76
-CONCEPTUAL WRITING:
1
This a icle explo es he di e ences, i no incompa ibili y, be ween he pa a- o e en pos -
Agains Exp ession, as well as he p ac ice o
h ee con empo a y Ame ican Concep ualis s. The explo a ion akes place on he basis o an
his o ical excu sus in o he a ious Concep ualis adi ions, a heo e ical explo a ion o media-
based concep ual heo y, a discussion o he wo k o h ee s aple con empo a y Concep ualis s,
oeu e o Edoua d his i s ex exhibi s an
explici concep ual in en ion bu hwa s i s accomplishmen , and he o he h ee pe o m a
ew i ing o concep ual ene s ha en ails a b eak om Concep ualis aes he ics and poe ics.
Acco ding o his own i s -hand accoun , C aig Dwo kin coined he ph ase
concep ual a and o indica e he use o ex in concep ual a 2 A boldly
in e na ional unde aking, he monumen al 2011 an hology o concep ual w i ing
Agains Exp ession: An An hology o Concep ual W i ing, which Dwo kin co-edi ed
1 This wo k was suppo ed by he Eu opean Regional De elopmen Fund P ojec
0/0.0/16_019/0000734).
2 Agains Exp ession: An An hology o Concep ual
W i ing, ed. Kenne h Goldsmi h and C aig Dwo kin (E ans on, IL: No hwes e n
Uni e si y P ess, 2011) xxiii.
-Concep ual W i ing
77
wi h Kenne h Goldsmi h, is a es imony o how b oad he s addling was. A
e i able li e a y Baedeke o he wen ie h- and wen y- i s -cen u y concep ual
li e a y landscape, i s 650 pages ea u e o e a hund ed w i e s om Aasp ong o
Zyko , om Finland o Japan, om China o A menia. To be su e, some o he co-
op ion o he wen ie h-cen u y a an -ga de w i ing om F ance in o Agains
Exp ession occu ed wi h conside able libe ies. Nea ing he limi s o
exhaus i eness, he an hology includes F ench a an -ga dis s om all walks o
li e a y li e ( he su ealis A agon, he cosmopoli an mode nis Cend a s, he
Roussel, and he Dadais Tza a), e en wi h a special cameo by Denis Dide o .
Gi en he an ho seem, hen,
-concep ual wo ks,
each o which unde akes a pa icula , and pa icula ly explici , ejec ion o
o cou se be o a p ac ical a he han
p og amma ic na u e, due o he simple ac o his ela i e obscu i y in he
Anglophone wo ld: he i s o his ex s appea ed in English only in 2011, he yea
es ha , a om haphaza d o
wil ul, he omissi o e en
incompa ibili y be ween his pa a- o e en pos -concep ual wo k and he so o
incompa ibili y will be explo ed on he basis o an his o ical excu sus in o he
a ious Concep ualis adi ions, a heo e ical explo a ion o media-based
concep ual heo y, a discussion o he wo k o h ee s aple con empo a y
Concep ualis s, and inall ed on a
The a icle will make a case
agains simple app op ia ion o he oeu e o he Concep ualis
cause by showing how his i s ex exhibi s an explici concep ual in en ion bu
hwa s i s accomplishmen , and he o he h ee pe o m a ew i ing o concep ual
ene s ha en ails a b eak om Concep ualis aes he ics and poe ics. This
upon ex and con ex and hei asymme y in concep ual w i ing and o in e p e
i as an o iginal li e a y p ac ice o he sublime.
Concep ualism: An His o ical Excu sus
The his o ical excu sus ollows some well- odden pa hs. A e ospec i e co-
op ion o he ub ic o Concep ualism o ea ly wen ie h-cen u y wo ks in he a s
and le e s cen es on a limi ed ye s able se o isola ed e e ence poin s, s a ing
wi h mode nis p edecesso s such as
78
s wi h epe i ion and bo edom, and
pi o al among hese -
o idian objec s insc ibed wi h a c yp ic i le and displayed as a
immedia ely lend hemsel es o a Concep ualis eading, no so much by wha
hey a e bu by wha hey say hey a e: hei insis ence on being conside ed as a ,
hei p o oca ion ha ex is con en . -
expe
-/nough -language in Finnegans Wake, and he
many o he eac ions o he changed condi ions o he medium o p in in wha
Wal e Benjamin e med he e a o mechanical ep oduc ion. These challenges and
conce ns ga e ise o he double lineage o concep ual and Dada a and w i ing, he
one e hinking a as pe o mance, he o he seeking o abolish he ca ego y al oge he .
