xexoxial

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"A newsletter, a zine, a village and a dream - way ahead of the curve" -Ken Montgomery 2021

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XEROX SUTRA EDITIONS Anti Isolation: 

networking new arts 

Issue 2 Pamphlet 

Staple Bound Xerography

 poetry, drawing, photography

“XEROX SUTRA EDITIONS is working fun something, propelled by a positive commitment & excitement about exploration and discovery in literature.”

I was drawn to this zine initially because of the intricate drawing on the cover that creates a story. The story, as I interpreted it, was one of a yin and a yang. I was however most impressed with the unique new-text included by Scott Helmes. Quite possibly, this work could also tell a story, since it is after all composed of text and letters. But, it is far less comprehensive than the illustration on the cover.  Just like dadaism questioned signature and “artistship”, Anti Isolation brings a new perspective to the words of writing. “One cannot expect to read new literature in old familiar ways; what is called for is rather a new way to hold, open & live with a book.” 

Submitted by: Tiffany Monahan

Editor’s note: Zine on loan from Shelly at printmakersopenforum.

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Introgic Enclodiacy by mIEKAL aND, 1989 published by Xexoxial Editions

The cards are held in a clear plastic cassette container. Title is taken from a blurb in cassette container. Each card is illustrated on one side, with a neologism printed on the reverse. Miekal And has written definitions for his neologisms in the form of a response on the card. Synopsis: Neologims such as "gmeknont," defined as: "To pull away from an argument because no one is listening to you & you know you are right. For example 'The opposition choose gmeknont in a long-standing debate.'" The artist writes in his introduction: "The first edition of Introgic Enclodiacy was created in 1983 & was intended to be a set of 'flashcards' for the neologisms in my book Knowledge Swirling Man Tells Slow Stories. At that time I included only the words on the cards because I had yet to experience definitions for them. Now in 1989 after living with the book & such words I have written mental responses to each word, both associative & otherwise. But definitions are temporary, & redefinition by usage is entirely possible. The neologisms are words are sounds which are points of information (or meditation) which lead the user beyond words & concrete meaning." --from Printed Matter Online Catalogue

via artistsbooks.oberlincollegelibrary.org

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S.P.E.A.T. (Society for the Preservation of Envelope Art Transactions)

featuring an enlargement of image 11 from this collection

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Sipapu, Volume 21, issue 1, Spring 1991

FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED with the avant garde, we have two catalogs, a poetry book and two or three periodicals. Flatland, which we mentioned before (P.O. Box 2420, Fort Bragg, CA 95437—new address; see our no 39, p. 10), includes interviews with music zine editors and orgone therapy doctors. There are brief reviews of small press publications, cartoons, quotes, jokes in this "newsstand by mail." Price $2.00. Even more so is the catalog of Xexoxial Endarchy, from 1341 Williamson, Madison, WI 53703. The catalog offers highly experimental works in various media by Loris Essary, Harry Polkinhorn, Karl Kempton, and others; the group organized a "Festival of the Swamps" to counter Madison's "Festival of the Lakes," and they're still going. Invented alphabets, hypertemporary electronic archives, and S.P.E.A.T. (Society for the Preservation of Envelope Art Transactions—the envelope itself becomes part of the message, as well as being stuffed with information such as invitations to mail art shows). As for the Art Glut, it’s Xexoxial Endarchy's answer to the Art Strike, and if you don't know about that, see notices in Factsheet Five; and if you don't know about that, see Sipapu no. 39. We wish the very best to the editors, Elizabeth Was/Miekal And, hoping that librarians will fill their mailbox with rubber-stamped order slips."

via Sipapu, Volume 21, issue 1, Spring 1991

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Aftermusic Floating Concrete Octopus (mIEKAL aND, Elizabeth Was)

Producer: ASFi Music Works (1990) Homemade instruments combined with Mac & samplers.

