Jeu de Marseilles, Game of Marseilles, is a one-of-a-kind book that was inspired by David Annwn’s poem of the same name and a video interpretation of the poem by film-maker Howard Munson. In his notes on the poem, Annwn writes about the creation of the Surrealist’s pack of Tarot cards by Max Ernst, Andre Masson, and others who were known by the Nazi’s as “undesirables.” While waiting for a chance to leave for the US as the Nazi’s drew near, they created the now infamous Surrealist deck of Tarot cards. Annwn writes, “the images of these cards fired my imagination. The poem celebrates the creation of these works in the face of encroaching danger.” It is a timely poem....a reminder and warning, perhaps, of the rise of white nationalism in the world today.! The poem and paintings are created on a translucent Mylar. The show-thru of images and writing is an attempt to capture the movement, over-lapping, and layering created by Munson in his video.! David Annwn! David Annwn (born 1953) is an Anglo-Welsh poet, critic, teacher, playwright and magic lanternist who was raised in Cheshire, England. In his undergraduate years at the University of Aberystwyth, David edited Dragon poetry magazine and helped convene the Gallery Poets series at UCW Neuadd Fawr with Rose Simpson, ex-member of the Incredible String Band. In 1973, he met Robert Duncan, a future influence on his poetry, and studied for his doctorate supervised by Jeremy Hooker. Annwn taught at Wakefield College and Leeds University from 1981 to 1995, latterly becoming Head of English. Active as an organiser and performer, Annwn collaborated with musician John Cowey and poet Roula Pollard in running poetry/drama events at Wakefield College Theatre and convened reading tours for American writers including Robert Berthof, Black Mountain artist Basil King and Bobby Louise Hawkins. Since 2004 Thomas Ingmire and David Annwn have collaborated in the creation of more than 15 unique artist books.! |
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JEU DE MARSEILLES / GAME OF MARSEILLES
automatic scribble tint of mind’s sepals cascading out, shuddering pack waterfall to volcano on a clove explodes: ghost-doors flap simultaneous, slam in thrall to gust, enthralled, change suits to fire, star, lock and wheel: sibyls and sigils aflame deal cards and start the game ‘indesirables’ in Ludopolis head’s back opened and black air surges: Alice, Ubu, Ernst’s vulture- faced Pancho Villa, Brauner’s Hegel and Hélène Smith, her leopard flaming hair combusting across your fingers and Jacqueline Lamba’s Baudelaire, contour figures mothered fathers- crimson torque of whirled blazons corkscrewing up, down, through archetypes of leaving, getting to sea away from deadlock, ark out of ici, Pandaemonium, wolves closing round counter-wolves encroaching war Marseilles in zoned attachments blood wheels of revolution churn revs, volutes and ions face-scapes flicker rage to change night’s anchored submarine furniture in café Bruleur des Loups’ masks skitter and fogging new games this littoral riot of carnival in our hands: Freudian necktie, moustachios are naked ladies in after-glow the most dream minds in nightmare europe stars interstitial glint this twisting the sinew upturning purple, red kings enqueened: escaping dangerous to usa words migrate, warp and mutate: ‘tarot’ ‘torat’ ‘ratot’ ‘rotate’ shuffle livid, condense in plain sight years’ experiment distillate into this spread you’re headed out, hand taking flame in a blue boat. |