A project with the MFA Art Practice graduate students at Stanford University, 2022-2023.
In the fall of 2022, the Art Practice MFA students at Stanford University met with Prof. Gail Wight to explore La Prose du Transsibérien by Blaise Cendrars and Sonia Delaunay. Lindsay King, head librarian of the Bowes Library at Stanford, facilitated multiple viewings of the library’s three re-creations of La Prose, including Kitty Maryatt’s extraordinary deluxe edition. We sent questions to Kitty, who graciously answered everything, and watched the documentary of her thorough re-creation.
We delved into additional writings by Cendrars and the stunning expanse of Delaunay’s works of art, fashion, stage sets and interior design. At the invitation of Steve Woodall, we visited the Legion of Honor to view an original copy of La Prose and other contemporary volumes selected by Steve. A pochoir workshop with Bettina Pauly marked the transition from research to making.
The graduate students collectively designed a format reflective of the original volume. As with Cendrars and Delaunay, they worked in five pairs of two, incorporating both text and image. They adopted the original size for each pairing and devised a folding form to bring all five sections together. And then they made marvelous art, responding to the visuals, the topics, and the spirit of La Prose, a “sad poem printed on sunlight.”
From left to right: Tina Kashiwagi & Pablo Tut, Wendy Liu & Liz Maelane, Yunfie Ren & Oleg Savunov, Andrew Catanese & Jessica Monette, Joanna Keane Lopez & Krystal Ramirez
Edition of 20. Archival pigment prints, laser-cut woodblock and linoleum etchings and pochoir on Asuka. Cover of Mohawk cream. Wrapper of archival pigment print on Asuka. 2023.