ASPEN MAGAZINE Nos. 1-9
Phyllis Johnson et al (editors)
Phyllis Johnson (editor): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 1 - THE BLACK BOX. New York: Roaring Fork Press, 1965. First edition. A very good hinged box containing Nine unnumbered items, including advertisements folder. The black box is lightly rubbed and edgeworn to the corners. Box contents are near-fine -- lightly handled. See contents listed below. Designed by George Lois, Tom Courtos, and Ralph Tuzzo.
Phyllis Johnson (editor): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 2 - THE WHITE BOX. New York: Roaring Fork Press, 1966. First edition. A good hinged box containing seven unnumbered items, no advertisements (as issued). The white box is lightly rubbed and soiled and has been mildly compressed, resulting to the cover panel indenting. Box contents are fine. See contents listed below. Designed by Frank Kirk, with Tony Angotti.
Phyllis Johnson (editor): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 3 - The POP ART ISSUE. New York: Roaring Fork Press, 1966. First edition. A near-fine hinged box containing eleven items, all but two of them numbered (items 9 and 10 unnumbered in the original), plus loose advertisements. The box is lightly rubbed with splitting to both ends of the spine: an unusually bright example. Box contents are fine. See contents listed below. Designed by Andy Warhol and David Dalton.
Phyllis Johnson (editor): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 4 - THE McLUHAN ISSUE. New York: Roaring Fork Press, Spring 1967. First edition. A very good hinged box containing eight items, including advertisements folder. The box is lightly rubbed with wear and splitting to both ends of the spine. Box contents fine. See contents listed below. Designed by Quentin Fiore.
Brian O'Doherty (editor/designer): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 5 + 6 - THE MINIMALISM ISSUE. New York: Roaring Fork Press, Fall-Winter 1967. First edition. A near- fine copy housed in original corrugated cardboard mailing box. The box is in near-fine condition with a hint of wear to edges. Box contents are fine, with the subscription form missing. See contents listed below. Art direction by David Dalton and Lynn Letterman.
Jon Hendricks (editor): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 6-A - THE PERFORMANCE ART ISSUE. New York: Roaring Fork Press, Winter 1968-69. First edition. A good Printed mailing envelope holding fifteen items, all but one of them numbered (item 4 not numbered in the original) with no advertisements (as issued). The envelope was stamped and mailed (as issued), thus worn with fore-edge torn for opening. Folder contents are fine. See contents listed below. The envelope was used as the mailer and was invariably discarded. ASPEN 6-A was a complimentary, apology to subscribers for their less-than-perfect production schedule. The scarcest issue of ASPEN. Envelope designed by Ralph Ortiz.
Mario Amaya (editor): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 7 - BRITISH BOX. New York: Roaring Fork Press, Spring-Summer 1970. First edition. A very good hinged box (shipped flat) containing fourteen numbered items ( item number 15 apparently does not exist) with no advertisements (as issued). The box is lightly worn and split at one corner juncture. Glossy white exterior lightly rubbed. Box contents in near-fine condition, with the subscription form missing. See contents listed below. Designed by John Kosh. Box designed by Richard Smith.
Dan Graham (editor): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 8 - THE FLUXUS ISSUE. New York: Aspen Communications Inc., NYC., Fall-Winter, 1970-71. First edition. A very good or better printed folder holding fourteen numbered items with no advertisements (as issued). The folder is lightly age-toned and edgeworn. Folder contents are in very good or better condition. See contents listed below. Designed by George Maciunas.
Angus and Hetty MacLise (editors): ASPEN MAGAZINE Number 9 - THE PSYCHEDELIC ISSUE. New York: Roaring Fork Press, Winter-Spring, 1971. First edition. A near- fine printed folder holding thirteen numbered items with no advertisements (as issued). The folder displays faint wear to edges. Folder contents are immaculate and appear to be unhandled. See contents listed below. housed in original corrugated cardboard mailing box. The folder is in near-fine condition with a hint of wear to edges. Folder contents are near-fine: lightly handled, with the subscription form missing. See contents listed below. Folder designed by Hetty MacLise.
