You won't find a lot of theory here. To a great extent, we ended our concerns for definitions, manifestos, and so on when we ended the International Bureau of Recordist Investigation (1994 - 2004). We'll still be networking of course, researching cultural manifestations of the absurd, the surreal, and the fantastic, and seeking out friends and collaborators. But our focus now is not on putting any kind of official face, bureaucratic/organizational or ideological structure on what we do, but rather on what has always been most important to us - making art, music, films, poems, etc. - being Recordists, essentially.
Should any great treatises arise, we will naturally post them here. But don't hold your breath. I have gathered together a few quotes from previous writings on Recordism which might be useful and this page also includes links to various documents which used to be hosted by I.B.R.I.'s "Theoretical Division."
...should you be interested in such things (go figure).
- William A. Davison, Mar. 18, 2005
For a basic intro to Recordism, we recommend starting with the interview with W.A.Davison, conducted by Maxx Rush and published in Melting Clock: The Internet Journal of Surrealism, Oct. 2000.
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From a Recordist manifesto - Dec. 5, 1994 (W.A.Davison):
Recordism, like Surrealism, seeks to reveal a hidden truth. It is a magickal process whereby the artist can relinquish control and allow him/herself to become a vehicle for the expression of this truth. Recordists do not make art, they allow art to happen. Recordists become "modest recording instruments" (Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism, 1924) capturing the movements of something that is beyond themselves.
From the I.B.R.I.? information pamphlet, 1997 (W.A.Davison):
Recordism can loosely be defined as an artistic ideology which is concerned with the continued development of certain forms of Fantastic Art, Literature, etc.; the investigation into and use of chance and automatic methods in current art practice; and an ongoing exploration of the connection between art and magick.
From The Virtual Bureau Of Recordism (I.B.R.I. website, ca. 1999 - 2004)(W.A.Davison):
The chief goal of Recordism is the liberation of the imagination. Though its methods are primarily artistic, its scope is equally cultural, political, and spiritual.
From The Recordist 15th Anniversary Webpage, Dec. 5, 1999 (precursor to VBOR)(W.A.Davison):
Recordism is an ideospheric mutation of the meme known as Surrealism. It lives between the hairs of poet animals or in the dark folds of fabric on the masts of sunken ships.
From an interview, Oct. 2000 (W.A.Davison):
Recordism refers specifically to the act of 'recording' - a metaphor for the application of chance and automatism to the creative act. Recordism is both the process of 'recording' and the set of ideas which surround and inform that process.
From the same interview (W.A.Davison):
Recordism is a process. This process can be employed individually or collectively and its aims extend from the personal to the social. The process is one of discovery, awakening, and liberation. Through the application of chance and automatic methods, the Recordist can momentarily overcome the bonds of rationality and allow the unformed matter of Chaos - the realm of potential - to flow into our world and coalesce into some more concrete form. The emergence of this new form - a text, object, image, sound, or whatever it may be - is a revelatory and liberating experience and, as it then exists in a form which can be shared with others, it becomes possible for this experience to be passed on and multiplied.
Ultimately, the goal of Recordism, like that of Surrealism and other utopian currents in art and culture, is to effect a positive change in the human condition. The Recordist's approach to this is through the liberation of the imagination and the fostering of a new understanding of life and reality.
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For further investigation, this site hosts the following documents:
RECORDISM
The Para-Gardist Picto-Manifesto
Under the sheets and in the flesh (Globe and Mail article)
SURREALISM, ETC.
No Forced Sale (Breton petition)
From time to time we may come across something else from our archives and post it here. Also visit our links page hURLy bURLy
Recordism continues...
