&Now 2015: Blast Radius

Author/Artists perform LIVE presentations of their recent works of visual literature. 

Visual poet/book artist and cultural critic Johanna Drucker performs her Stochastic Poetics, written using material from Aristotle’s poetics, complex systems theory, and an account of a reading in the cacophony of a Los Angeles art event. The book is a letter-
press performance of emergent phenomena; texts emerge and configure, then dissolve or are reconfigured in overprinted pages. Using the work as a score, Drucker’s sound perfor-mance reinforces the presence of language as material, as immanence and potentiality.

Writer/designer/multimedia artist Warren Lehrer presents a performance/reading of his illuminated novel A LIFE IN BOOKS: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley containing 101 books within it, all “written” by his author protagonist who is in prison looking back on his life and career. In his funny, thought provoking performance, Lehrer presents evidence of Mobley’s Life in Books via his book cover designs, book-like objects, and other biographical materials including animations and video performances of Mobley book excerpts.

Writer/media artist Samantha Gorman and interdisciplinary artist Danny Cannizzaro perform excerpts of Pry, a hybrid novella composed for tablet media. Invoking haptic gesture, expanded cinema, interaction design and literary arts, Pry moves seamlessly among words and images to explore layers of consciousness. Six years ago, James—a demolition consultant—returned from the Gulf War. Six months ago, his vision began to fail. Pinch James’ eyes open and witness his external world. Crunch down the text and dive into his subconscious.