CONTENTS:
ASPEN No. 1: The Black Box: Nine unnumbered items, including advertisements folder. Designed by George Lois, Tom Courtos, and Ralph Tuzzo. Published 1965 by Roaring Fork Press, NYC.
Box. Black hinged box, 9-1/2 by 12-1/2 by 3/4 inches, printed with large letter A. Contains the following seven pieces.
Jazz: A Cool Duel. Three perspectives on jazz, from three active musicians: "In Praise of Dixieland" by Freddie Fisher; "In Defense of Latter-Day Jazz" by Jon Hendricks; "In Explanation of All Jazz" by Chuck Israels.
Flexi-Disc Phonograph recording. Two sides of jazz. Side A: "St. James Infirmary Blues" performed by Peanuts Hucko, Yank Lawson, Clancy Hayes, Lou Stein, Lou McGarrity, and Morey Field, taped at the 1964 Aspen Jazz Party. Side B: "Israel" by the Bill Evans Trio, from Verve 8613, "Bill Evans Trio '65". Almost every issue of Aspen included at least one phonograph recording. In all, the magazine issued 13 flexi-discs showcasing 24 artists who ran the gamut of avant garde literature, art, and sonic experimentation. Except for two recordings ‹ a jam by the Bill Evans Trio and a reading by William S. Burroughs ‹ all were made expressly for Aspen.
Ski-Roaming, Lift-Shunning, Mountain-Touring. Denis Higgins and John Henry Auran on the pleasures of cross-country skiing.
A Sanctuary for Deer, Peacocks, and People. Peggy Clifford visits Stillwater ranch, home of architect-planner Frederic Benedict.
The Hide-and-Seek Bird of the Timberline. Timothy Thomas and Tony Gauba on the white-tailed ptarmigan.
Configurations of the New World. Extracts from thirteen papers presented at the 15th annual International Design Conference in Aspen. Includes escerpts from "Implications of Population Changes" by Philip M. Hauser ; "New Technologies and Institutional Change" by Robert G.W. Theobald; "The Human Imagination in the New Age" by Rev. William F. Lynch; "To Build Is Everything or Nothing Is Built" by Konrad Wachsman; "Columbia ‹ A Garden to Grow People" by James W. Rouse; "The Victory of Technique over Content" by Jan C. Rowan; "The New Conservation Can Succeed" by Stewart L. Udall; "The New Scale" by Arthur Drexler; "Lausanne 1964 Exposition ‹ An Experiment in Planning" by Peter Blake; "U.S. ‹ Us" by George Nelson & Co.; "The Interrelationships between Ethics and Power in Design" by Philip Rosenthal; "The New Motivations of Leadership in Industry" by David Finn and "Urban Transportation in Perspective" by Martin Wohl.
A letter from Phyllis Johnson. A letter to subscribers from publisher Phyllis Johnson.
9. Our Ad Gallery, a black folder, 9-1/8 by 12 inches. Encloses a color booklet, 26pp, 3-7/8 by 8-5/8 inches, for Fabergé "Make-Op" cosmetics; a color sheet for Grant's scotch, 9 by 12 inches; a folded color sheet for Xerox, 17 by 11 inches; a black and white sheet for Adele Simpson, 8-3/4 by 10-5/8 inches; a green and white sheet for the Seven Arts Book Society, 8-7/8 by 10-1/2 inches.
ASPEN no. 2: THE WHITE BOX: Seven unnumbered items; no advertisements. Designed by Frank Kirk, with Tony Angotti. Published 1966 by Roaring Fork Press, NYC.
Box. White hinged box, 9-1/2 by 12-1/2 by 3/4 inches. Contains the following six pieces.
Scriabin: Again and Again. Faubion Bowers on the work and life of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin.