Aftermusic Or better: "Before and After Music." Before men started to bottle the vast ocean of aural phenomena into tight square jars with label and rules for proper usage, and after hordes of common noisicians have shattered and spilled the last of this bottled pop to their own sonic delight.The title refers to the gigs we performed during a mini-tour in April 1989, a series of six performances in six cities. Itinerary: The Art Strike Attic in Baltimore, Maryland; ABC No Rio in New York City (of which there was alas no recording made); there should have been a Boston performance but the setting up was screwed up; The Rivoli in Toronto; Mantra Mash Avant X Arts Festival in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. This was the first time Miekal and I did a series of performances solely as a duo (with a couple exceptions: a) Luigi-Bob Drake joined us briefly in Toronto and fully in the Bloomington show, playing his self-made cell-hole (pronounced "ch", as in "cello"). b) We mostly amounted to crying (which can be heard at the Baltimore gig), sleeping or being taken for a walk by travel companion Speezeric. Zon's "momminess" was a sources of great stress for me, I even wanted to give up the tour half-way through. But listening back, I think the tension aided the music.)This was also the first time we toured and performed with a computer and no drum set and no saxophone, combining the sampling capabilities of the Mac and our old-fashioned Akai S612 sampler with our first invented gourd instruments, and costumes. Again, the before and the after: the primitive and the technological. This first experience with the convenience of the technological world left an impression on us, after years of loading and unloading drumsets, guitars, amps, etc., we packed the Mac, the gourds, one box of whistles and shakers, and a pair of drumsticks.The execution of the piece(s) was based on two things in particular: 1) The idea that the audience would make sounds which we would sample and process. We found that asking the audience to do this, however, was no more effective (whether for shyness, uncertainty, whatever) than using their sounds without telling them. 2) We were to make repeated use of Miekal's booklet of essays on noise entitled Polynoise, the text of which you can hear read throughout the tape. We also handed out copies of the book to audience members at each gig.The Baltimore gig was set up by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE and John Berndt in the Art Strike Attic, a long skinny warm space turned over for performances by its resident whose name I can't remember. The audience jam-packed it sitting on the floor up next to us. Toronto dj/producer/smiler Myka Dyer scheduled us at the Rivoli, a vast black club complete with excellent sound system and engineer. I might note that two different recordings of the Toronto gig were made: one directly off the board, and one recorded with Luigi-Bob Drake's portable deck. Surprisingly, the tapes were of equal but divergent quality and I was able to make use of each. This gig was a triple bill with improvising saxophonists Jack Wright and John Oswald. There were at least 50 people in the audience.At the Mantra Mash, we performed, as we had three years in a row, in Larry's penthouse, a large two-levelled magical performance space which has since burned down along with the rest of Bloomington's Eddy building. With each performance on the tour, I found myself doing more and more movement and maskwork with drumsticks, while Miekal and Luigi made most of the sounds. (Wish we could release an Aftermusic videotape...) We perceive all our work as in progress/in process. Every audio piece, image, etc., whether "completed" or not, always stands ready as material to be altered, added to, mixed with more, etc. Thus side two of this tape extends the Aftermusic tour back to Madison where I carefully mixed together the various recordings of the gigs.

Elizabeth Was

September 1990

via Woodland Pattern Book Center

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mIEKAL aND, Klee, Xerox Sutra Editions, Xexoxial Editions, Madison, WI, 1982 (2008 Edition pdf here) [Otis Library’s Artists’ Books, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA]

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mIEKAL aND, The electric samsara lightbook, Xexoxial Editions, Madison, WI, 1981 [Otis Library’s Artists’ Books, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA]

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The Electric Samsara Lightbook by mIEKAL aND, 1980

"50 copies were screen printed by the author at Survival Graphics - November 1980"

Torn page printed in braille is sewn with single signature.

scans from the Otis Library's Artists' Books collection

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listed on Amazon as being published by: Plaster Camp Press/Xeroxial Editions (January 1, 1990)

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Magnified Section

by X-Communication, Elizabeth Was

"This publication documents a traveling, collaborative roadshow through three midwestern environments. Some of the participants included the Aggressive School of Cultural Workers, Critical Art Ensemble and Sister Serpents."

via printedmatter.org also featured in the Sackner Archive

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Lyx Ish Day Mansfield Deathtrap Rerecordings | 2008 also listed on discogs

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by MALOK from Frozen Hypnosis 28

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by Rea Nikonova 1993

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THE ACTS, THE SHELFLIFE

Polyartistry

[#17082]

Volume 2: Polyartistry. Madison WI: Xexoxial Editions, 1988. First Edition. Small quarto. Illustrations. Stiff cardboard covers printed in green and purple (Probably all publ.; a modest first volume had been published 2 years earlier).

EUR 200.00

Visual poetry. And, Miekal & Elizabeth Was (editors). Contributors include Bern Porter, Richard Kostelanetz, Geof Huth, Crag Hill, Luc Fierens, Jurgen Olbrich, Ruggero Maggi among others. Maggi's contribution is signed by him and numbered 31/200.

via John Benjamins Antiquariat B.V.

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Inspiration from trip to the V&A "A while ago I went to an 'Artist books' exhibition at the V&A to get inspiration for my work and as a form of research. It was amazing to see the different types of books, many people would assume that books should look like traditional books. It was refreshing to see how creative artists can be, the various types of styles, materials, pages, layouts showed that books could still be books without needing to adhere to the traditional form. The most interesting aspect was the binding, not your traditional hardback or stapled, some didn't look like books at all. This book immediately caught my eye out of the whole display. The work comprises a copy of a book entitled 'Vincent Van Gogh', which has been overprinted in black and sealed at the edges with nuts and bolts. The covers of this unopened book has been driven through with nails, the points which face out threateningly and decorated with splashes of red paint resembling blood. I love the way it doesn't open like a traditional book; the way it has been made makes me curious and think maybe the book reflects how the artist felt when he/she made it. The words angry and frustrated seem to shout from the book." -Sandie Ly