Two mo emen s c ys allised a e Wo ld Wa II as eac ions o hese
p o oca ions. The one was Conc e ism, wi h i s, pe haps de ining, idea ha he
ecei e /in e p e e need no ead he ex o be able o unde s and i . Conc e e
w i ing p oposed o achie e his by heigh ening he indexical ac o s o ex ual
a omiza ion o wo ds, physiognomical ypog aphy; exp essionis ic
peech,
economy and unc ional a chi ec u e.3
The o he was he Si ua ionis p ac ice o and as heo ised by
Guy Debo d, which consis ed in changing one o he de e minan condi ions o a
socio-cul u al message o si ua ion, and he eby unmasking and c i iquing i s
-wo n de ini ion,
is an open emb ace o au ho i y-de ying plagia ism as opposed o
he au ho i y-con i ming quo a ion:
Ideas imp o e. The meaning o wo ds plays a ole in ha imp o emen .
Plagia ism is necessa y. P og ess depends on i . I s icks close o an
asing, exploi s his exp essions, dele es a alse idea, eplaces i
3 Augus o de Campos, Decio Pigna a i a
Conc e e Poe y: A Wo ld View, ed. Ma y Ellen Sol (Blooming on: Indiana
Uni e si y P ess, 1970) 71-72.
-Concep ual W i ing
79
o a heo e ical au ho i y ha is ine i ably ain ed by he e y ac ha i
has become a quo a ion.4
Taking cue om he Conc e is s and Si ua ionis s a e he ad en o widesp ead
p in and imaging echnology in he 1960s, a ious mo emen s such as musique
, Oulipo and Fluxus we e picking up he h ead. Fas o wa d wen y
yea s, and by he mid-1980s, unde he combin
u ned in o app op ia ion. To hea Goldsmi h ell i ,
P ince was e aming pho og aphs o cowboys aken om Ma lbo o ads,
Cindy She man was being e e yone bu Cindy She man, and Je Koons
was encasing acuum cleane s in Plexiglas. Music o he pe iod e lec ed
his as well: om hiphop o plunde phonics o pop, he sample became he
basis o much music. A i ice uled: inspi ed by he oguing c aze, lip-
synching became he p e e ed mode o pe o mance in conce .5
Bu he 1980s Concep ualis s need no ha e looked as a back as he 1960s
Conc e ism and Si ua ionism o ind heo e ical subs ance o hei p axis, as
heo y bo h o li e a u e and media
o pho og aphy and li e a u e o he 1980s.
As ea ly Towa ds a Philosophy o Pho og aphy no es how
6 This obo ising occu s h ough
he in e play o an ensemble o unc ions use ul in desc ibing no only
pho og aphy sub specie 1983, bu p escien also o digi al imaging echnologies
ed o wha Flusse
o change he wo ld i sel 7
4 Guy Debo d, The Socie y o he Spec acle, ans. Ken Knabb (London: Rebel P ess, 2005)
113-14.
5 Kenne h Goldsmi h, , Agains Exp ession xxi.
6 Towa ds a Philosophy o Pho og aphy, ans. An hony Ma hews (London:
Reak ion P ess, 2006) 71.
7 Flusse 25.
80
came a who is bound by he ules i se s
8
9)
magic om he necessi y o hinking concep ually, a he same ime ep
he abili y o hink concep ually wi h a second- 10
majo ocus in his wo k is he c i ical and philosophical need o unde s and he
1980s media cul u e in e ms o he la ge o ces a wo k in an inc easingly
echnical and au oma ed wo ld. Bu ins ead o analysing he wha o pho og aphy,
Flusse dwells h oughou wi h he how, dealing wi h pho og aphy om a comple ely
echnical s andpoin . As Flusse sees i , he mime ic con en o pho og aphs
becomes u e ly subme ged wi hin he echno-poli ical and socio-indus ial
appa a uses ha su ound and he eby delimi i , and i is only by unde s anding
hose ha we may a emp a c i ique o his dominan cul u al mode.
pho og aphic Concep ualism,
Pa a ex s
wi hin and ou side he book, ha o m pa o he complex media ion be ween
11 wo ds,
. Hillis Mille on
he polysemy o
p oximi y and dis ance, simila i y and di e ence, in e io i y and ex e io i y [...]