Phonograph recording. Works by Alexander Scriabin, performed by Daniel Kunin. Recorded by Aspen Magazine March 23, 1966, at Steinway Hall. Side A: Prelude E Major, Op. 11, No. 9; Prelude G Flat Major, Op. 11, No. 13; Prelude D Flat Major, Op. 11, No. 15; Tenth Sonata.Side B: Continuation of Tenth Sonata.
Ski Racing: Edging the Possible. Martin Luray on the mystique of downhill skiing.
The Robert Murrays. A visit with the residents of a simple, site-friendly mountain home, by Pegggy Clifford.
Farewell to a Canyon. The demise of Glenwood Canyon, documented by an anonymous author.
The Young Outs vs. The Establishment. Seventeen excerpts from papers presented at the Aspen Film Conference. "Film: The Andromeda of the Arts" by Lionel Trilling; "If We Have to Bury You" by Stanley Hirsin; "Advice from Abby" by Abby Mann; "Crossroads: To Mold the Higher Taste or Pander to the Lowest" by Norman Corwin; "The View from the Front Office" by Robert Blumofe; "The Role of the Audience" by James Blue; "Renascence in a Youthful Medium" by Arthur Knight; "It's Not What You Put In, It's What You Leave Out" by John Burchard; "The Old Question" by David T. Bazelton; "The Task of All of Us" by Robert Osborn; "The Maysles Method" by Albert and David Maysles; "How Do You Say 'I Love You'" by Jean Renoir; "It's Not All Bright Lights and Fan Clubs" by Caroll Baker; "Feeling Guilty at Times" by Eva Marie-Saint; "Rx ‹ Go See a Film" by Dr. Karl Meninger; "One Needs a Poet" by Jack Garfein; and "The Frontiers of Film" by Richard Dyer MacCann.
ASPEN No. 3: THE POP ART ISSUE: Eleven items, all but two of them numbered (items 9 and 10 unnumbered in the original), plus loose advertisements. Designed by Andy Warhol and David Dalton. Published December 1966 by Roaring Fork Press, NYC.
1. Box: Hinged box, 9-1/2 by 12-1/2 by 3/4 inches. Imitates a brand-name detergent box on front and back. An ad for Verve Records is printed inside the bottom. Contains sections 2 through 11, and ads.
2. Music, Man, That's Where It's At. Folder, enclosing items 3 through 6; resembles a contemporary press kit for a rock and roll band.
3. The View from the Bandstand: Life Among the Poobahs. The Velvet Underground's Lou Reed on rock and roll music.
4. The View from the Critic's Desk: Orpheus Plugs In. New York Times critic Robert Shelton on rock and roll music.
5. The View from the Dance Floor: "...it's - the - on-ly - ra-dio - sta-tion / that's - ne-ver - off - the - air." Bob Chamberlain on rock and roll music.
6. Phonograph recording. Peter Walker / John Cale. Side A: White Wind by Peter Walker, musical director for Tim Leary's touring psychedelic celebration. Side B: Loop by John Cale, of the Velvet Underground. Loop is a clever exercise for guitar and feedback that curves back on itself in two ways: the final groove in the record is continuous, repeating endlessly, and if you restart the recording you will find that the closing, endlessly repeating riff leads off the record too.
7. Homeward Bound: The Rand House. Profile of a rustic, owner-built home, and its residents, by Bob Chamberlain.
8. Twelve Paintings from the Powers' Collection. Twelve cards reproducing artworks in the collection of Thomas Powers, annotated with comments by the artists and the collector. The cards: James Rosenquist: Lanai; Bridget Riley: Intake; Gerald Laing: AA-D; Roy Lichtenstein: Varoom; Kenneth Noland: Mach II; Andy Warhol: .200 Campbell Soup Cans; Claes Oldenburg: Ghost Telephone; Larry Poons: Reuben (As the Mississippi Flows Down to the Sea); Jasper Johns: Black Map; William de Kooning: Woman; Charles Hinman: Vertical Waves; and Ernest Trova: Wheel Men.
