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Cryptic Gibberish
By Barie Fez-Barringten
After completing both Earth Day one and two we created and built the loft housing Laboratories for Metaphoric Environments in Manhattan’s east sixty eight street just across form Avalon’s (the world famous fashion photographer) studios and in a building owned by Mr. Fernandez who ran a world class bakery on the ground floor. In Union Square I had met Adam Alexander who at time was special assistant to Mayor Lindsay. Adam lived on the West side and had several doctorates in mathematics. He somehow decided to collaborate with me to form LME and so from 1971 till 1973 when we left New York for Jackson Tennessee we had conversations which I documented with words and sketches.
What I later called word grams (after the DaDa movement) were my cognitive responses to reify these subjects through my fascination with geometry, graphics, and design, drafting, and isometrics extrapolations. Adam knew I was doing this and after looking at my work sheet often would interrupt and say: “yes, that’s right” and “is that what you think”?
The previous year I had spent with a graduate student from City College named Phil Winters who would document our conversations into his thesis based on a system he called: “TAG” (trust, authority and guidance). When Adam was not at the lab Henry Classon and I would like converse so that he could write the prospectus for LME.
It was only when I was writing and managing trainees and consultants for ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia did I then mount all 63 word grams on cardboard and then with dry mount film glazed each to the cardboard. In 1981 I thought these would eventually be exhibited as relics of the times.
Sadly, Adam disappeared, as had Phil and so many others from this very creative time. After packing all her Plexiglas sculptures, pen and ink sketches, paintings and our personal effects Christina joined me as I assumed directing the architecture department for an insurance company where I designed two Tennessee cities and one village in Belmopan. At that time a local gallery owner invited us to exhibit our art and even a gallery in Memphis exhibited and sold many of my Sheba pen and ink fantasy drawings. www.bariefez-barringten.com
loft,love letters,metaphor,open house,protection,question,real life,resources,shelter,workshop