some hing simul aneously his side o a bounda y line, h eshold, o ma gin, and
a he same ime beyond 12 To con ey he co e elemen s o his ela ionship,
Gene e o mula es a simple algo i hm ha go e ns he whole o Pa a ex s:
13
he ex in space (wi hin he book), and
ou side he book). The pa a ex hus poses in iguing p oblems o any speech-ac
analysis, si ua ed as i is be ween he i s -o de illocu iona y domain o he public
wo ld and ha o he second-o de speech-ac s o ic ion. Cha ing a opology ha
abounds in p ecisions (and neologisms) and epea edly d awing dis inc ions
8 Flusse 28.
9 Flusse 76-77.
10 Flusse 17.
11 Pa a ex s: Th esholds o In e p e a ion, ans. Jane E. Lewin (Camb idge:
Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 1997) 1.
12 C i ical Inqui y, 3.3 (Sp ing 1977): 441. See Gene e 1.
13 Gene e 5.

-Concep ual W i ing
81
eminiscen o high S uc u alism (spa ial: pe i ex /epi ex ; empo al: o iginal/
la e /delayed, e c.), Gene e goes beyond axonomic mappings, ins ead s udying
each elemen as a li e a y unc ion.
Thus, Gene e does o li e a u e wha Flusse does o pho og aphy: wha
makes a book in o li e a u e jus as wha makes a pic u e in o pho og aphy a e
he h eshold ex s/appa a uses a ound and behind hem. Fo Flusse , he speci ic
appa a us o pho og aphy ( he came a) and wha i p oduces (pho os) a e
echnically and isually linked o he innume able and as appa a uses o he
n ini e
14 Fo Gene e, any li e a y wo k is li e ally de ined by i s pa a ex ,
again insepa able om he in ini y o i s su oundings. Bo h Flusse and Gene e
w o e abou and om wi hin an essen ially analogue- and p in -based cul u e,
sho ly be o e he eme gence o he in e ne aised he ba o he ease and
pe asi eness o concep ual bo owing in li e a u e and pho og aphy o a new
le el. The c ea i e po en ial o he con ex s su ounding pho og aphy and
li e a u e in he mid-1980s, which Flusse and Gene e could only di ine, was ully
explo ed in pos -2000 Concep ualism.
In his own edi o ial p e ace o Agains Exp ession, Goldsmi h makes he by-now
popula claim ha i h he
ield had o al e i s cou se adically,
15
and eplica i e, in ol ing no ions o
dis ibu ion while p oposing new pla o ms o ecei e ship. Wo ds e y well
migh be w i en no o be ead bu a he o be sha ed, mo ed, and
16
Elsewhe e, Goldsmi h e isi s and upda es Flusse , claiming ha his
e ms o ou wen y- i s -cen u y digi al online han he 1983 analogue en i onmen .
how social media (Twi e , Facebook, Ins ag am) unc ion as appa a uses ha
14 Flusse 19, 45.
15
16
82
change he meaning o w
pho og aphy, is a
Whene e we wee , no only does he 140-cha ac e cons ain de e mine he o m
en ich he p og am, he eby inc easing i s s anding wi hin he la ge social media
ma e s ha we keep wee ing
17
o e he pas wo decades has engaged wi h ex ual p ac ices ha a e au oma ed
as in Flusse , and deal wi h ansc ip ions o liminal illocu ion
Fidge (2000), -
cum- ansc ip ion o all (o as many as eco dable) mo emen s made by his body
on a single day, an expe imen wi h a ange o in e es ing consequences, no leas
18 as
clea ly exempli
Eyelids open. Tongue uns ac oss uppe lip mo ing om le side o mou h
o igh ollowing a c o lip. Swallow. Jaws clench. G ind. S e ch. Swallow.
Head li s. Ben igh a m b ushes pillow in o back o head. A m
s aigh ens. Coun e clockwise wis h us s elbow owa d ceiling. Tongue
lea es in e io o mou h passing h ough ee h. Tongue slides back in o
mou h. Palm co ksc ews. Thumb s e ches.19
Fidge was ollowed by Soliloquy (2001), an unedi ed eco d o e e y wo d
Goldsmi h spoke du ing a week in Ap il 1996, om he momen he woke up on a
Monday mo ning un il he ime he wen o bed on Sunday nigh :
blu b o he back o my book an
17 Los Angeles Re iew
o Books, 14 June 2015, h ps://la e iewo books.o g/a icle/i s-a-mis ake- o-mis ake-
con en - o -con en / (accessed 20 Oc obe 2020).
