Generosity by Thomas A. Clark
Generosity is a double-sided card presented in a wall-mounted acrylic holder at the VRC exhibition, reminiscent of ‘free’ literature offered in tourist bureaus or doctor’s offices, and is a gift for visitors to the exhibition to take away. Its act of largesse is mirrored in the text: on a strawberry coloured field, twelve lines of poetry conjure the joys of sensual life, speculating ‘you would give them all away’. The gift is twofold: the joys he evokes and the printed card itself, a memento of the experience.
In keeping with the spirit of the piece, you are invited to download images of the work:
Thomas A. Clark was born in Greenock, Scotland, 1944. His earliest contacts were with the international Concrete Poetry movement. In 1973, he started Moschatel Press, with the artist Laurie Clark. His book length poem The Hundred Thousand Places is published by Carcanet. Work by him, in collaboration with four artists, is installed throughout New Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow. In summer months, he runs Cairn, a space for minimal and conceptual art, in Pittenweem, Fife.