1966 resentation f lexicalentries.

my life

theworld



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 119an idea always assumes the form

R(a,b)

V sm2sm3

or other(vain alternative.because:in the realm of personalityall iswhat it isno matter how it is 'objectively'

THAT IS THE EMERGENCY OOR.(for the 'I' at least.)

S.J. chmidt,976VoluminaI/IIIMyownattemptt realizing omethinghat call "conceptional oetry"stheresult fa critical xamination fclassicalconcrete oetrynd conceptart. t s "conceptional"ycontrastwith lassical concrete oetry,which nmy opinionhas failed to distinguish mong the theoretical, esthetic,linguisticand pragmatic questions it raises, and which has oftendegeneratednto meredecorativeness, vading problemsofconception.With the "volumina-projekt"1977) and the series of objects forexhibition, began to analyze systematically he relationsbetweenlanguages,picture ystems nd conceptions." explainedmydecisiontocall theseattempts conceptional oetry"unlikeBertini nd Sarenco didnotrestrictmyself o the"poesiavisiva")n two manifestations1971and1973). These writingshave played a role in recent discussions (seeM. Horst,1977), nd itwould be ofvalue tothepresent iscussion s wellto reprinthemhere.conceptionaloetry:manifesto1.visual oetry asdeveloped ifferentechniquesnutilizingpace s a

semanticimension.anguage as beenpresentedna positionetweentext-languagendcode-language.

11. E.g., "On Counting," 972; "LandkartenfiirGedanken," 1974; "Ich-Notationen-III,"1972-1975; On Our Knowledgeof the World I + II," 1971and 1974; "Die Kopie ist dasOriginalderWirklichkeit,"975;"Der Versuch einerVerinderung inerErfahrung,"978.



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120 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDT2. while in visual poetrythe semanticdimensionhas been reduced topossible structures, onceptionalpoetrypresentsa nuclear conversa-tional universe.3. conceptional poetry concentrates on elementary possibilities ofreflection.anguage s presented s a multi-dimensionalieldwithin heoptical, coustic and intellectual rea.4. communication s demonstratedwithout ny prospectofcoming o anend.5. it is beyond.6. what shouldbe saidcannotbe said. butbe cautious:no reasonfor allingthat nywhat. ook. speak. and think.karlsruhe 971

(in: neuetexte, o. 8/9,march1972)manifestoI: fromoncrete oetryoconceptional oetry:1 theses1. Concretepoetryhas alwaystried o integratewo aspects:a) theaspectofexperimentationnd innovationprimarilynthe evelofthemanifested orms);b) the notional-semanticr conceptual spect.The complexitynecessary to any aesthetic communicativeprocess(becauseofstructural,ommunicative-psychologicaleasons) anonlybeguaranteedbyconnectinghesetwo aspects.2. Concretepoetryhas become sterilewhereverone of these aspects isisolated n a reductivemanner results: raphicgag,ormere declarationof ntention).Whereas reflectivettemptt ntegratingoth spectswillresult n seriouspossibilities or further evelopment f the hithertoexisting oncretepoetry owards conceptional orm fpoetry.3. By a conceptionalform fpoetry mean attempts t generatingmorecomplex texts (than those of concretepoetry)through n elaborateintegrationfopticaland linguistic-notionalonstituents.4. Conceptionalpoetry ontinues ohold twoprinciples fconcrete oetry:a) the principleof the generativityf the text-languagereplacing hemimesismodelofpoetry, bolishing heprinciple fnarrativity);b) theprinciple fcode-integrationcomplication f inguisticndopticalcodes and techniquesoftext-construction).5. Conceptional exts uildup complexrelational ystems etweenvariousmeaningsof the linguistic nd optical constituentswithinthe mixedoptico-linguisticontext.6. But conceptionaltexts do not realize extratextual hought-concepts(whichcould be translatednto othercodes); such conceptsare rathergeneratedonly in the process of textualproduction,mediationanddecoding.By integratingwo systems fmeaningconstitution,r twocodes with respectivelydifferentmeaning structureswhich are notunequivocally translatable into each other, the result (i.e., theconceptional ext) s turned ntoa communicative rocessbetweenthecodes (and theirmeaninguniverses)and the communicative artners(author, receiver) - a process that can no longer be interpretedunequivocally.7. Communicative rocessesof this ype an no longer e closedbysimpleresultsof comprehension.The connectivity f conceptionaltextstointerpretationalystems emainsundecidable.



