10. Mieko Shiomi: Spatial Poem (1965–75)

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Mieko Shiomi:

Mieko Shiomi:

Mieko Shiomi:

Mieko Shiomi:

Mieko Shiomi:

Spatial

Spatial

Spatial

Spatial

Spatial

Poem

Poem

Poem

Poem

Poem

(1965–75)

(1965–75)

(1965–75)

(1965–75)

(1965–75)

Mieko Shiomi’s multipart mail art project Spatial Poem harnessed the artist’s global network to test the interpretive possibilities of nine individual text scores written by the artist and shared worldwide. Launched in 1965 and concluding ten years later, Spatial Poem captured the broad utility, international reach, distributed authorship, and generative potential of the era’s new notational forms. It provides a compelling bookend to over two decades’ worth of innovative artistic experimentations with scores featured in The Scores Project.

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Grey, white-flecked page with black typewritten text in English. Top center reads “SPATIAL POEM No.2” followed by five lines including the question “Around the time listed below what kind of direction are you moving or facing toward?” Page dominated by 26 lines listing specific dates, times, and locations. Shiomi’s return address is listed at bottom right with further instruction “Please print, or use typewriter.” — Score for Spatial Poem No. 2 (Direction Event) (1965)

Square-shaped light blue cardstock with black typewritten text in English. Top center reads “SPATIAL POEM NO.5 open event” followed by four lines of text instructions, three bulleted points on documentation of a performance, and Shiomi’s return address. Utilizes large margins. — Score for Spatial Poem No. 5 (Open Event) (1972)

Square-shaped bright orange cardstock with black typewritten text in English. Top center reads “SPATIAL POEM NO.6 orbit event” followed by five lines of text instructions, three bulleted points on documentation of a performance, and Shiomi’s return address. Utilizes large margins. — Score for Spatial Poem No. 6 (Orbit Event) (1973)

Square-shaped bright orange cardstock with black typewritten text in English. Top center reads “SPATIAL POEM NO.8 wind event” followed by five lines of text instructions, three bulleted points on documentation of a performance, and Shiomi’s return address. Utilizes large margins. — Score for Spatial Poem No. 8 (Wind Event) (1974)

Square-shaped mint green cardstock with black typewritten text in English. Top center reads “SPATIAL POEM NO.9 disappearing event” followed by six lines of text instructions, three bulleted points on documentation of a performance, and Shiomi’s return address. Utilizes large margins. — Score for Spatial Poem No. 9 (Disappearing Event) (1975)

Square-shaped light yellow cardstock with black typewritten text in English. Top center reads “SPATIAL POEM NO.9 disappearing event” followed by six lines of text instructions, three bulleted points on documentation of a performance, and Shiomi’s return address. Utilizes large margins. — Score for Spatial Poem No. 9 (Disappearing Event) (1975)

Object edition of Spatial Poem No. 1 (Word Event) (1965)

Object edition of Spatial Poem No. 2 (Direction Event) (1966)

Object edition of Spatial Poem No. 3 (a fluxcalender) (1968)

Object edition of Spatial Poem No. 4 (a fluxmovie) (1973)

Contents of Artist book. White pages with light and dark blue text and graphics, many containing continental maps marked with text boxes, others with documentary photographs of performances interspersed with text boxes, and others with text boxes connected to arrows pointing to points on a partially visible globe print. — Spatial Poem (Osaka: self-published, 1976)

Color video showing sequential, individual episodes of three different women holding and regarding their face in a rectangular piece of mirror as they walk backwards on a beach, into the water. In some moments, the woman’s mirror reveals the cameraman recording her. The women appear to be performing this action on different beaches across the Californian coast. We also see a man, formerly the cameraman recording the women, performing the task while videoing himself with a smartphone enclosed in a plastic bag. — Video realization of Mieko Shiomi’s Mirror Piece (1963, realized 2021)

Highlights

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by one paragraph that spans the length of the page. Paginated 1 at top left. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (fall 1965)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by two paragraphs and one sentence that fill the length of the page. Large top margin. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1966)

Long, rectangular blue cardstock with typewritten black English text. The top center reads “List of the participants in SPATIAL POEM (No. 1-4)” followed by three columns over of over fifty lines long, most containing first and last names. Below the columns are five short lines of text with return address to Shiomi even further below at the bottom right of the page. — List of participants in Spatial Poem (Nos. 1–4) (ca. 1972)

Grey, white-flecked page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left followed by three paragraphs that fill the length of the page. Paginated 1 at top right. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1972)

