Event

Alexandre Balgiu and Jean-François Bory, «Interligner»

Thursday 18 January 2018 at 7 pm

Jérôme Mauche invites Alexandre Balgiu and Jean-François Bory.

This edition of “Poésie plate-forme” features a conversation between Jean-François
Bory, a major figure of avant-garde visual poetry who is also an artist and
subtle writer, and Alexandre Balgiu, an inventive graphic designer interested
in experimentation and reinterpretation.

Here “spacing” refers to the
technical gesture and the action of giving rise to a space between the written
or typed lines that is unexpected, playful and multiform, and is shared in this
case by two creators across the eras.

 

Jean-François Bory

Jean-François Bory spent his childhood and adolescence in Southeast
Asia. He is a major figure of contemporary poetry who also develops his work in
the sphere of visual arts and publishing. Renowned since the 1960s for his
contribution to the international visual avant-garde, he is also the author of stories
and satires, sometimes more traditional ones. His multifarious, playful but
always inventive writings display a striking dexterity and humor.

His first book, entitled Bientôt le livre, was published in 1966. That same
year, his first solo exhibition, Arithmetic
Texts, was held in London at Gallery Number Ten. Also in 1966, at Galerie
Denise Davy, he organized the exhibition Spatialisme
et poésie concrète, which presented works by Ilse & Pierre Garnier,
Jochen Gerz, Eugen Gomringer, Eugenio Miccini and Haroldo de Campos. From the
latter’s Galáxias, Jean-François Bory produced the first French
translations of two cantos, which were published in the magazine “Change”. He subsequently took part in the
main exhibitions of concrete/visual and sound poetry, for which he produced
pieces, but also films. In 1968 in New York, he published the anthology Once Again  with New Directions Books, offering
one of the first overviews of visual poetry practices.

Jean-François Bory started many historically
important magazines. With Julen Blaine he founded “Approches” (1965-1969), which assembled works
by the international experimental avant-garde. Then with Jochen Gerz and
others, he created “Agentzia” (1967 – 1972), a magazine-publishing project that
included books, posters and prints. “L’Humidité” (1970-1978), which he directed,
alternated between thematic issues and monographic issues dedicated to Arman,
Ben, Boltanski and others (reprinted by Al Dante, 2012). His visual work has
been the subject of many exhibitions and studies in France and abroad.

As an author, he has
produced around one hundred volumes and publications that offer extremely
diverse tones and approaches, including Post-Scriptum,
Losfeld, 1970; Made in Machine, Amodulo, 1972; Poèmes mécaniques, L’Énergumène, 1975; Autres textes, Thierry Agullo, 1979; Complot de famille,
Cahiers Loques, 1982; Un auteur sous influence, Flammarion,
1986; Rittratto, NèPE, 1987; Pas tout le même jour, Flammarion, 1988; Quelques difficultés dans la matinée d’un auteur, Spectres Familiers, 1989; Poésies Provisoires, Maeght, 1991; Le cagibi de MM. Fust & Gutenberg,
Spectres Familiers/cipM, 1992; Trop peu de trop,
illustration Hélène Delprat, Love Affair, 1993; En effeuillant la
marguerite, Deyrolle, 1997; Pound Provisoirement Posthume, Spectres
Familiers, 1998; Les baies du l’île d’Yeu, Spectres Familiers, 2000; L’auteur, une autobiographie,
L’Olivier/Le Seuil, 2001; Anthologie provisoire, Al Dante, 2002; Roussel S.A.R.L., Al Dante, 2003; Japon, le retour, Al Dante, 2004; Les Nourritures
typographiques, Al Dante, 2006; Dix-sept façons de rater un livre sur D’Annunzio, Spectres Familiers, 2007; L’espion de Dieu, éditions de l’Attente, 2009; Un été avec Apollinaire, SON@RT, 2009; Pluies à Manaus, ADLM, 2010; Calligrammes & compagnies, etc., Al Dante, 2010; Sgowefygtom ! Sgowefygtom !, Al Dante,
2010; Poésies, à suivre, D-Fiction, 2011; Provisoire, La Maison d’été, 2012; Ressacs et ressorts,
Red Fox Press, 2015; Terminal Language,
Plaine Page, 2017.

Jean-François Bory is the author of
the first monograph dedicated to Raoul Hausmann (Prolégomènes à une monographie de Raoul Hausmann, L’Herne, 1972). He
has also published studies on other artists, including Nadar: Dessins et écrits (vol. 1) and Nadar: Photographies (vol.
2), Arthur Hubschmid, 1979; Jean-Louis
Forain, Henri Veyrier, 1979; Une vie dans l’art. Entretiens avec
Jean-François Bory by Pierre Restany, Ides et Calendes, 1983.

 

Alexandre Balgiu

The same age as a Heidelberg GTO 52,
afflicted with bibliomania, a banquet and cabaret enthusiast.

I saw him at school (in Lausanne? in
Lyon? in Paris?).

I saw him at the workshop (at the Doc?).

I saw him at the library (or at the
bookshop?).

Playing, reading, disseminating.”

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Speakers

Conferences directed by Jérôme Mauche

Date
Time
19h00
Free entrance
Free admission, without reservation