Roberto ALTMANN, et al. Lettries et Hypergraphies. Paris: Editions PSI; E.L.H. 1966.
8vo. Loosely gathered artwork within cream covers, illustrated orange wrappers, in glassine wrapper; ff. [6], two leaves uncut, with six art pieces loosely inserted and each signed by the artists (Altmann, Aude Jessemin, Alain de Latour, Jacques Spacagna, Alain Satié, and Micheline Hachette); fine.
Number 17 of a limited, de luxe print run of 20 copies of this collaborative artist’s book produced for the Lettrist Exhibition at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in 1966, each artwork signed by the respective artist.
Hypergraphy was a foundational method of the Lettrist movement. It aimed to provide a synthesis of writing, visual art, and phonetic notation. By deploying letters and symbols in unconventional configurations, Lettrists sought to push the boundaries of the book, language, and art.
On p. [3], Roberto Altmann attempts to transcribe a ‘poly-automatic’ poem, a radical form of sound poetry developed by Isidore Isou around 1963. Such works were often performed in highly theatrical contexts; in rendering it on the page, Altmann engages directly with a central Lettrist concern: the relationship between the spoken and written word.
SKU: 2123525