18
Fidge Fidge (New Yo k: Coach House Books, 2000) 91.
19 Goldsmi h, Fidge 1.
-Concep ual W i ing
83
s, yeah.
Yeah, he shows a , uh, eally o mal sculp u e. Yeah, some hing like ha . I
20
Day (2003) is a comple e ansc ip ion o he en i e edi ion o
he New Yo k Times om F iday, 1 Sep embe 2000, p edica ed on he cons ain o
unc ea i i y, wi h which he spen an en i e yea sys ema ically wo king h ough
each page, ep oducing all he wo ds, le e s, o numbe s ound anywhe e in he
pape , ypese ing hem in he same on , wi hou he use o s yling such as bold
o i alic:
The New Yo k Times
La e Edi ion
New Yo k: Today, mos ly cloudy, high 83. Tonigh , wa m and muggy, low
73. Tomo ow, cloudy wi h a ew showe s, high 80. Yes e day, high 83, low
72. Wea he map is on Page A20.
VOL. CXLIX . . . No. 51, 498
NEW YORK, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 200021
The esul is a le elling o in o ma ion o ex , which is s ipped o hie a chy and
design: 900 pages o in o ma ion econ ex ualised as insepa able and in ac
indis inguishable om noise. As ellow-edi o C aig Dwo kin has obse ed
ega ding Day, cen u y-old i al y
be ween poe y and he newspape and an a ena al eady di ided in T uman
be ween 22
Ano he e-con ex ualising Concep ualis is Vanessa Place, w i e and c iminal
appella e a o ney, whose S a emen o Fac s om 2010 is an app op ia ion o he
b ie s ha Place w o e as a lawye specialising in ep esen ing indigen sex
o ende s. Place ne e al e s he o iginal documen o he han emo ing speci ic
wi ness and ic im in o ma ion as necessa y measu es o p o ec hei iden i ies.
In ans e ing he b ie s om he legal amewo k o he li e a y, Place
in en ionally se s o h a line o ques ioning add essing issues o labou , alue,
20 Goldsmi h, Soliloquy (New Yo k: G ana y Books, 2001) 1.
21 Goldsmi h, Day (G ea Ba ing on, MA: The Figu es, 2003) 11.
22
84
Coun s 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9: Jane Doe 52: Ba ba a B.
On May 13, 1998, Ba ba a B. was i y-eigh yea s old, li ing alone on Ellio
Lane, in Long Beach. By abou 10:30 p.m., Ba ba a B. had allen asleep wi h
he ele ision and ligh on; she woke eeling a weigh on he bed, hen a
hand o e
-915) The man had Ba ba a B. oll on o he s omach, she
said she had a bad back, he had he oll on o he back, he nigh gown
el he man agains he ; i el as i he was naked. The man kep saying
Ba ba a B. h
-917, 925, 1490)23
S a ing in 2013, Place has been a wo k on a se ies o pe o mances called I I
, consis ing en i ely in he eci ing a
se o ape jokes, much o he ill-ease o many o he co-pe o me s and audiences.
In 2015, Place caused con o e sy wi h a Twi e a p ojec whe e she e yped he
en Gone wi h he Wind, in an e o o
Gone wi h
he Wind by Vanessa Place, designed o aise ques ions o copy igh , he owne ship
o cul u al ic ions, and he ongoing na u e o he whi e imagina y. Acco ding o
Place
n only exis
h ough own 24
On he accoun , unde whi e sup emacy, all whi e people ega dless o wha
hey in end inhe en ly pa icipa e in he acism o he posi ion hey occupy.
n ex ualiza ion o Ma ga e Mi chell displays he la e as a
c ea o o ile s e eo ypes, o which end she also exploi s he physical si ua edness
23 Vanessa Place, S a emen o Fac s (Ubu Edi ions, 2008) h p://www.ubu.com/ubu/
unpub/Unpub_042_Place.pd (accessed 20 Oc obe 2020).
24 Gone Wi h he Wind @VanessaPlace Genius, 19 May 2015,
h ps://genius.com/Vanessa-place-a is s-s a emen -gone-wi h- he-wind- anessaplace-
anno a ed (accessed 20 Oc obe 2020).
