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The WF workshop met at The Victoria, Mornington Place, London WC1 on Saturday 3rd October 98 at 3.30 p.m. Here for the record and to encourage others to turn up is what happened. A young man, most people look young to me, whose name is, I believe, Sean Bonney, read from a sequence he is working on. He said it was a way of dealing with his anger at the behaviour of the Blair government. There was a lot more to it than a therapeutic shout. It was competently and excitingly performed, seemed tight and complex, inventive. I want to hear more. Dawn Adams brought a box, the name of which I have only on the tip of my tongue now, containing linked "pages" intended to be tactile as well as visual. At first there was one page, and then as she lifted 1 became 2, 3, more, folded out; they could be arranged in many different ways. To be felt and seen, investigated. We spent some time discussing performance strategies regarding this and other works in progress that she brought. I was reminded, in some ways, of Patricia Farrell's visuals and objects. There was the same invention and openness; though Dawn's and Patricia's work is very different. Maybe it is that so few other people are working in this area, regrettably. I want to see more. Pierrot Lunaire by Betty Radin arranged by Bob Cobbing (Writers Forum, 1998 ISBN 0 86162 832 2) was launched with a short talk by Betty who also showed her original work on which it is based. Briefly, it consists of the name "Pierrot Lunaire" in outline lettering drawn as to seem lit up by intense white moonlight. Cobbing has taken this image and opened it up visually, and varied it. Cobbing's arrangement not only develops the original by providing new images - which I find quite pleasing - from the existing image, but also foregrounds elements in the original image through these new images which take the (new) text in directions possibly unenvisaged by Betty Radin and therefore not foregrounded in the original... Some of these elements are supportive of her intention, some are not... Betty is one of those visual artists who does not work for sound performance After a couple of unsuccessful experiments at performing the booklet as a sound text by Cobbing and Upton, instigated by Cobbing, who understandably wanted to get his lungs round his new piece, the poem was danced by Jennifer Pike in silence, complete in white mask. Some of you will have seen Jennifer at the last SVP Colloquium. She told me off soundly once for describing her as a poet, but her understanding of poetry is very great. I think she succeeded in being true to Betty's concept and in bringing out some of the elements developed by Cobbing. I should add that these successful and unsuccessful performances were part of and between quite extensive discussion on the issues they raised. The workshop is generally a place of activity with discussion being shepherded to the bar; but these were valuable and worthwhile exchanges where just about everyone involved had, to some extent, to consider and maybe reconsider their assumptions and positions without there being any upset or aggravation. I learned a lot from the discussions and they have moved on some ideas I had been trying to develop. I'd like to revisit Word Score Utterance Choroegraphy now; but, unfortunately, the printer is well on with its production; so what is written is written Jennifer Pike later danced one her own computer texts to improvised sound by Cobbing. Cobbing brought material he is working on in Domestic Ambient Noise and one page was performed by him and Upton. Upton showed a range visuals in process, using a mix of processes, and declined to perform anything, saying some were inappropriate for unaided vocal performance; and none of them were finished anyway; but we had a useful discussion about possible approaches to their performance. He also performed a linear text which now has numerous amendments awaiting the word processor. Johan de Wit read new work - as witty and uncompromising as ever. No reflection on him that he is left to last - in fact his was the first performance. It was more of the same on Saturday, though sameness is the last quality his current writing has. If you don't know his work, look it up. I have published two pamphlets , one from Mainstream and one from RWC, which I am willing to sell you; and he's in the new And from which I quote: "The poem is the time it takes to open and close the title. Action, if there is an active agent around, depends on the gap between the camera and the receding hairline - the horizon the reader returns to or bounces back from. Reading like writing is an activity which moves the eyes from top to bottom, the presence of a title at either end is sheer coincidence. The second title at the bottom of the page is a reminder that the poem can be read backwards, both ways or if you prefer, waits for a second reading or opinion." And not so on. The workshops are open to anyone who is interested in exploring new ways of exploring the performance of poetry, especially the sound and visual aspects. No ego trippers or time wasters please. GSOH. Next meeting Saturday 17th October 1998 3.30 pm Upstairs - meet downstairs - The Victoria, Mornington Place, London WC 1 Tube Mornington Crescent Buses include #24 Mr Third Person %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%