9. Underground movie Flip Book. Snippets from Jack Smith's Buzzards Over Bagdad and Andy Warhol's Kiss.
10. Ten Trip Ticket Book. Resembling a book of tickets, excerpts from fourteen papers presented at the Berkeley Conference on LSD. Contents: Users and Abusers of LSD: Richard Blum; We Are All One: USCO; Adverse Reactions to LSD: William Frosch; A Descriptive Approach to the Psychedelic Experience: Rolf von Eckartsberg; Stability and Change in Human Intelligence and Consciousness: Frank Barron; LSD: Implications for Law Enforcement: Joseph D. Lohman; The Role of Psychedelics in Shamanism, Witchcraft, and the Vision Quest: Michael Harner; LSD and the Art of Conscious Living: Richard Alpert; LSD and the Dying Patient: Eric Kast; LSD Therapy of Alcoholism: Abram Hoffer; The Significance of Artificially Induced Religious Experience: Huston Smith; Therapeutic Uses of Ibogaine: Claudio Naranjo; The Myth About Psychedelic Drugs: Paul Lee; The Molecular Revolution: Timothy Leary.
11. The Plastic Exploding Inevitable. The Warhol Factory's one-shot underground newspaper. Includes: The Silver Scum, Ronald Tavel, The Terror and Desperation of Chelsea Girls Is a Holy Terror, Jonas Mekas, Slum Goddess, East Village Other, Hustling for Army Health Razor Blades & Bomb, Drop Yuk Yuk, Gerard Malanga, Allen Ginsberg on political action, East Village Other, Bobby, and Barbie and Ken in the Cat's Pink Mouth, Patricia Oberhaus, EVO Freakout, John Wilcock, What Is Joint Art?, LA Free Press.
12. Advertisements, loose sheets. (5 items): Includes a black and white sheet for Paraphernalia; a black, red and white sheet for Guild Musical Instruments; advertisement Vanguard Records; a poster for Fladell, Winston, Pennette; and subscription form for Aspen, folds to make its envelope.
ASPEN No. 4: THE McLUHAN ISSUE: Nine numbered items, including advertisements folder. Designed by Quentin Fiore. Published Spring 1967 by Roaring Fork Press, NYC.
1. Box. Hinged box 9-1/2 by 12-1/2 by 3/4 inches. Illustrated with a circuit board, with wraparound text continuing inside the box. Contains sections 2 through 9.
2. The Medium Is the Massage. Poster-sized mosaic of pages from The Medium Is the Massage by McLuhan and Quentin Fiore.
3. The TV Generation. Poster of a color photo taken at the Tribal Stomp at San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom. Text on reverse side: "New Mix for New Mex" by Grace Glueck; "Interview with Allen Cohen" (excerpt) by Ed Ward and "Article from Inner Space" (excerpt) by Dropper Ishmael
4. Diary: How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse). Random observations by John Cage.
5. The Electronics of Music. Essay on electronic music by Faubion Bowers and Daniel Kunin.
6. Phonograph recording. A Recorded Sampler of Electronic Music. Side A: In Memoriam of Edgar Varèse, by Mario Davidovsky. Side B: Horn, by Gordon Mumma.
7. The Braille Trail. Bob Lewis and Alfred Etter describe a nature trail for the blind.
8. Psycles. Excerpts from The Bikeriders, Danny Lyon' book about the Chicago Outlaws motorcycle club. Prefaced by a meditation on motorcycling by Bob Chamberlain.
