KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Interview with Anastasia Bitzos

Analog Audio

Event Type

Interviews

Origin

KPFA

Identifier

AM.1972.06.01

Program Length

53 min

Dates

| broadcast
| 1972-06-01 | created

Description

Recorded on June 1, 1972, in Bern, Switzerland, Charles Amirkhanian, and his wife Carol Law,interviews Anastasia Bitzos, a librarian by training, whose work collecting concrete and sound poetry in the late 1960s, led her to organize a number of events featuring practitioners of performance and sound poetry. These happenings led her to a group of poets and artists, including Claus Bremer, Julien Blaine, and Rolf Geissbuhler, and the eventual production of a manifesto, portions of which are read by Amirkhanian. Also discussed is the influence of the Dadaists in Switzerland, the cultural climate of Bern, and the financial and political aspects of the Arts. Although Bitzos has occasional difficulties expressing herself in English, her intense engagement with the subject matter, and her uniquely European perspective on both art and politics make this an interesting interview. Near the beginning of the program, two works by sound poets Claus Bremer and Julien Blaine are heard. These were recorded during Text Und Aktionsabend II (”Text and Action Evening 2”), an event Bitzos sponsored in 1968. The Blaine work, which involved audience participation and some target practice is descried in some fuller detail later in the interview.

Genres

Sound poetry
Avant-garde

Musical Selections

[a poem] / Claus Bremer -- [an audience participation poem] / Julien Blaine

Subjects

Sound poetry
Avant-garde (Art)
Art -- Political aspects
Poetry
Text-sound compositions
Concrete poetry
Participatory art

Related places

Bern (Switzerland) (was recorded at)
Berkeley (Calif.) (was broadcast at)

Related Entities

Amirkhanian, Charles
Law, Carol
Bitzos, Anastasia
Bremer, Claus, 1924-
Blaine, Julien