kurt schwitters geht auf 101 zu
In 1987, the author Peter Schumann (who writes under the pseudonym of Cyrano) offered me a poem that he had written for the 100th birthday of Kurt Schwitters, using citations from Schwitters texts. Thus the idea for a Schwitters book came into being. Based on Cyrano’s literary citations, I wanted to cite the visual art side of Schwitters. Since it was too late to publish the book during the anniversary year, it did not come out until the spring of the following year, for Schwitters’ 101st birthday. At the center of the book is Cyrano’s poem, printed twice: once on book paper and again on transparent wax paper, which is laid over the book paper. In a sense, one reads the text twice, creating various text overlays when the page is turned. The other pages of the book are made of different paper types, some of them printed or collaged. My goal was not to imitate Schwitters, but to cite him through his shapes, colors and materials – consciously removed from their context: a figure from
Die Scheuche, for instance, a piece of original newspaper from 1920, or an element from the
Merzbau. Paging through the book creates constantly shifting combinations of materials and colors. The book itself becomes a variable collage. It also includes the postage stamp released for Schwitters’ 100th birthday, depicting a Schwitters collage. The cover for the book is made of corrugated cardboard, with a title-collage pasted onto it.
46 pages, various papers, piece of newspaper from 1920, hand-set, letterpress printed, booklet with corrugated cardboard cover, 23 x 32.5 cm, 55 print-numbered and signed copies. Lahnstein 1988.
(sold)