-Concep ual W i ing
91
Wo ks ejec s he link be ween li e a y wo ks and
ideas o concep s. Wha i does e use is ha Concep ualism should esul in
de ealising li e a u e and educing eadings o imagina y o hallucina o y
conc e isa ions o wo ds. These pa adoxes also enable one o iew his link as
unc ional, and o assess he applicabili y o his pos -/concep ual wo k, i s
accep abili y and ecei abili y.
I s plu al i le, Wo ks, implies ha
mul iple and dis inc applica ions. Howe e , his mul iplici y ques ions he
Wo ks, and i ual pain ings, pho og aphs, ilms, which a e,
i en desc ip ions? In o he
wo ds, his concep ual li e a y wo k, Wo ks (and any concep ual wo k), in e oga es
he ele ance o i s p oposi ions
Wo ks) o i s many wo ds, sen ences, o he concep s, and he designa ion o any
objec which is o be e e ed o hese seman ic iden i ies. In Wo ks, he
discon inui y
ques ions he whole book and he p ope ies o each p ojec , while i s plu al
i le Wo ks and he book
applicabili y o he wo k; eading o pe o ming his wo k always e u ns us o
his ques i The
pe o ma i e p esen a ions a e equi ocal because o he unce ain enuncia i e
s a us o Wo ks
indi idual
Wo ks
is explici : abs ac ions should no be associa ed wi h any iden i ied pe son, bu
a e open o becoming singula ised by anyone anywhe e in he wo ld. Abs ac ions
can be accep ed by anyone.
c i ical app oach o concep ual w i ing in Wo ks implici ly de ines he
poe ics o pos -concep ual wo ks. These should ha e a clea , gene al o
e o
handle many kinds o p oposi ions wi h ex ended possible e e ences; hanks o
hese ex ended e e ences, hese wo ks should se e (a leas pa ially) a
documen a y unc ion, and h ough hei documen s, balance he uni e sal and
he singula : he only duali y which makes concep s and abs ac ions conc e e.
Mo eo e , hey should always poin owa ds an indi idual li e: he only way o
exempli y mul iple applica ions o wo ks and hei concep s. The duali y o he
uni e sal and he singula should command an objec i e and neu al s yle,

92
impe sonal o anonymous iden i ica ions o agen s, places and ac ions, and
consequen ly, a con inuous and ubiqui ous eadabili y. Pos -concep ual wo ks
ha e a cogni i e unc ion: because hei abs ac ions a e pa s o b oad ho izons,
hey can be ools o iden i ying mul iple eali ies. Wo ks does no comply wi h his
unc ion because o i s au ology and pe o ma i e p esen a ions, bu many o i s
See, o ins ance, p ojec s 224, 227, 237:
224. Un homme i du an une semaine en sui an des indica ions
neu e, il consign
jou s.34
227. Des pho og aphies son
Qua e emmes
Au opo ai : une oule ue de hau .
Cinq hommes en ile indienne : un homme g and e g os u de ace.
217 349 : un co e- : 988 751.
Eclipse : un paysage somb e.
: une maison dans une ille.
Monsieu e madame Gen ioux : plusieu s couples dans une salle de es au an .35
237. Un a is e dessine un obje
36
34
ead in ad e isemen s. In a neu al s yle, he eco ds his accoun o his ac ions in he
o m o a se en-
35
ue, is un e i iable. Fou women: a black ca wi h da k windows passes on a oad. Sel -
po ai : a c owd seen om abo e. Fi e men in a single ile: a all, a man seen om he
on . 217 349: a sa e whose 6 digi s displayed a e: 988 751. Eclipse: a da k landscape. In
Bo deaux: a house in a ci y. M and M s Gen ioux
36 111. An a is d aws an imagined objec om a dic iona y wo d whose
meaning he does no know. The wo k consis s o he d awing, jux aposed wi h a
-Concep ual W i ing
93
News Tha S ays News: Newspape
The i le o Newspape is o be ead li e ally: i is an abs ac ion which applies o
any newspape , and o all copies, ew i es and sho ens daily
news om a ious newspape s, u ning hem in o semi-abs ac ions by dele ing
all speci ic iden i ica ions o in o ma ion sou ces, pe sons, places and da es.
