Gerald Ferguson’s Choral Reading
In 1972 Gerald Ferguson scored a reading of his Standard Corpus of Present Day English Language Usage Arranged By Word Length in 20 units for a chorus of 26 voices. It was performed at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design that same year.
Ferguson (1937-2009) published “The Standard Corpus of Present Day English Language Usage arranged by word length and alphabetized within word length” in a small edition of 300 copies in 1970. It represents the culmination of a series of conceptual artworks exploring the alphabet, which began in 1968. This series includes Ferguson’s typewritten Alphabet Pages and stenciled Period or Dot Paintings. Together with the Corpus, they form an integral part of the canon of systemic and process art and stands alongside the most significant achievements of concrete poetry in Canada. Ferguson considered the Corpus one of his most important works, once describing it as “a variable serial sculpture through time”.
The Choral Reading will be performed at CANADA on February 11th starting at 7pm and a reception will follow.