9. Advertisements. A magenta folder, 8-7/8 by 11-3/4 inches, with wraparound text in white. Encloses a green and white pamphlet for the Aspen Music Festival, 15-1/2 by 9 inches, folded vertically into fourths; a folded sheet for the Sierra Club, 8-1/2 by 11 inches; a color booklet from United Airlines, 16pp, 7 by 5-3/8 inches; a sheet for MGB autos, 8-1/2 by 11 inches, printed on both sides; a color booklet for Remy Martin, 8pp, 3-3/4 by 5-1/4 inches; a color pamphlet for Gordon's cocktails, 18 by 6 inches, accordion-folded vertically into sixths; a blue, red, and white card for St. Raphael aperatif, 3-1/4 by 6 inches; a newsletter from Something Else Press, 17 by 11 inches, folded once to make four pages; subscription form for Aspen, 8-1/2 by 10-5/8 inches, folds to make its envelope.
ASPEN No. 5+6: THE MINIMALISM ISSUE: Twenty-eight numbered items, including advertisements folder. Edited and designed by Brian O'Doherty, art direction by David Dalton and Lynn Letterman. Published Fall-Winter 1967 by Roaring Fork Press, NYC.
1. Box. Two-piece box, 8-1/4 by 8-1/4 by 2-1/8 inches. White box of two nearly identical halves, title on side in inconspicuous type. Contains sections 2 through 28.
2. Contents. Editor's description of items included with this issue.
3. Three Essays. Essays with post-modern perspectives. "The Death of the Author" by Roland Barthes; "Style and the Representation of Historical Time" by George Kubler and "The Aesthetics of Silence" by Susan Sontag
4. Phonograph recording. Beckett / Gabo & Pevsner. Side A: Samuel Beckett's Text for Nothing #8 (1958), read by Jack MacGowan. Side B: The Realistic Manifesto (1920), by Naum Gabo and Noton Pevsner, read by Naum Gabo.
5. Phonograph recording. Burroughs / Robbe-Grillet. Side A: Excerpts from Nova Express (1964), by William Burroughs, read by the author. Side B: "Now the shadow of the southwest column..." an excerpt from Jealousy (1957), by Alain Robbe-Grillet, read by the author. Translation of side B in item 23.
6. Phonograph recording. Feldman / Cage. Side A: The King of Denmark, by Morton Feldman, realized by Max Neuhaus in 1967. Side B: Fontana Mix-Feed, Nov. 6, 1967, by John Cage, realized by Max Neuhaus. Score of side A in item 20. Score of side B in item 21.
7. Maze model part 3. Cardboard model part.
8. Maze model part 2. Cardboard model part.
9. Maze model part 4. Cardboard model part.
10. Maze model part 6. Cardboard model part.
11. Maze model part 7. Cardboard model part.
12. Phonograph recording. Merce Cunningham. Side A: Space, Time and Dance (1952), by Merce Cunningham. Side B: Further Thoughts (1967), an interview with Cunningham.
13. Phonograph recording. Duchamp / Huelsenbeck. Side A: Marcel Duchamp, The Creative Act (1956). Side B: Richard Huelsenbeck, Four poems from Phantastiche Gebete (1916), and Marcel Duchamp, Some Texts from L'Infinitif (1912-1920).
14. The Russian Desert: A Note on the State of Our Knowledge. Douglas MacAgy on Russian art history.
15. Conditionnement. Reverse side: Repair. A poem by Michael Butor, translated by Michael Benedikt.
16. Poem, March 1966. Conceptual poetry by Dan Graham.
17. Serial Project #1. Description of an installation at Dwan Gallery by Sol Lewitt.
18. Seven Translucent Tiers. A grid study in three dimensions, by Mel Bochner.
19. Structural Play #3. Description of a performance piece by Brian O'Doherty.
20. The King of Denmark. Part of a musical score by Morton Feldman; recording at item 6.
21. Fontana Mix. Musical score by John Cage; recording at item 6.
22. Drawings for The Maze. Illustrates and describes a model by Tony Smith, included in this issue. Its eight pieces are numbered items 7 through 11 and 25 through 27.
23. Translation of Jealousy (Recorded excerpt). A translation by Richard Howard of the excerpt read by Robbe-Grillet on item 5.