Explici ly iden i ied o iden i iable de ails would be con a y o he abs ac ion o
i e sal and he singula and he
possible con inuous and ex ended eading o Newspape . As no loca ion is quo ed
and nume ous opics a e add essed, Jou nal cons ues a wo ldwide eade ship.
Al hough Jou nal sou ces, all a e o
a conc e e and documen a y kind many pieces o in o ma ion cha ac e ise hei
opics and hey appea classi ied acco ding o hei kinds o sub-abs ac ions, he
con en ional sec ions and columns ypical o he egula newspape . While hese
ul
place, and make hei abs ac ions and semi-abs ac ions cong uen wi h he
Newspape
ep esen a ion o he social while excluding any e e ence o he concep o socie y:
I s compliance wi h pos -concep ual poe ics is e iden . Jou nal has a clea sou ce
concep , uses abs ac ions ha do no con adic objec hood, uni es he singula
and he uni e sal, e okes speci ic si ua ions in he wo ld and ocus
speci ic ype o a chi e a medium whose mani es unc ion is o manage and
ansmi luxes o in o ma ion Newspape may be iewed as a es ic ed and
w i
phenomena jus by ep oducing hei segmen a ion and miming hei o e load
h ough he e asu e o p ope names, e c. This mimesis p esupposes ha one
is awa e ha hese lows cons an ly pass h ough him and ha he embodies hem
while he is w i ing and ew i ing news clippings.
Le
Go Day
p esen s a kind o embodimen and a deli e y o se ies o
s ha d s a e a con empo a y newspape s, o wha emains o
hem, ocuses no on newspape s as newspape s bu on hei concep : in e es s o
94
Day, which
exac ly duplica es an en i e issue o The New Yo k Times Newspape is
manipula ed, a anged, in en ed in a wo d, , using opes and
s e eo ypes common o jou nalism bu o an es anging and bewilde ing e ec .
I s hema ic a angemen dabbles in he aes he ics o he collage, while i s
elision o all p ope names pe o ms a ypically peculia aliena ing e ec o a
si ua ionis : conside some o he s o ies in he i s wo sec ions,
APPROXIMATELY TWENTY PEOPLE ha e died in a suicide bombing a
AN OUTBREAK OF THE PNEUMONIC PLAGUE has caused ou dea hs
TWO CANDIDATES in he p esiden ial elec ion ha e each claimed
FOLLOWING THE PUBLICATION o inco ec da a, he p esiden has jus
lea ned ha
OVER THE COURSE OF A LIFETIME, one woman in e e y i e becomes
A MAYOR OF A MAJOR CITY HAS WRITTEN A DECREE aimed a
A COURT HAS CONVICTED he o ganize s o a a e held in an
abandoned pape mill, he a endees o which numbe ed o e ou
maging ou coun y, and
hen we ha e a adi ion ha is bene icial o ou na ion and ough o be
a a - igh leade .37
And so on, and so d ea ily o h: whe he banal o aguely amusing, hese a e
skin-and-bones messages s ipped o hei con en - alue, boiled down o hei
gene
which ci y?
and s ipped o conc e e con en s ill be deemed news? While he
he sad ac
emaining ha ic ims usually go nameless o he newspape
37 Newspape 5, 14, 17, 21, 27, 30-31, 36.
-Concep ual W i ing
95
comes in o i s own in he
se ies o mindless esul s, nameless achie emen s, s a emen s wi h no e e ence:
-YEAR-OLD TENNIS CHAMPION has won a championship
i le wi h a wo-se ic o y agains he opponen , bea ing he wi h a sco e o 6-2,
6- -pe son eam ski-
38 An exe cise in
exhaus Newspape is s ill ma kedly
di e en : w -a anges and modi ies;
whe e Goldsmi h e- ; whe e a silen Goldsmi h le s his
ma e ial do he alking, -c ea ed wo ld ocused
on duplici y and des uc ion.