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 1218. The open-endedness f the nterpretationf such text-see-worksngagesthereader-observer ore ntensivelyhan nthecase ofconcretepoetry,

and it makes him a creative partner in a complex, aesthetic,communicative rocess.9. The open-endedness ftheprocessofexperiencingnd comprehendingon thepartof thereceiver urns hisprocess tselfnto thematic bject;and at the same time,the interpreter/receiverurnshimself nto theobject of an intensiveexperience of the self withinthe process ofcomprehension.10. In dealing-with conceptionaltexts,three kinds of experiencing reintegrated:xperiencinghework,the self, nd meaning.11. Conceptional texts as texts effectcomplex possibilitiesof meaning-constitutionnd their ommunicative ealization. ach conceptional extdisplays simultaneously, ot through equentialnarrativity) nuclearconversational niverse.

(in: neuetexte, o. 10,march1973)

i4 ,

S.J. chmidt,976'TheMatterf Fact" 1971)



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122 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDTThese attemptscan be described as "visualizing ntellectual efforts"(B. Nauman). My intention has been to involve the receiver in aconversation,na reflection.he receiver s not tobe patronizedbybeingconfrontedwith finishedstories,perfect inguisticformations, losedideologies. Rather,I have attemptedto preserve the openness of allintellectual rocesses,especiallyartistic nes, bygenerating emanticallyand aesthetically open structures which dissolve and negate alldeterminations,egating gainthenegation, tc.

S.J.Schmidt, 976



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 123Butdo suchattempts eally ead to furtherevelopments? as thegeneralconceptionof literature een modified n any decisiveway? Has therebeen any change in the attitudeof the receiver,or do a majority freceiversfeelthat oo much s beingdemandedof them- or do theyfeelexcluded,or simplyuninterestedn conceptional rt and literature? asthere been any change n theliterary r artisticmarket,n thecapitalistmarketing f artworks nd artists?Has the gap between"life"nd "art"narrowed?Manyauthors haracterize heseventiesbytheattempt oanswer suchquestions,whetherresignedly,ggressively, r regressively.t seems tome that in the area of literature he resignedand regressive nswersdominate. t is notonlytheliterary ublicthatagainprefers ubjectivityand moreprivate chamber-music,"uteven the"experimentalists"eemto be retiring onspicuously ntothesubjectivedomain. The world-widecommunity fconcretists as apparently nable to establish olidarity.On the otherhand, s Carl EinsteinDie FabrikationerFiktionen)orrectin attacking he modernists nd the intellectualswho prostitutehem-selves for apitalist arvenues, nd who are unabletoestablish olidarityand a sociallycommitted tyle?4. ALTERNATIVES?In view of the social situationdescribedby Einstein,whichis evidentlythesame today, nemayaskwhether hetrajectoryftheJugoslavGroupOHO (Marko Pogachnik, Tomazh Shalamun, David Nez, MilenkoMatanovich,and AndrazhShalamun)documented n the retrospectivecatalogueof the exhibition n Lubljana 1978,is typicalofthe seventies:from"transcendentalonceptualism" o the simple, communal life,tomysticism,o a renunciationfanyartistic roduction.Mustconceptionalliterature ollow thiscourse?Indeed, thereare sufficient ypotheses oaccount for henon-acceptance fconceptional iterature. mongthem:Mimesis ndnarrativityelong othe classofcultural henomena hichappearnaturalecause f heirwidespreadcceptancendprestige.The capitalisticiterarymarket bsorbs ny innovationnd transformscriticismnto ffirmation.Literaturesmade naccessibleycriticalnterpretation.Theremaybenobasisfor experimentalrt"nourculture.I would liketodiscusstwopossible rejoinders o statementsfthistype:one thatmight e a result f certainntentionsfmyown works ince thevolumina-projekt;nd a second that refersto a projecteddemocraticconception fart.5. THE CONTINUUM-PROJECTIn the"Epilogue othe WorkBreitenbrunn974,"1975:119-121)uspiciousof a strict ivision ofsociety ntosocial action-systems,questionedthesocial interests nderlyinghepresentdepartmentalizationfactions ndmanifestations f life see Schmidt1975,Appendix1,here).Questionsofthissortmayseem tobe naive: domainsofsocial action such as science,art,philosophy, conomy, port, tc.,have been established nthecourse