24. Four Films by Four Artists. Reel of super-8 film, comprising four film clips: "Rhythm 21" by Hans Richter; "Lightplay" (excerpt) by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy; "Site" (excerpt) by Robert Morris & Stan VanDerBeek; and "Linoleum" (excerpt) by Robert Rauschenberg. Included in some copies in lieu of the film spool was a note from the publisher promising that the reel of film would be mailed seperately.
25. Maze model part 5. Cardboard model part.
26. Maze model part 8. Cardboard model part.
27. Maze model part 1. Cardboard model part.
28. Advertisements Folder, enclosing a sheet for Artforum, 8 by 22 inches, accordion-folded to 8 inches square; sheet for from Wesleyan University Press advertising John Cage's Silence and A Year from Sunday, 8 by 22 inches, folded twice to 8 inches square; a checklist of Something Else Press books and Great Bear pamphlets, 8-1/2 by 11 inches; a die-cut, color brochure for Bolex super-8 projectors, 9 by 8-3/8 inches, folded to 3-1/8 by 6 inches.
ASPEN no. 6A: The Performance Art issue: Fifteen items, all but one of them numbered (item 4 not numbered in the original); no advertisements. Edited by Jon Hendricks. Published Winter 1968-69 by Roaring Fork Press, Inc.
.1 Envelope. Printed mailing envelope, 7-1/2 by 10-1/2 inches. Designed by Ralph Ortiz.
2. Peace Object. Notes and collage by Lil Picard, dated 20 October 1967.
3. Sky/Change. Notes on a projected sky environment by Geoffrey Hendricks, dated Fall 1967.
4. No. Notes for an event arranged by Kate Millett for performance at Judson Gallery on 21 October 1967.
5. Push and Pull: A Furniture Comedy for Hans Hoffman. Description and notes for a performance by Allan Kaprow.
6. Program Notes for "Soft Transformations." Notes for an evening of performance art with Nam June Paik, Charlotte Moorman, Takahiko Iimura and others, and films by Jud Yalkut in cooperation with Nam June Paik.
7. The Diagram of Projection of "White Calligraphy." Notes for a performance by Takahiko Iimura at the Judson Gallery, October 1967.
8. Descriptive letter of our summer in Easthampton. A letter from Ken Jacobs to John Hendricks of Judson Gallery, describing a film experiment.
9. Viking Dada. Illustrated collage of newsclipping and memos on provo action by Al Hansen.
10. Divisions and Rubble. Notes for a performance by Carolee Schneemann at Judson gallery.
11. Heavy Yoga. Text starts: "In this piece which began at 4 pm...". Description of a performance by Steve Rose, dated 28 November 1967.
12. Destruction Theater Manifesto. Notes on performance by Ralph Ortiz.
13. Labyrinths and Psychological Stress. Notes on performance by Jean Toche.
14. Deteriorations. Notes by Bici Hendricks.
15. Some Notes. Notes by Jon Hendricks, dated 7 February 1969. On the reverse, a description of this issue's origin and a list of its contents.
ASPEN no. 7: THE BRITISH BOX: Fourteen numbered items (though the box states that this issue comprises fifteen sections, section number 15 apparently does not exist); no advertisements. Edited by Mario Amaya, designed by John Kosh. Published Spring-Summer 1970 by Roaring Fork Press, NYC.
1. Box. Hinged box, 10 by 9-1/2 by 1-1/4 inches, shipped flat. Box designed by Richard Smith. After assembly, contains sections 2 through 14.
2. British Knickers. Sewing pattern by Ossie Clark.
4. The Gay Atomic Coloring Book. Drawings by Eduardo Paolozzi.
5. Five essays and one fiction. Twenty-four page book. Includes: The "London" Decade: Mario Amaya; London Subcultures: Michael Instone; Communicators: Christopher Finch; New Names in British Cinema: David Robinson; British Poetry Now: Edward Lucie-Smith; and Crash! (excerpt): J. G. Ballard.
