Asemic writing by Mim Golub Scalin (Richmond, Virginia, USA)
I am thrilled to start the second phase of this great journey that is the Asemic Front project with work by a very fine artist and excellent Eternal Network friend: Mim Golub Scalin. I have participated in a number of international projects with Mim, and I believe I have become familiar with her work over the years.
Mim Golub Scalin identifies primarily as a visual artist. Her exposure to avant garde and post-avant practices in the international mail art network has challenged her to experiment with visual-textual composition, including the cut-up technique. Most likely, Mim has an artistically adventurous spirit that would have attracted her to the conceptual, found, intermedia side of things regardless of her associations. But I'm glad to know her and have her participate in the far-flung network that Asemic Front touches.
I can think of no better place than Asemic Front 2 to document Mim's asemic calligraphy. I hope we will be able to share more, asemic work by Mim Golub Scalin. Following the evolution of asemic writers and visual poets through repeat appearances has proven to be - I think - an initially unrecognized benefit of the Asemic Front project.
Some brief words about Asemic Front 2 because I would much rather devote time and space to the documentation of the superb work that attracted so many to the first phase of the project. But I receive many questions about the project and how to participate.
Adding a second blog is mostly the result of practical issues such as the need for more digital space and improving editorial conditions. Unfortunately, a change like this creates confusion "on both sides of the screen," as they say, so we will assume some time is needed for old friends to find the new location and to get the bugs out of the format.
My experience with three iterations of MinXus-Lynxus suggests that things will gradually fall into place. So faithful friends of Asemic Front please bear with me and things will smooth out shortly.
This is also a good time to explain again what Asemic Front is about. At its root Asemic Front is a call in the international mail art network that organizes and encourages asemic vispo collaborations. For this reason, the "material culture" of asemics and visual poetry are encouraged including hard copies and snail mail; however, digital vispo and email are also obviously used. Relevant points here:
1) Contributors to Asemic Front come via the Eternal Network and/or the overlapping visual poetry and asemic communities. So this doesn't use the dinosaur "literary journal" model. I don't accept "submissions" nor are there "editors" in any traditional sense or "standards." Basically, I am only interested in my friends and their friends and really good-looking people. Asemic Front is kind of a closed thing.
Think of Asemic Front as the documentation phase of things that happened somewhere else as part of a process that you were not involved in (unless you were and in that case I'm really sorry if you read this "boiler plate" stuff.)
2) The core of Asemic Front is collaborations, but much solo work also appears here that relates to the often theoretical commentary you will find. In that sense, the original Asemic Front evolved organically in interesting and unexpected ways - thanks to the contributors.
So, dear friends, let us not concern ourselves with these earthly things any longer. It's opening night among the asemic constellations. Let's roll.....
- De Villo Sloan