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124 SIEGFRIEDJ.SCHMIDTofhistory,ndtheynterrelatendividualsndroles, educingomplexity(inN. Luhmann'sense), ndfacilitatingocial ife.An ndividualannotannul these social "organizinguthorities."owever,what kind ofconclusionsan we draw romhis?How doweknow, ornstance,hatproblem, question,n answer elongsothat reatowhichthasbeenassigned ysocialconventions? e do notknow-among ther easons,becausehardlynyhumanlymportantnd interestingroblem ouldeverbe solvedby reduction o componentroblems.An illustrativeexample s thatof language.Wheredo we find heindividuallyndsocially elevant omains fthe inguisticroblem?nthephilosophyflanguagend inguistics,n iteraturerconceptualrt,ndaily xperiencewith anguage s a means fcommunication?reverywhere;nwhichcase,does the sumofthecomponent roblemsonstitutehewhole? slanguage rimarilymportants a meansofexpressionrcontact? s arepresentationfcognitivetructures?s a medium or stablishingndpreservingersonalndsocial dentity?sa materialhat an be workedwith raphicallyracoustically?Myexperience ith anguages,ndmydescriptionsfthemfromheviewpointsfphilosophyf anguage,inguistics,iteraturend rt)withintheframeworkfmyvolumina-projektcompletedfterevenyears'work,publishedn1977)have edme to thedefinitivenswer hat here re nodepartmentalizationshat aneasilybe motivated,r that re"natural."(This s with he xceptionf mpirical,cientificnquiriesnto spects flanguageon the basis of analytic heories f science,dealingwithintersubjectivelyeducedsegmentsn an explicit nd deliberatelyrestrictiveanner.) n daily, artistic, nd philosophical xperience,descriptionsndevaluationsonverge,ollide, verlap; hey onstitutecontinuum,lwaysrelated o the experiencingndividual nd to hisidentity.his dentitysinterpreteds hisbiography,nd s relatedothetotalityfthe ndividual'sctions,xperiencend emotions.norder orthis to be so, this same individual eeds,on the one hand,socialcategorizationsfthetype fphilosophy,rt, iterature,port, tc.,forinterpretingituations nd actions,but on the other hand mustpermanentlyall suchcategorizationsnto uestion-thinkingndlivingindependently,norder ostay live.Helmut isendle eems ohavehadsomethingimilarn mindwhenhewrote:

The dilemma fclassifyingiteraturend science onsistsn imposingdisciplinepon he uthor,tartingromconventionalystemf ategories.This receptive seudo-processs the resultof a complicatedocio-psychologicalperation,fa more rlessconventionaleflectionn textsdependingnthe extsfother uthors.hework s conventionediatesfictitiousnowledgebout he uthor, ho s classifieds a type,othat yvirtuefhiswork e canbe made esponsiblexpost actoor he re-definedtype. n thisstrange,ircularwaythe"philosophic,"he"scientific,"he"insane"uthorwasdiscovered....] Any onceptionf iterature ust eprivate nd individualistic.t is a sequenceofcompulsionshat an beexplained y the confrontationetween he ndividual ositionnd thetechnologicalystem.hus hewriterscompelledo eetheworld ot san



