Oulipo, la littrature en jeu(x)

(The Oulipo, or literature at play)

Bibliothque de lArsenal

1, rue Sully 75004 Paris

November 18, 2014 - February 15, 2015

Published at Hyperallergic.com as The Oulipo Groups Generative Word Gameshttp://hyperallergic.com/172995/the-oulipo-groups-generative-word-games/

Jean Lescure, Illustrated envelopes sent to Raymond Queneau Oulipo Fund

Oulipo plays with generative poetic combinations/permutations. As such, it is a

conceptual machine avant la letter of particular algorithmic art software - and more

generally, of remix culture at large (all forms of hybrid experimental swarms and

hypertext projects of inter-authorship). But even in France, Oulipo has remained

relatively unknown to the general public.

However, currently Bibliothque de lArsenal has lovingly assembled a large and visually

opulent survey of the generative literary production from the Oulipo group (also known

as Ouvroir de Literature Potentielle - or - workshop of potential literature). I found it

altogether impenetrable, perplexing and exciting.

The extensive documentary style exhibition, Oulipo, la littrature en jeu(x), tells the

story of a fast-moving interdisciplinary group of men interested in various approaches to

novel conjunctions. In brief, Oulipo was initiated by Raymond Queneau and Franois Le

Lionnaison on November 24th, 1960 as a subcommittee of the Collge de Pataphysique.

It was first called the Sminaire de littrature exprimentale. At their second meeting the

group (including Nol Arnaud, Jacques Bens, Claude Berge, Jacques Duchateau, Latis,

Jean Lescure, Jean Queval, Albert-Marie Schmidt) changed its name to Ouvroir de

littrature potentielle (Oulipo). The idea of an innovative literature had arisen two

months earlier, when a small group met at Cerisy-la-Salle for a colloquium on Queneaus

work. During that seminar, Queneau and Franois Le Lionnais conceived of a new

abstract literature based in the elegance of conceptual rule-based process.

The visual results are rather striking: image-mind bending thought machines thatplay/explore with linguistic combinations (albeit fleeting and shifting). The rule-basedresults are almost algorithmic in their modular procedural approaches, using words inprecise step-by-step computational-like procedures. For example, they may possiblybegin with an input value that yields an output given a finite number of steps.Palindromes also are popular as a form of generative conceptual rule-related potentiality.

Group meeting September 1st 11th, 1960 at Cerisy-la-Salle for a colloquium on Queneaus work,

including Jacques Bens, Jean-Pierre Rosnay (non Oulipien), Jacques Duchateau, Franois Le Lionnais,Jean Queval, Andr Blavier, Raymond Queneau, Jean Lescure Archives Pontigny-Cerisy

Meeting of the Oulipo in Boulogne, near Paris, on September 23, 1975, in the garden ofFranois Le Lionnais (Italo Calvino is in the center with an open newspaper, at founder

Raymond Queneaus right)

Founding members came from the various disciplines of mathematicians, literature and

pataphysics, yet all sharing the goal of Anoulipism: defined as linguistic discovery

through formal rules and systems that may be used by writers in any way that gives

pleasure. To do so, the Oulipians typically emphasized formal constraints (a

mathematical equation is sometimes the basis of such a constraint) in their literary

production. They adapted this approach in reaction to the emphasis placed on ecriture

automatique (automatic writing) by the Surrealists. A first-rate constraint example is

Georges Perecs novel La disparition (published in English as A Void): a 300-page novel

written without the letter "e" (an example of a lipogram). The novel is remarkable not

only for the absence of "e," but as a mystery in which the absence of that letter is a

central theme.

Oulipian constraints classification table, BNF Arsenal, Fonds Jouet

Anagrams are also of great service to the Oulipians, when they take key sentences or

phrases and create a series of lines or sentences made exclusively of anagrams from that

text. At other times, pre-existing readymade literature becomes modular working material

for a new skewed work, for example by taking a classic work and re-working it. A

playful approach with literary and art history is fundamental. Such a strategy towards

reconfiguration values a creative re-understanding of the past through tongue in cheek re-

contextualization.

Raymond Queneau, Cent mille milliards de pomes (1961) ditions Gallimard, 1961, BnF, Arsenal

Raymond Queneau (19031976), Cent mille milliards de pomes. Paris: Gallimard, 1961. Courtesy ofUniversity of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections

In other Oulipian generative rule-based work, such as with Raymond Queneaus 1961

book Cent mille milliards de pomes (Hundred Thousand Billion Poems), a physical

methodology is applied to subject matter so as to arrive at a suggestive new approach to

the material, alternate perspectives that offers new poetic readings.

Today the Oulipo collective is closely followed by faithful fans of language games and

used by teachers in creative writing workshops. The group also has inspired the work of

some strong contemporary artist/poets, such as Bill Seaman and his Recombinant Poetics

project (a term he coined in 1995) called "The World Generator / The Engine of Desire"

(1996-98): a virtual environment he authored with programmer Gideon May.

The Oulipo, or literature at play show helped me discover further the history of this

rather dated but still active group to, at least visually enter their atmosphere of mystery

and observe the results of their wordy experiments. There was a great deal of playful

work to examine by Jacques Roubaud, Marcel Duchamp, Paul Fournel, Georges Perec,

Marcel Bnabou, Harry Mathews, (who was the first husband of Niki de Saint Phalle)

and Italo Calvino - as well as recent documents on meetings and other recent

publications.

Michle Mtail "Punctuation Poem" (October 1975) Michle Mtail Life

Georges Perec, A User's Manual draft page with drawings (around 1977) Georges Perec Fund BnF, Arsenal

Harry Mathews, Orestes (Snowball)

Moebius ring Comics by Etienne Etienne Lcroart Lcroart

Stephen Lcroart Valeurs changing the order of the squares changes the story

There is also closely related work being done in the field of Potential Music (Oumupo),

Potential Painting (Oupeinpo) and Potential Cuisine (Oucuipo), among others, not

included in this remarkable show.

Joseph Nechvatal