6. Souvenir no. 1. Kitsch found by Peter Blake.
7. Souvenir no. 2. Kitsch found by Peter Blake.
8. The Lennon Diary 1969. Diary of the future, by John Lennon. Facsimile pocket diary for 1969, written November 1968.
9. Lyrics. Folder enclosing items 10 and 11, printed with text of Ono, Lennon and Tavener phonograph recordings.
10. Phonograph recording. John Tavener / Christopher Logue. Side A: Three Songs for Surrealists by John Tavener, words by Edward Lucie-Smith. Text printed on item 9. Side B: Christopher Logue Reads "New Numbers"
11. Phonograph recording. Yoko Ono & John Lennon. Side A: Song for John and No Bed for Beatle John by Yoko Ono. Text printed in item 9. Side B: Radio Play by John Lennon.
12. Europa & Her Bull. Typographical triptych by John Furnival.
13. Wave/rock. Concrete poetry by Ian Hamilton Finlay.
14. Notes on Rumpelstiltskin. Drawings by David Hockney.
ASPEN no. 8: THE FLUXUS ISSUE: Fourteen numbered items; no advertisements. Edited by Dan Graham, designed by George Maciunas. Published Fall-Winter [1970-71] by Aspen Communications Inc., NYC.
1. Folder. Printed with editorial note, table of contents, and brief biographies of contributing artists. Cover painting by Jo Baer. Encloses sections 2 through 14.
2. In Place of a Lecture. Three Musics for Two Voices. Text by Eleanor Antin and David Antin.
3. Hot / Cold Book. Book of terms describing similar and opposite physical properties, and hierarchies among them. By Terry Atkinson and Michael Baldwin.
4. 1 + 1 for One Player and Amplified Table-Top. A musical score by Philip Glass.
5. Phonograph recording. Jackson LacLow / La Monte Young. Side A: Young Turtle Assymetries by Jackson MacLow, chance-generated poems for five simultaneous readers, explained in item 10. Side B: Drift Study 31 1 69 by La Monte Young, explained in item 7.
6. Lead Shot, a description of a sculptural project by Richard Serra. Reverse: Pendulum Music, by Steve Reich, a description of an audio study.
7. Notes on Continuous Periodic Composite Sound Waveform Environment Realizations. Notes on oscillating drones, by La Monte Young. Phonograph recording at item 5.
8. Three Distributions. "People Plan,"schematic drawings; "Lecture on moving," text; and, on the reverse side, "Selection of Slides from 'North East Passing'," photos. By Yvonne Rainer.
9. Art & Vision: Mach Bands. Essay on physiological rules of perception, by Jo Baer.
10. Introduction to the Young Turtle Assymetries. Description of chance-generated poems for simultaneous performance, by Jackson MacLow, with text on five detachable cards. Phonograph recording at item 5.
11. Ecologic Projects. Including "Cancelled Crop," by Dennis Oppenheim. Reverse: "Los Angeles Project," by Robert Morris; "Forest Project" and "Notes on Ecologic Projects" by Dennis Oppenheim. Descriptions of several large-scale environmental works.
12. Strata a Geophotographic Fiction. Text by Robert Smithson.
13. Parking Lot. Cover title: Detail of Surface. From Thirtyfour Parking Lots (1967) by Edward Ruscha.
14. Aspen subscription form.
ASPEN no. 9: THE PSYCHEDELIC ISSUE: Thirteen numbered items; no advertisements. Edited by Angus MacLise and Hetty MacLise. Published Winter-Spring [1971] by Roaring Fork Press, NYC.