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 125artist, ut as a member fsociety, xposedtovariousrepressionsnd to thecommondifficultiesfexistence nddevelopment; uton the otherhand,heis also compelledtobe interestedn means and domainsthatmayassist novercoming,xplainingndunderstandingheproblems. hesethingswhichhave nothing o do with iteraturen the traditional ense,are necessarilyrelatedto the domains of linguistic riticism, ocial sciences, sociology,psychology, echnology,conomy,epistemology,conomics,etc.They areconcernedwitheverythinghat oncerns ivilization.Whether he treatmentr inclusionof thosedomains in writing roducesliterature, o literature,cienceor the reversemakes no differencet all,because the egitimationfthework willbe derivablefrom tsnecessity orthe authorand others. n this respect,the conventionaldefinitionsndclassificationsf iteraturend sciencedeserve obe forgotten.hatthisdoesnothappen,cannothappen,is provedmerelybya precarious ssumption:both science and literature re not concernedwithproducing cience orliteraturenthequestforknowledge, utwith he statewhich sexpressed nthe notions fscientist nd author 1978:20).

This account, however faltering,nevertheless corroborates my view thatthe continuum relates to persons, to the total capacity and activity ofindividuals.12 Personally, I have realized my own potential by working inareas which conventional classifications had made inaccessible; byworking in a variety of areas without identifying myself with any oneparticular role; by producing something which resists common classi-fications; by becoming indifferent to the expectations of genre anddomain, while remaining sensitive to the expectations aroused by thespecific activity. In short,my goal has been to work within a continuum,one which embraces "life" nd "art.'13 The conventional domains are not,however, obliterated by the continuum: for any work it should still bepossible to indicate what sort of task is involved, even if this is theparadoxical task of producing (relatively) uninterpretable or indetermi-nate objects, with a view to achieving optimal reception. To illustratethis Iwould like to describe two such objects which function n this continuum.(What follows are not interpretations,of course, but annotations.)

12. Cf.thecatalogueofmy ecture nd exhibition ction "Die Mechanik des Normaden" ttheWestfailischerunstvereinMiinster 10-15Nov. 1981).13. This is absolutely n accordance withJoseph Beuys:I demand an artistic articipationnall domainsof ife.Atpresent, rt s taught s aspecial discipline. ...] I plead for n aestheticengagement n thepartofscience,economy, politics,religionon thepartof each domain ofhumanactivities.Eventhe process of peeling potatoes can be a work of art, if it is a conscious action(1975:218).



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126 SIEGFRIEDJ. CHMIDT

AONTHE.ORIGINh4OFSCAFFOLDSBYMEANSiOFNATURALSELECTION

"Das Geruest.Hommage I.LKant"[TheScaffold. ommage o L Kant)In thisproject 0 photos50x70 cm)printednplastic oil ie on thefloor, o space separatinghem; bove, t eye-level, ang he"originals"(DINA4)comprisingphoto nd a text tampedncardboard,ixed tadistancequivalentothedifferencensizeof hephoto; o the eiling,shigh s possible, re fixed 0postcard-sizehotos aken rom hephotosonthefloor,eparated y relativelyargerntervals, hich an be readonlywith omeeffortdependingn theheightftheroom.Eachphoto hows scaffold,nd next oit,as a text,s thetitle fafamous ost-seventeenth-centuryhilosophical ork.All buttwo of thequotationsre modifiedccordingo the amepattern:hecentral ordsofthetitles re replaced ythe words caffold,caffoldology,tudy fscaffoldthat s,e.g.,Critique fPureScaffold;WilltoScaffoldtc.). So 200years fphilosophyre reduced ooneterm,which s taken ufficientlyseriouslys tobehand-stampedettery etter,manuallyroduced. antisalluded o nquotationsrom isCritiquef ureReason;he llusion anbe extendednviewof he entral ole f pace fixture)nd timetime freading).



