MECHANALOG. THE 1970's TYPEWRITTEN ART AND INCONCRETE POETRY OF CHRISTOPHER KNOWLES. AN OUTSIDER ARTIST ADOPTED

BY NEW YORK'S DOWNTOWN ART SCENE IN THE 70's. HIS TYPINGS BECAME THE LIBRETTO TO ROBERT

WILSON AND PHILIP GLASS'S EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH.

AND THESE ARE THE DAYS.

There is a book. Published in 1979 in an edition of 1,500 copies of which 500 were hardcover and bound in red cloth. This is one of those 500. 
 

Worth a quick read of one of the shorter typewritten pieces. To get your bearings. 
 

Because many of the works run a lot longer. This piece on Howard Betel (Howard Beale - the lead character of Network who coined the 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!' phrase that had a second life during lockdown) is seven unstopping pages long. 
 

This is a section of Knowles' type art work made entirely with the letter C. You may be familiar with Terry Riley's composition In C. Well, Knowles is even more minimal :)
 

These are the days my friends. The extraordinary typewritten piece that became - along with Mr Bojangles and other works from this book - the libretto to Robert Wilson and Philip Glass's extraordinary Einstein On The Beach. 
 

Robert Wilson met Christopher Knowles in 1973 when Knowles was just 13. "He gave me an audio tape I was fascinated with. The tape was entitled 'Emily Likes the TV'. On it a young man's voice spoke continuously creating repetitions and variations on phrases about Emily watching the TV. I began to realize that the words flowed to a patterned rhythm whose logic was self-supporting. It was a piece coded much like music. Like a cantata or a fugue it worked with conjugations of thoughts repeated in variations..."
 

A lot harder than you'd think. Knowles would envisage the whole work before hitting the first key. 
 

This is the book my friends. One copy of the hardcover edition on the red button below. 

If you miss it. Which can happen. Another excellent Einstein On The Beach performance here.