“Mieko Shiomi,” Art and Artists 8, no. 7 (1973): 42–45

Scores (1 item)

Photocopy of handwritten English correspondence on lined notebook paper. Titled “Direction music for fingers” at top center, followed by three sentences, one five-point list, and another two sentences, with each sentence starting on a new line. Signed “Sept. 1964 C. Shiomi” at bottom right. Text fills the length of the page. — Direction Music for Fingers (September 1964)

Programs and flyers (1 item)

Recto Rectangular, light blue postcard with dark blue and white graphic resembling a planet partially in shadow at center. The right of the card reads “complete works SPATIAL POEM mieko shiomi” followed by a list of “nine global events.” At left, in red text, is listed over one hundred names of contributors to spatial poem. — Promotional postcard for Complete Works: Spatial Poem (ca. 1976)

Photographs (1 item)

Black-and-white photograph of a woman sat on a box in the middle of a room raising her left hand from which thin wires suspend out of frame. The woman is surrounded by people in the background, while in the foreground a man kneels, writing and looking a map on the floor. — Mieko Shiomi performing Direction Music for Fingers at Washington Square Gallery, New York, NY (30 October 1964)

Press clippings (1 item)

“Mieko Shiomi,” Art and Artists 8, no. 7 (1973): 42–45

Correspondence (24 items)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed to “Mr. G Maciunas” at top left, followed by one paragraph that fills the majority of the page. Page concluded with “Best regards to you, Chieko Shiomi” at bottom left. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1963)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by one paragraph that spans the length of the page. Paginated 1 at top left. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (fall 1965)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left. One wide column of text spans the length of the page. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1965)

Typewritten correspondence in English on blank white page. At top left, the first line reads “Dear George,” followed by two left-aligned paragraphs that span the length of the page. Signed at bottom right. Entire page utilizes wide margins. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1965)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by two paragraphs that fill three quarters of the page. Paginated 1 at top right. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (1966)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by two paragraphs that fill three quarters of the page. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1966)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English on top half addressed “Dear George” and signed “Love Chieko,” followed by three short typewritten paragraphs titled “SPATIAL POEM NO.3” surrounded by handwritten annotations. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas, with annotations by Maciunas (ca. 1966)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by two paragraphs that fill the page. Hand drawn cube diagram at bottom left labeled “transparent plastic vessel” — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (1966)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by one paragraph that fills three quarters of the page. Signed “love Chieko” below text, aligned right. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1966)

Photocopy of white mostly blank paper with black typewritten text at center. Two short paragraphs of sentences followed by one starred sentence below. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1966)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by two paragraphs and one sentence that fill the length of the page. Large top margin. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1966)

Grey, white-flecked page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by two paragraphs and one sentence that spans the length of the page. Text has one written annotation in left margin. Signed “love Mieko” at bottom right and paginated 1 at top left. — Letter from Mieko (Chieko) Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1968)

Postcard from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1968)

Photocopy of white page with black typewritten text in English at center of a mostly blank page. Addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by a short body of text and an address. Handwritten signature “love Mieko” at bottom right of text. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1968)

Grey, white-flecked page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by one paragraph that spans the length of the page. Text has one numerical annotation at bottom right. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1971)

Postcard from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (1971)

Photocopy of white paper with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left, followed by a column of text that fills the page and utilizes wide margins. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1972)

Grey, white-flecked page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left followed by three paragraphs that fill the length of the page. Paginated 1 at top right. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1972)

White page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left followed by two paragraphs that fill the length of the page. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1972)

Grey, white-flecked page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left followed by two paragraphs that fill the length of the page. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1972)

Long, rectangular blue cardstock with typewritten black English text. The top center reads “List of the participants in SPATIAL POEM (No. 1-4)” followed by three columns over of over fifty lines long, most containing first and last names. Below the columns are five short lines of text with return address to Shiomi even further below at the bottom right of the page. — List of participants in Spatial Poem (Nos. 1–4) (ca. 1972)

Grey, white-flecked page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left followed by text column that fills half the page. Signed “love Mieko” below text, aligned right. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (1972)

Grey, white-flecked page with black handwritten text in English addressed “Dear George” at top left followed by text column that fills the length of the page. Signed “All my love, Mieko” below text, aligned right. — Letter from Mieko Shiomi to George Maciunas (ca. 1974)

Small rectangular-shaped light yellow cardstock with black typewritten correspondence in English. Text is addressed “Dear friend” at top left and is followed by three sentences that are concluded with “Sincerely yours, Mieko Shiomi” at bottom left. — Untitled (ca. 1975)