A set of lines, a stack of paper

“A Set of Lines, A Stack of Paper” is the second in a series of exhibitions and publication based on a wide-reaching research about writing with the title “Possible Content for 18 Pages”. The original typewritten manuscript of Vilém Flusser’s essay “The Gesture of Writing” provides the thematic and formal-aesthetic foundation for reflecting the act of writing at the intersection of linguistic, visual, physical and spatial communication. “To write,” says the philosopher about the basic requirements that should lead to a complete piece of writing, we need “a blank surface, for instance a white leaf of paper; an instrument which contains a matter that contrasts with the whiteness of the paper; the letters of the alphabet; the convention which gives a meaning to the letters; ‘orthography’ = correct writing; the rules which order that language, what is called ‘grammar’; an idea to be expressed in a language; and a motive to express that idea”. Understanding the act of writing as a culturally embedded gesture, “A Set of Lines, A Stack of Paper” covers artistic, literary, as well as curatorial and editorial fields of action and combines them. The book is published on the occasion of the correspondent exhibition at KARST, Plymouth (June 5 – July 5, 2015). The publication comprises an exhibition documentation with installation views and a curatorial statement. Furthermore, the author Maria Fusco situates the concept of the exhibition in an actual context of literature. The participating visual artists expand the topic of the exhibition with artistic contributions especially made for the book. Text contributions: Maria Fusco, Franz Thalmair Artistic contributions: Ovidiu Anton, Peter Downsbrough, Heinrich Dunst, Maria Fusco, Egon van Herreweghe, Ane Mette Hol, Birgit Knoechl, Karolis Kosas, Lotte Lyon, John Wood & Paul Harrison