1. Dream of Goeralegan. Text and illustration by Don Snyder.
2. From The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda. Color photographs by Ira Cohen and Bill Devore.
3. Musical Scores and Glyphs. Drawing in Mayan style, by Aymon de Sales, and a poem.
4. Triptych. Drawings by Dale Wilbourn.
5. Lumagraphs. Perforated sheet of gummed stamps printed with color photographs of female nudes, by Don Snyder.
6. Benno Friedman¹s Westerns. Frames from classic Western films, chemically stained by Benno Friedman.
7. Letter to Diane and Shelley from Vali. Text & drawings by Vali, photos by Diane Rochlin.
8. Poetry Sheet. Poetry by Gerard Malanga, Paolo Lionni, Nikki Grand, Harvey Cohen and John Cale. Reverse side printed with transformations of a photo by P. Zimmer.
9. The Soul of the Word. Text and calligraphic designs by Marian Zazeela.
10. Dream Music. LaMonte Young on oneiric music. Reverse side: Keyboard Study #2, a circular musical score by Terry Riley.
11. Phonograph recording. Audio: Joyous Lake / Spontaneous Sound. Side A: The Joyous Lake by Elsen Standlee, Raja Samyana, Angus MacLise, Ziska, and Hetty MacLise. Side B: Spontaneous Sound by Christopher Tree on a collection of 150 instruments.
12. Sentential Metaphrastic. Poem by Lionel Ziprin, illustrated with a photograph by Tom Carroll.
13. Printed folder, 9-3/8 by 12-5/8 inches. Inside printed with table of contents. Folder designed by Hetty MacLise. Encloses sections 2 through 13, and a sheet of translucent paper laid atop them.
For the uninitiated, ASPEN called itself a multimedia magazine of the arts and was originally published from 1965 to 1971. Each issue of Aspen was delivered to subscribers in a box, which contained a variety of media: printed matter in different formats, phonograph recordings, and even a reel of Super-8 film.
ASPEN was conceived by Phyllis Johnson, a former editor for Women's Wear Daily and Advertising Age. While wintering in Aspen, Colorado, she got the idea for a multimedia magazine, designed by artists, that would showcase "culture along with play." So in the winter of 1965, she published her first issue. "We wanted to get away from the bound magazine format, which is really quite restrictive," said Johnson. Each issue had a new designer and editor. "Aspen," Johnson said, "should be a time capsule of a certain period, point of view, or person." The subject matter of issue number 1 and issue number 2 stayed close to the magazine's namesake ski spa, with features on Aspen's film and music festivals, skiing, mountain wildlife, and local architecture.
Andy Warhol and David Dalton broke that mold with issue number 3, the superb Pop Art issue, devoted to New York art and counterculture scenes. Quentin Fiore designed issue number 4, a McLuhanesque look at our media-made society. The next issue, a double issue number 5+6, was an imaginative, wide-ranging look at conceptual art, minimalist art, and postmodern critical theory. Issue number 6A, a freebie sent to ever-patient subscribers, was a review of the performance art scene centered at New York's Judson Gallery. Next came issue number 7, exploring new voices in British arts and culture. Issue number 8, designed by George Maciunas and edited by Dan Graham, was dominated by artists of the Fluxus group. Issue number 9 plumbed the art and literature of the psychedelic drug movement. The last ASPEN, issue number 10, was devoted to Asian art and philosophy and is not included in this set.
If Aspen was an art director's dream, it was also an advertiser's nightmare. The ads, stashed at the bottom of the box, were easily ignored. And although Aspen was supposed to publish quarterly, in reality the publication date of each issue was as much of a surprise as the contents. "All the artists are such shadowy characters," publisher Johnson said, "that it takes months to track them down." After issue 5+6, there were no more ads in the magazine.
Perhaps Aspen was a folly, but it was a vastly pleasurable one, with a significant place in art history. The list of contributors included some of the most interesting artists of the 20th Century. And as an examplar of creative publishing, Aspen was a wonder. Its contents, however, are all but lost: few copies of Aspen have survived. Here is an opportunity to acquire a complete set (minus the elusive 10th issue) including the very rare freebie 6A.
out of stock