Site Specific

Poem Tokens
1996-2009


During childhood visits to Chicago area museums, public buildings, and amusements sites, I recall operating a souvenir arcade machine "Identification Medal". Having the appearance of a Vegas-style slot machine...the user inserted the proper sum...adjusted the pointer to the letter of the alphabet on the clock face...pulled the lever to stamp that letter on then token...and then received the stamped token. The token machines allowed 32 spaces to compose text. Designed to make a dog tag-like souvenir, the user often typed their - name/date/place...or short memento "John loves Mary, Chicago 1961".

While in Colorado, I rediscovered a vintage machine in the Manitou Springs Arcade. I immediately began to use the machine as a "typer" to compose poems. The 32-space format allows me to produce ver-in-the-round. Readings begin from any word on the metal token...

DREAM DISCOVERED AMONG DANCERS
DISCOVERED AMONG DANCERS DREAM
AMONG DANCERS DREAM DISCOVERED DANCERS DREAM DISCOVERED AMONG

Over the past ten years, I have stamped an edition of 160 poetic tokens...
WHISPERING THROUGH THE NIGHT
ORBITING IT'S ILLUSION
DRAWN BY DERVISH'S COMPASS
NO BEGINNING NO END
HI HE HEY HO OFF TO WORK WE GO

Tokens coposed of numbers are instructional regrains that allow the reader to determine the next move. They are arrived at by the chance toss of a playing dice (1 through 6)...
5 2 5 4 3 4 1 3 5 6 2 3 2 5 2 1

In 2001 I began to use a light machine to project tokens on gallery floors and public sidewalks. A motor slowly spins the text in-the-round and a color gel is selected for each verse.