Issue #1 Winter 2002
Editorial GLOSS
At long last, the first issue of GLOSS is here, some 60 weeks behind schedule.
When people ask me why I publish and edit GLOSS, I refer them to its table of contents. I am insistent on this. Repetition of the question begets repetition of my reply.
Creation implies (and is proof of) an aesthetic, an artistic point of view. An enumerated aesthetic is a
manifesto, a public declaration. But the problem with artistic manifestos is that they beg to be violated. That is, once it becomes artistically possible to do something, it becomes possible to not do it just as artistically. The rules of art really are made to be broken. This is why I chose a different kind of manifesto for the first issue of GLOSS. Art
is an expression of humanity. So I chose a manifesto that only the inhumane could disagree with.
Besides, this is also a zine of ideas. And the declaration I chose is of
ideas I would die for, maybe even kill for.
You will notice a preponderance of narrative in GLOSS. Even the paintings tell stories of a sort. The photographs, of course, tell different stories, and so on. You want to tell me about something? Then you have to tell me its story. Even equations require elaboration.
Explanations are the worst kind of narratives. They are necessary evils, like police and critics.
Art, like sex and jokes, works best when the instructions are left behind, when they are transcended. I have tried to keep explanations to a minimum.
Still, we all need a landmark or two to find our way. Just don't confuse the map with the territory. Most of a journey lies in the spaces between waypoints.
Enjoy.