David UU (David W. Harris)
Encyclopedia
David UU or David W. Harris, (1948–1994) is considered an accomplished concrete and experimental poet and an important small press
publisher. Along with bill bissett
and bpNichol
, he was a pioneer of the concrete poetry
movement in Canada
, and perhaps the first Canadian poet to explore visual collage
embodying literary, philosophical and language references. He also composed sound works (both musical & textual), made 8mm short films, was a master collagist/montagist and performed in numerous performance art
exhibitions.
. The family moved to Collingwood in 1958, where he lived until setting out for Toronto
in 1966. He left Toronto for Vancouver
in 1968 and over the next decade relocated between Ontario and the west coast several times. In 1980 he settled in North Vancouver where he lived until finally moving to a farmhouse near Delhi, Ontario in 1992 where he died in May, 1994.
on various text and sound projects. He participated in the founding of the concrete poetry magazine grOnk
with bpNichol and others. At this time he began exhibiting his visual poetry and collage worldwide, achieving some acclaim. Harris adopted the pseudonym David UU around 1970. In Vancouver in 1973 he helped organize Brasilia 73, an international concrete poetry
show. He was a prolific publisher and encouraged the talents of many Canadian writers early in their careers. He founded and operated Fleye Press (1966–70), Divine Order of the Lodge (1971–1975), Derwyddon Press (1976–81), Silver Birch Press (1987–94) as well as several magazines and numerous imprints for booklet
s, pamphlet
s, broadside
s, postcard
s and other ephemera
.
Small press
Small press is a term often used to describe publishers with annual sales below a certain level. Commonly, in the United States, this is set at $50 million, after returns and discounts...
publisher. Along with bill bissett
Bill Bissett
bill bissett is a Canadian poet famous for his anti-conventional style. He often does not capitalise his name or use capital letters.-Life:...
and bpNichol
BpNichol
Barrie Phillip Nichol , who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces , was a Canadian poet. He became widely known for his concrete poetry while living there in the 1960s...
, he was a pioneer of the concrete poetry
Concrete poetry
Concrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
movement in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and perhaps the first Canadian poet to explore visual collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
embodying literary, philosophical and language references. He also composed sound works (both musical & textual), made 8mm short films, was a master collagist/montagist and performed in numerous performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
exhibitions.
"And I should mention to you that my last name is...just UU, the original form of the English letter W, which is also how it's pronounced." - David UU (from a letter to M.A.C. FarrantM.A.C. FarrantM.A.C. Farrant is a Canadian short fiction writer, memoirist, journalist, and humourist.Born in Sydney, Australia, and residing on the Saanich Peninsula, Vancouver Island, Canada, since the age of five, she is the author of ten collections of satirical and humorous short fiction and a...
, Oct 19, 1989)
Life
David W. Harris was born on June 13, 1948, in Barrie, OntarioBarrie, Ontario
Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe, approximately 90 km north of Toronto. Although located in Simcoe County, the city is politically independent...
. The family moved to Collingwood in 1958, where he lived until setting out for Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1966. He left Toronto for Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in 1968 and over the next decade relocated between Ontario and the west coast several times. In 1980 he settled in North Vancouver where he lived until finally moving to a farmhouse near Delhi, Ontario in 1992 where he died in May, 1994.
Career
On arriving in Toronto in 1966, Harris began working closely with bpNicholBpNichol
Barrie Phillip Nichol , who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces , was a Canadian poet. He became widely known for his concrete poetry while living there in the 1960s...
on various text and sound projects. He participated in the founding of the concrete poetry magazine grOnk
GrOnk
grOnk, or GRoNK, was a seminal Canadian literary magazine begun in 1967 by bpNichol, David Alyward, Rah Smith, and David UU...
with bpNichol and others. At this time he began exhibiting his visual poetry and collage worldwide, achieving some acclaim. Harris adopted the pseudonym David UU around 1970. In Vancouver in 1973 he helped organize Brasilia 73, an international concrete poetry
Concrete poetry
Concrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
show. He was a prolific publisher and encouraged the talents of many Canadian writers early in their careers. He founded and operated Fleye Press (1966–70), Divine Order of the Lodge (1971–1975), Derwyddon Press (1976–81), Silver Birch Press (1987–94) as well as several magazines and numerous imprints for booklet
Booklet
Booklet may refer to:* A small book or group of pages* Postage stamp booklet, made up of one or more small panes of postage stamps in a cardboard cover...
s, pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
s, broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
s, postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s and other ephemera
Ephemera
Ephemera are transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalogues, greeting cards, letters,...
.
Works
Due to the nature of his work, which included broadsides, pamphlets and postcards, the bulk of David's UU's work was self-published. Two major editions are Chopped Liver (Toronto: Coach House Press, 1981) and High C – Collected Sound and Visual Poems 1965-1983 (Toronto: Underwhich Editions, 1991).Sources
- David UU, Correspondence with M.A.C. Farrant, February 15, 1988 - May 17, 1994.
- jwcurry, December 23, 1992; Room 3o2 Books: list #7: David UU: No Sleight of Hand.
- Gregg Simpson, May, 2010; Meeting David UU, a memoir.
- Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, List of Fonds and Collections, HARRIS, DAVID, 1948-1994 LMS-0217
- William H. New. Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. Toronto: U of T Press, 2002.
External links
See also
- List of Canadian writers
- List of Canadian poets
- List of Concrete and Visual Poets
- Concrete poetryConcrete poetryConcrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
- Sound poetrySound poetrySound poetry is an artistic form bridging between literary and musical composition, in which the phonetic aspects of human speech are foregrounded instead of more conventional semantic and syntactic values; "verse without words"...
- Visual poetryVisual poetryVisual poetry is poetry or art in which the visual arrangement of text, images and symbols is important in conveying the intended effect of the work. It is sometimes referred to as concrete poetry, a term that predates visual poetry, and at one time was synonymous with it.Visual poetry was heavily...