Limi s o Au o-, Limi s o Au ho : Au opo ai and Suicide
Newspape o his sel -po ai u e,
Au opo ai . He e uses any explici sel -exp ession, as i imme sed in his own
pe sonal in o ma ion lux. He u ns his biog aphical da a, ac ions, memo ies, and
eelings in o a low o in o ma ion and objec i ies hem by s icking o he use o
he i s -pe son p onoun as he whole ensemble o in o ma ion is his own. The
published edi ion o Au opo ai o e s a ypog aphical igu a ion o his low: i
comp ises 1400 sen ences based on i s -pe son e bal ph ases, wi hou any
pa ag aph, subpa ag aph, wi hou any pa icula iden i ica ion o any single line
o wo d. Conside i s opening and i s closu e:
When I was young, I hough would each me how o
li e and how o die. I ha e spen h ee yea s and
h ee mon hs ab oad. I p e e o look o my le . I ha e a iend who ge s
o on be ayal. The end o a ip lea es me wi h a sad a e as e, he same
e spoken, wi hou
w i e. I p e e a uin o a monumen . I am calm du ing
middle o my li e, ega dless o when I die. I belie e he e is an a e li e,
behind me.39
38 Le Newspape 90.
39 Au opo ai 5, 104.
96
Because he mimic y o he public in o ma ion low is appl
sense o p i acy, i aligns he uni e sal and he singula and in i es o e u n o
ea u ing an o en-used duali y: a i ma ion and nega ion a e he e associa ed. The
s a bi a ily
i cumsc ibes and
implici ly uni e salises. The i le Au opo ai is pa adoxical. Al hough sel -
po ai s as gen e a e pain ings, Au opo ai is nei he a pain ing, no i s me apho .
Au opo ai as a sel -po ai is as in isible as he lux o pe sonal and impe sonal
in o ma ion due o i s ex ension, o e load and con inui y.
Again, such
Fidge and/o Soliloquy
e bal ac i i ies, p e ending and ac ually unmasking he p e ension inhe en in
wi h he supplemen al na u e o he uni e sal and he pa icula in a linguis ic
ende ing o any pe sonali y. E e y one o his 1400 sen ences in Au opo ai is
abou himsel , i.e., a pe sonal s a emen ega ding a singula i y, bu a he same
ime hei s a us as signs o he singula hinges on hei gene al, impe sonal
cha ac e . I Goldsmi h can be said ha e pe o med and hus o
e e y bodily mo emen in Fidge and s a emen eco ded in Soliloquy,
Au opo ai wo ks agains his sel -obsession by eminding us, i eminde s a e
needed, ha all signa u es necessa ily end up being bo h ou own and ma kedly
alien o us.
Finally amously submi ed o P.O.L. en days be o e he commi ed his own
Suicide
Suicide e u ns o he ques ioning o
he powe o wo ds and abs ac ions, which aim o es o e bo h he in o ma ion
load all ha can be said abou he man who killed himsel and he low o
accumula ed ime, he ime o a whole li e and i s b oades ex ensions: how o
elease his low and make ime happen? A long poem, a sel -po ai , p esen ed
as w i en by he unnamed man who killed himsel , closes Suicide. As a sample
qu / To displease displeases me / To be
40 each line is a quasi-abs ac ion and a conc e e
sel -cha ac e isa ion, going agains exp ession. Suicide ies o build he ime o a
40 Suicide 103.

-Concep ual W i ing
97
whole li e,
concomi an wi h he se ies o his own li e
As in Au opo ai , some o he commen s oiced in Suicide in i e a biog aphical
eading, as when he aises he issue o in/cohe ence:
Only he li ing seem incohe en . Dea h closes he se ies o e en s ha
cons i u es hei li es. So we esign ou sel es o inding a meaning o
hem. To e use hem his would amoun o accep ing ha a li e, and hus
li e i sel , is absu d. You s had no ye a ained he cohe ence o hings
done. You dea h ga e i his cohe ence.41
O when he posi s he d a
You inal second changed you li e in he eyes
o o he s. You a e like he ac o who, a he end o he play, wi h a inal wo d,
e eals ha he is a di e en cha 42
Suicide
Suicide seems o sugges ha nei he , in i s ull ma e ial
embodimen , no he 532 o he oeu es, s ill in hei emb yonic concep ual
changed he signi icance o all o his wo ks. As Sa e amously a gued, an
oeu e, wi h he dea h o i s au ho , gains a ce ain cohe ence.43
Suicide ound i s eal-
by S eyn. Th
a emp a imagina y comple ion. Nei he no a e o be
comple ed: . His 2007 suicide does no
change he w i en o isual s a us o ei he book. To ha e a e ospec i e iew o
E en i
dea h d i e, hey a e o be in e p e ed
i s wi hin his p ac ice o concep ual w i ing and he many o i s obsessions wi h
exhaus i eness/exhaus ion.
