armillarysphere

Thanks first of all, to you, for being here.The first issue of Hamilton Arts & Letters was released one year ago featuring the work ofMichael Allgoewer, David Cohen, Mark Mavrinac, Sara Knelman, Caroline Moran, Kåthe von Nagy, J. S. Porter, Samuel Isaac Robinson, Robert Clark Yates & Jim Chambers, John C. Weaver, and Kim Neudorf.They were joined by Paul Ropel-Morski with words by John Kinsella, Endre Szkárosi, Robert Oldham, and Tim Gibbons in issue one.2Jason Avery attends all editorial meetings and has been called upon to provide image treatments as well as legal advice.Fiona Kinsella, in addition to being Artist in Residence, troubleshoots web matters, is the magazine's union representative, and chairs meetings of the international editorial advisory group.The magazine is privileged to have Peter Stevens as Art Director. His enthusiasm is ferocious, his design sense impeccable, and his ability to elucidate and find workable solutions uncanny. He is the only person the Editor has ever seen send a martini back because it was not dry enough.

Thanks, as always, to our friend Bryan Prince, Bookseller.

And to Wayne Allan. Before knowing Wayne, the Editor knew his work, and it spoke a dream, a meditation, a universe.

Wayne introduced John Porter to the Editor, to the great benefit of the magazine et ma joie de vie. John Porter introduced David Cohen. The Editor corresponded via email with Mr. Cohen for a number of weeks before discovering that he lived across the street from the magazine offices.

Wayne has known Sam Robinson since the days of the founding of the Hamilton Artists Inc., one of Canada's first artist-run centres. He is in a book club with Michael Allgoewer. We are all comfortably in his web.

Similarly, Fiona Kinsella has completed a number of circles on behalf

of HA&L. She knew Wayne early on, as well as Sam. She secured contributions from Sara Knelman and Kim Neudorf. Her association guaranteed access to the work of Paul Ropel-Morski, and in turn the Ferdinando Bilanzola feature in the current issue.

Princeton University defines Samizdat as a system of clandestine printing

and distribution of dissident or banned literature. To this might be added the distribution of literature [materials] that would not otherwise be distributed. Having been denied official publication, writers [creators] found a clandestine audience. Samizdat Press has not elucidated upon its endorsement of Hamilton Arts & Letters but HA&L seemingly adheres

to its mandate to present what would otherwise remain hidden.

[Images above and below from the installation I imagine paradise to be a kind of library -based on an idea expressed by Jorge Luis Borges. Curated by Paul Lisson with Caroline Moran. Sculpture by Wayne Allan.]

A clever manœuvre will return you to issue 2 2009 [geschicktes Manöver {n}]Embark [from a place of refuge] Vik-Bib [will assist you] Contact [complete the circuit]