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 127

ir~ ~ I S;4(i3 /:r - r

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J,..,.......?....... ...rrC

t. -I .", j

.. -"

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S-& is

4 1L-;WOW

- 1 j.f hO~ t .a)?1.~ ti

Aai



29/37


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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 129APPENDIX 1

S.J.SCHMIDT, AXIOMATIK DER POST-ART ART (1975)1. thereare three constants:indifferenceusualnesschance2. itholds true:all conceptsare equalall models are equivalentall values are analogousall descriptions re equally appropriateall systems re completeall statesare closedall developments re finishedall differencesre removedall worksare incredibleall languagesare uselessall worlds are constructsall constructs re worldsall experiencesare transientall traditions re superfluousall continuities re accidentalall axioms are crazyall theorems re arbitraryall interpretationsre incidentalall universal statements re particularall acts ofasserting re cancelled3. itholds true:all negationsof the statementsn (2) are equally correct.4. thecopy is theoriginalofreality.5. the so-calledart and the so-called science must be overcome n ordertoreach a situationwhere experience, motion and thinking onstituteunity.6. theremainingproblemsforthe future an onlybe solved through eam-work.consequently, heprevailing onceptionofintellectualpropertymustbe diminishedgradually: t is no longer matter fdistributingintellectualproperty, ut ofchanging ocietytogether,o that ivingandworkingwill no longer ppear as irreconciliable pheres.7. art, iterature, cience, economy,etc. mustrelativize nd penetrate achother at thesame time.as findings hatcan be taken n possession are notdecisiveforscience,but theprocessofcognition; s the finished roductalone theyshould not be decisive foreconomy,but theprocessofproduction nd itsstructure, o thecreativeprocesswill become more andmoredecisive for rt and literature,nd not theproductthatcan bemarketed. volution nsteadofobjects.APPENDIX 2

U. MEYER, CONCEPTUAL ART (1972: VIII-IX)The function f the critic nd the function f the artisthave been traditionallydivided; theartist's oncern was theproduction fthe work and thecritic'swasits evaluationand interpretation.uringthepast severalyearsa groupofyoung



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130 SIEGFRIED J. CHMIDTartists evolved the idiom of Conceptual Art,which eliminatedthis division.Conceptual artists ake over therole of the critic n termsofframing heirownpropositions,deas, and concepts."Because ofthe implieddualityofperceptionand conception in earlier art, a middleman (critic) appeared useful. This[Conceptual] art both annexes the functions of the critic and makes themiddlemanunnecessary."'Sympathizingwiththisparticularviewpoint, ertaincriticsno longer nsistupon the absolute division ofthesefunctions.2An essential aspect of Conceptual Art is its self-reference;ftenthe artistsdefinethe intentions f theirworkas partoftheirart.Thus, many Conceptualartists advance propositionsor investigations. t is in keeping, then, withConceptual Art that it is best explained through itself, i.e., through theexaminationofConceptualArt,rather hanthrough ny assumptions utsideofitself. n thissense,thisbook is not a "critical nthology" ut a documentation fConceptual Art and Statements. "Critical interpretation" ends to framepropositionsdifferentrom the artist's ntention, hus prejudicing nformation.The dependenceofthe"educated rt world" n professional riticism ompoundsthe error.

Why oyouwasteyour ime nd mine ytryingogetvalue udgments?on'tyousee thatwhenyouget value udgment,hat's llyouhave?Value udgmentsredestructiveo ourproper usiness, hich scuriosityndawareness.3Conceptual Artmakes the ideational premiseof the work known, a decidedcontrast o other contemporaryrt,which is not concernedwithdefining heintentionfthework, ttendingalmost) xclusively oitsappearance. he IDEA ofthe work,which only the artistcould reveal, remainshidden,thus becomingeverybody's uessing ameand/or esponsibility. nderthesecircumstanceshereis, indeed, needfor riticalnterpretation.tgivesthegamut fart nd art-objectssomesemblanceofcoherence nd stability,ome measureof objectivevaluation,"although hisprocess s arbitrarynterms fthe artist'sntentions. ttendingo thecritical unction tself s the nature fConceptualArt.There s no further eed forcritical nterpretationfidea and intention lreadyclearly tated.ConceptualArt ompleted he breakwithtraditional sthetics hat heDadaists,and notablyMarcel Duchamp, initiated.Traditionalesthetics could not quiterecuperatefrom the assault of the Ready-mades.Duchamp consideredthemmainly satiricalgesture oward a dim-witted,litist stablishment.I threwtheurinoir4nto theirfaces,"he wrote ater, andnow theycome and admire t for tsbeauty."s he criticalmisunderstandingfhis ntentions, hich roubledDuchampfordecades, still abounds today. The following xemplifies he confusion hatresultsfrom he divisionof the functions f critic nd artist. n 1961 Duchampmade his ntentionsnregard otheReady-madesxplicitlylear. Acertain tate faffairshat am particularlynxious to clarify,s thatthe choiceoftheseReady-mades was never dictatedby any estheticdelectation. uch choice was alwaysbased on a reflectionf visual indifferencend at thesame time totalabsence ofgood taste."6 ontrary o Marcel Duchamp's explicit ntentions, recent ritique1. Joseph osuth,IntroductoryotebytheAmericanditor,"rt-Languageol.1,No.2(1970).2. ForexampleGregoryattcock,Lucy.R. ippard, ohn erreault.3. Richard ostelanetz,WeDon'tKnowAnyLongerWho Was" interview ithJohnCage). The New YorkTimes,March 17, 1968.4. Reference o Fountain, 917.5. HansRichter,InMemoryfa Friend,"rt nAmericaJuly/August,969).6. MarcelDuchamp,Statementt a conferenceuring he "Assemblage"xhibition,Museum fModernArt, 961.