The implied pos - Wo ks inds i s de elopmen in
Newspape and he applica ion o one o i s basic
41 Suicide 21.
42 Suicide 30.
43 Suicide 109.
98
in wo wo ks, Au opo ai and Suicide, which ocus on subjec i i ies. This
made
possible by he ex ension o Newspape an explici pa o
he concep ual and pos -concep ual p ojec s and hei low o in o ma ion in o
-Concep ualism
en ails a mo e om an abundance o imagined concep ual o iginali ies, which
canno be accoun ed o e en by abs ac ions (Wo ks
concep ions), o his manipula ion wi h he in o ma ion low, which leads o a kind
o abs ac ion because o i s o e abundance (Newspape ). Au opo ai allies
o iginali y ( he singula i ies o he au ho ) and uno iginali y ( he low o social
discou ses and hei abs ac ions) and in i es a le elling o bo h. Suicide goes
beyond sel -exp ession in conce ning i sel h oughou wi h an add essee: a iend
who commi ed suicide, whom Le u.
li e o his deceased iend; pa adoxically, in some way, as w i e , he impe sona es,
By add essing he O he ( u
e p obably he limi ha he link be ween
Suicide
Conclusion: Unmasking Concep ualis Mys i ica ion
In conclusion, e e ence should
Xeno ex , which is ead as an
in e nally cohe en sig
44 A mand sees he limi s o concep ual w i ing
in i s possible mys i ica ion ha canno be dissocia ed om he impo ance
gni i e sys em in i sel , an
abs ac ion always eady o apply i sel uni e sally, and he di ec o indi ec
means o many kind o cons uc ions.
In p inciple, concep ual w i ing es ic s he uses o concep s because
concep ual wo ks should be only singula exempli ica ions o conc e isa ions o
concep s. This singula i y should p e en hese wo ks om delinea ing a sys em.
Wo ks shows ha , concep ual wo ks being innume able, his educ ion o
he uses o concep s does no necessa ily hwa cons uing o imagining a sys em
o concep ual wo ks. The possible mys i ica ion s a s a his poin . In Wo ks, many
concep ual p ojec s a e imagined and a e inally iden i ied o a plu al wo k
44
Coun e Tex 6.1 (2020): 76.
-Concep ual W i ing
99
(Wo ks
o hei sum, index o aes he ic and poe ic no ions) and he exempli ica ion o he
Wo ks can be seen as pe o ming a
decons uc ion o his mys i ica ion by using concep s which exempli y con ex s
while being limi ed by hem ( he o e load o in o ma ion in Newspape and o
au o/biog aphical ac s in Au opo ai and Suicide) wi h he exclusion o
exp ession: Au opo ai
con ession i is, we should epea , an impossible o in isible sel -po ai and
Suicide
wo ds, he conjec u al con ex o he suicide.
The i s sec ions o his a icle highligh he con ex ual impo ance: hei
e bal ma e ialisa ions a e essen ial componen s o concep ual wo ks and
p eclude any sys ema isa ion o mys i ica ion in hei use o concep s. Goldsmi h,
.
Newspape , and u ns
o he limi ed con ex s o subjec i i ies (Au opo ai , Suicide), which eschew
sys ema ic w i ing and p i ilege con ingencies. The pa allels and con as s
hese concep ual w i e s enable ano he inal cha ac e isa ion
o hei wo ks. A single li e a y wo k can ace and handle wha su passes i he
media low, he ex ensions o he in e ne , he con inuous sequences o any single
li e, he b oad public implica ions o any discou se e en i me ely ei e a ed (c .
Gone wi h he Wind on Twi e ), e c. Concep ual w i ing is o be iewed as
ime: i s abs ac ions
he New Yo k Times, b owsing he in e ne , and epea ing/simula ing/ app op ia ing
any and all discou ses ha a e ou imme sion. Concep ualism a emp s nei he
o unmask he powe o his sublime no o designa e i explici ly, con ending
i sel wi h le ing he sublime in ini y o he (social) media, he in e ne , he social
and li e a y discou ses, e c., speak. This ype o sublime in ini y is he sub ex
Towa ds a Philosophy o Pho og aphy a Pa a ex s, and i s
powe is he ul ima e a ge o he so o unmasking a emp ed in he wo k o
-Concep ualism.