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QUESTIONS OF COLLABORATION

What is the experience of collaboration like? How do the artist and writer feel about the resulting Broadsided publication? To try and find answers, we have begun asking some simple questions.

"Cost Benefit"

Broadsided May 1, 2012

Note: "Cost Benefit" is the ninth Switcheroo feature from Broadsided. What is The Switcheroo? We'd love to tell you.

Poet: Lisa Allen Ortiz This poem was chosen in response to Cheryl Gross's art—can you talk about the experience of finding words that were in conversation with the image? What leapt out first from Cheryl's art? A particular image? A mood? A line? In fact I wrote the poem in response to Gross' drawing. I am a sucker for text in visual art, and I really liked the receipt she put on the right, and I like the illegible language on the bottom. I'm a great fan of illegible things. Of course the most eye-catching element of the drawing are the figures which are both child-like and a little distorted and frightening. I had been mourning the loss of our home movies (accidentally put in a good will bag while cleaning), and the odd figures reminded me of distorted children's toys and thus of memories and what we lose with time. The receipt made me think about what memories are worth and how we can account for the loss of time and experience. Paired with the art, do you think the poem does something different or has a different tone? Because I wrote the poem for the drawing, I will always relate the two. But read without the drawing, the poem is a little flightier. I was careful not to do a literal interpretation of the drawing because the drawing already keeps the writing grounded. Yet, on it's own, a reader might not understand the poem. I'm afraid it will need Gross' drawing forever. Have you ever written work that has been inspired by visual art? What was that experience like for you? Why were you inspired to do so? Yes, just yesterday I started a poem about Cézanne's card players. Evidently, Cézanne painted many card playing parties. I wondered if he painted them because they were a convenient subject (men sitting still) or if he was interested in the tension of the game. I have also written about Albrecht Dürer's Hare drawing. I imagined his studio with that huge rabbit in it. I imagined the other subjects of his paintings lined up behind the rabbit. That was fun. I am charmed by the world the visual artists inhabit as they paint. My parents are both artists, so I grew up in a very visual environment. I'm interested in the imaginations of others. We all have different shapes and textures in our heads. If your poem were an animal, what would it be? A white-headed marsh tyrant If your broadside collaboration were an animal, what would it be? A crowned slaty flycatcher Read any good books lately? Fiere by Jackie Kaye. Seen any good art lately? In Chicago last fall we went to the Art Institute and fell in love with Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Not just because you can take the candy. We love him for his mind.

Artist: Cheryl Gross What surprises you about Lisa's poem in conversation with your art? I'm always surprised when someone picks up my work and responds to it. I particularly like the fact that she can see things in it that I don't. Basically because I'm too close to it. What did you expect a writer to pick up on from "Best Friends"? The relationship between the animal and the kid. It's based on acceptance. Paired with the poem, do you think the art does something different or has a different tone? Yes. Her interpretation of the drawing is much different from what I intended it to be. I find this interesting and enlightening to get another person's take on my work. Have you ever had a writer respond to your work before? What was the experience like? Yes. I work with the poet Nicelle Davis. We are Dharma bums wading through the sludge and reporting to the masses. If your art were an animal, what would it be? Naked mole rat. If the broadside collaboration were an animal, what would it be? Naked mole rat's mother. Read any good books lately? No books lately. Just my regular Wikipedia snippets here and there regarding reference needed to carry out assignments. Seen any good art lately? Pina by Wim Wenders, Whitney Biennial, OK Harris Gallery show: Bill Fisher, Larry Kagen.

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