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 131states: "The firstready-madewas BicycleWheel 1913). Duchamp's choice wasdictatedby commonstylistic referencesnd the success of thepiece dependedthen as now- on itsstylishness."7Duchamp rejected hemyth f theprecious nd stylish bjetd'art, commodityfor the benefitof museums and status seekers. His interest urned from thetradition fpainting o thechallengeof nvention.

APPENDIX 3APHORISMS ON STAMPING*1. Excursus:TimmUlrichs Whydo I stamp?'

"Ihave lways riedoexpressmyselfvenby he implest eans,nd hus he tampas an unpretentiousr, fyouprefer,s a 'democratic'nd non-elitist'nstrumentfprintingame nvery andy.t s a popularmeans fproduction'hich verybodycan take nto ossession. oprevious xperiencesnecessaryo handlet; ny hildknows hat sothe tampsa favoritehildren'same: veryoneanbe a printerndcarryound isprinting-press"1975:74).Ulrichs speaks of the stamp, whereas I am going to speak of stamping.'Nevertheless,ome ofhis aspectsare characteristicfstamping,oo.2. As is known here re stamping-charactersmadeofdifferent aterials) hat anbe put togethern a frame, orming ordsor sentences, nd which can be printedthen n bloc:derversucheinerverinderungeiner rfahrungFurthermore here re charactersmountedon wooden,metallic, rplasticblocksand which are separatelynked and printed.

AUSSENWorkingwithsuch singlecharacterswill be discussednow.3. Stamping: n operationbetweenwriting nd printing,s is shown by a firstcomparison f characteristic eatures.Characteristiceatures fwriting:individualwriting-trace,r individualhandwriting rocess:coordination feyes,brain, nd hands;

7. CarterRatcliff,New York,"Art nternationalSummer,1970).* A German versionappeared in Zeitschriftiir emiotik , 1980:381-385.1. In this ssay amconcerned ith heuseofstamps or ext-presentationather hanwith heproductionf pecial tamps rprintingrocessesngeneral hich redescribedby Timm Ulrichs (1975:66-82): Stempel, ur Kunst gestempelt." f. also G.F.Schwarzbauer,Kiinstlerstempel,"1974:67-84).



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132 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDTindividualwriting-speed,low production-speed;individual,hand-writtenharactersas realizations fcertain ypesofgraphemic

tokens);lineartemporal equence ofmotions;usually arrangedn lines,butarbitrarilyrrangeable n thesurface;usuallywords nterruptedyspaces,combined nto tringshat merge utofthewriting-rhythm,ealizable withvariouswriting tensils, dmittingonclusionsabout theauthor;usuallyhaving ocial functionsestablishingontact,nformation,ommunication,etc.);usuallyestablishing limitedpublic;individualwork.Characteristiceaturesfprinting:mechanicaltypesetting;mechanical,high production peed;standardized ypography;successiveprintingf a whole page at once usingpresettypes;usuallyarranged n lines,butarbitrarilyrrangeable n thesurface;usuallywords nterruptedy spaces, combined nto trings, singpresetblocksoftypes;producedbydifferentrinting rocesses;usually assignedto purposes;usuallyestablishing according o itsgeneral ntention)n unlimited ublic.Characteristiceaturesfstamping:non-individual riting rocess:coordination feyes,brain,hands,body;slow production peed (slowerthanwriting rprinting);standardizedcharacters,printsare usually not identical because of individualvariationsn nking, mprinting,epending n theabsorbency fthe urface e.g.,paper,cardboard);

