I was recently sent RUHUMAN: The Typewriter Art of Keith Armstrong (a fair exchange is no robbery!) and damned fine it is too. Like me and hundreds of other typewriter artists Armstrong worked solely for the love of his art rather than thinking it would 'get him anywhere' - but where can concrete/visual poetry get anyone? Since when did it open gallery doors? Since the late-60s and early-70s - maybe? If the art of typing had its moment, it was brief, but I'm no historian, just a typist, working not so far from where Armstrong did on the Euston Road, North London.
RUHUMAN is packed with great examples of the art, the variety of possible approaches being evident here, at least, if not in most singular portfolios. As with any other artform there's a trap, the one of repetition in style. One person's trap is, after all, another's cosy home. Armstrong utilises colour and various forms from 'formal' to precise overtyping and more freeform expression, very much in the tradition (?) of DHS. Barrie Tullett co-edited the book (along with Tom Gill) and created the faultless design. You may be familiar with his anthology, which is also highly recommended.
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| RTomens, 2023 |
This the latest piece I made, this morning.
And here is my latest booklet, printed and designed by Paper View in Portugal. You can see some pages and buy it from them here. It was actually published late last year and sent to me then but a postal worker who happened to be a fan of typewriter art must have sensed what was in the package and kept it because it didn't arrive, so another batch had to be sent. To my delight paper View did an excellent job on the design. It's on textured paper and I like the rounded edges.
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