AAAAAAineartemporal equence ofmotions;usuallyarranged n lines,butarbitrarilyrrangeable n thesurface;usuallycombiningettersntowords,wordsto texts hat re constitutedn theactofstamping;producedwithdifferentypes nd inks;usuallyassignedto particular urposes;usuallyestablishing limitedpublic (similar owriting);individualwork.4. Stamping:protractedor aggravatedwriting.The individual ductus of thestamping erson s preserved thebigger hestampand themore ncalculable hesurface o be stamped, he better he"individuality"fthestampwill be preserved).5. Why stamping?Ifstampings merely sed as an easily vailablereplacement orprinting,hentheinherent ossibilities fstamping re givenup. In thiscase, it would be better oprint r to use letraset, o thatthe intended) etteregibilitywill be achieved.Stampings a possibilityf cting etweenwritingndprintingllows ofholdingan interestingositionnthe continua etween he ndividual nd thestandardized,



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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 133between writing nd graphic,between communication nd refusal,betweenprocessand result, etween nformationnd presentationf theveryphysis f thesign,etc.6. Of course, stampedtexts such as the ones in my project"das geruest"thescaffold)2 onstitute he theme of 'reading' missingblanks, the text is partlyarranged ideways,non-linear,tc.).The medium fwritingosesitsnormality;t staken as a physicaleventaside fromts semantic nformation.7. Stampedcharacters re architectonichenomena.Theirposition n thesurfacepresupposes decision,their ombinationntowords s a conscious, onstructiveact,and no routine fwriting.

A OTheystimulate laying,manipulation, andling, heyovercometheirfunctionsmerecomponents or heconstructionfwords, heyprovoke oincidence,manualskills.They nvite layfulness,he ensing fthesurface.Theyresist rofundity:ventheaction s greatfun.8. Stampingnecessitates reflectiveness. ach word develops slowly and only"under ressure,"pacemustbe found or ach constituentftheword, he relationtoother lements n thepagemustbe determined. achwork s constructedn thesurface n many"senseless" tages,whereas n writing he word is written s anentity, isually nticipated s an entityn thewriting rocess.

2. S.J. chmidt,dasgeruest, ommage I. Kant."Werkstattreitenbrunn,978.



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134 SIEGFRIED J. CHMIDT

VEVERVERAVERAEVERAEN14DVERAENDVERA&ENE

etc.Should anotherword be added? Is it worth hework? s itworth he word?What sgained by this?9. Ifthere s a word of truthnthe statement hat anguage nitspoeticuse avoidsthe pragmatic unction ftransferring eaning nd that tpresents-beside thistransfer-ts material esthetic ualities sound,rhythm,tc.),then tampings thepoeticactionkatexochen.

SPRACHEN10. Stampings a manualeffortt language, compositional ct in space and time.11. Stampingndeed reduces the ndividualityfthecharacters nd theductusofthewriting. utthisreduction oes notendupwiththe mechanicsofprinting. ystamping thermodesof ndividual xpression re favoredwhichmustbe formallydisciplined, ince itmustput up with thegivenmeans (stamps).This content downloaded from 200.14.85.85 on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 16:57:59 PM

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DevelopmentfPost-Concreteoetry 13512. When someone finallydecides on stamping as a mode of action (without beingmade or forced to do so), he or she must have had somethingin mind. May we thusconclude that:ICHSTEMPLEALSODENKECHREFERENCESAccame, V., 1974. La PracticadelSegno Milano: Schuarz).Bowles, JerryG. and Tony Russel, eds., 1971. This Book is a Movie: An Exhibition fLanguage,Artand VisualPoetryNew York:Dell).Beuys, J., 1975. Artforum,n: Douglas Davis, ed. and trans. VomExperimentur Idee(Cologne: DuMont).Damen, Herman, 1972. Manifesto poesiavisiva,"Lotta Poetica15-16.Davis, D., 1975. VomExperimentur Idee (Cologne:DuMont).Dencker,Klaus Peter,1972. Textbilder: isuelle oesie InternationalCologne: DuMont).1978 "DreiKapitel urVisuellenPoesie," n:TECKEN, catalogueMalmbKonsthall, 8-64.de Vree,Paul, 1971.Manifesto,LottaPoetica1.Einstein,C., 1973.Die Fabrikation er FiktionenRowohlt:Reinbekb. Hamburg).Eisendle, H., 1978. "Gedaukeu zu Literatur,Kunst un Wissenschaft,"Manus-Kripte 8,61:20Faust,W.M., 1977. BilderwerdenWorteMunich: Hanser).Gappmayr,H., 1970. Zeichen IV. visuelle gedichte Karlsruhe: ema).Gappmayr,H., 1978. Texte:Auswahl 1962-1977 ndneueTexte Munich:Ottenhausen).Gerz,J.,1976. Die SchwierigheitesZentaurs eimvomPferd teigen Munich: Kunstraum).Heissenbiittel,H., 1970. Projekt1, dAlemberts nde (Neuwied-Belin:Luchterhaud).1978Projekt3/1,EichendorffsntergangndandereMarchen Stuttgart: lett-Cotta).Honnef,K., 1971.ConceptArt Cologne: Phaidon P.C.).Horst, M., 1977. KonkretePoesie, An investigation oncerningthe development andtypology f non-mimetic iteratureMeckesheim) typescript issertation).Jochimsen,M., 1974. "StoryArt,"MagazinKunst,14.Kosuth,J.,1972 (1970). "Introductoryotebythe AmericanEditor," rt ndLanguage1:2(February).LeWitt, ol, 1965."ParagraphenlberKonzeptuelleKunst,"n:G. de Vries, d. UberKunst-On Art:Kiinstlertexteum verbndertenunstverstandnisach1965 (Cologne:DuMont).LottaPoetica,1971 ff. Poesia Visiva e conceptualart:un plaggioben organizzato"Meyer,U., 1972. ConceptualArt New York:Dutton).Molderings,H., 1978. "Jochen erz- Kunst nach 1968," n: Catalogue on Gerz'sexhibition"Das Licheln Mona L.'s bleibt unerwidert"Miinster:Westfilischer-Kunstverein).Nauman, B., 1971. SituationConcepts Innsbruck:Taxis Gallery).Schmidt, .J.,1972. "Conceptual poetry:manifesto ,"neue texte ,9 (March).1973 "manifesto I: from oncretepoetry o conceptual poetry:11theses,"neue texte 0(March).1975a "Epilogue to the work breitenbrunn," ommunikationnd InterpretationInter-nationales ForumBurgenland).



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136 SIEGFRIED J.SCHMIDT1975b "'Negation'und Konstitution'ls KategorienKonkreter ichtung,"n:H. Weinrich, d. Positionender Negativitat Munich: Fink),393-433. (Englishtrans.,NewLiterary istory,npress.)1977 volumina-projekt.vols.(Breitenbrunn:ditionBreitenbrunn).1981 Catalogue "die mechanik des normaden" WestfalischerKunstverein:Miinster),10-15November.Schmidt, .J., d. 1983. Literatur nd Kunst-Wotu? (Heidelberg:Winter).Schwarzbauer,G.F., 1974. "Kiinstlerstempel," agazinKunst14:3,67-84.Todorovid,M., 1970. "Signalism,"ignal1.Ulrichs,T., 1975. "Stempel, ur Kunstgestempelt,"MagazinKunst15:1,66-82.1978 "Abano," nnotationson "Scyllaund Charybdis,")(Catalogue).Weiermair,P., 1975. Epilogue,"Zeichen.AusgewahlteTexte,"Neue Texte15.

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