Richard Brautigan's legacy is his continued inspiration for creative efforts by others who interpret his work, or create their own in response. This node provides an overview of selected installations inspired by Brautigan, and links to further information and resources. Use the information below to learn more about creative responses to Brautigan's works.
In Watermelon Sugar > Selected Responses
"Another Difficult Sunset"
Jaki Irvine
1996
Five-part video-installation
Originally filmed in Super-8. First shown at Frith Street Gallery, London, and then as part of Ireland's entry in the 1997 Venice Biennale. The original work consisted of five separate sections, the first four displayed on monitors, the fifth on a large screen. All five sections were scattered througout the gallery.
The second section features a young man sitting in a crowded train-carriage reading a book. A voice-over narrates what he reads: Brautigan's novel In Watermelon Sugar. He reads the portion of the novel (pages 36-37) where the narrator describes how tigers killed and ate his parents and then offered to tell him a story.
Irvine alluded to Brautigan's In Watermelon Sugar in an earlier (1995) multi-screen installation, "Margaret Again," the title of which was taken from a chapter heading in the novel.
Noted
Leith, Caoimhin Mac Giolla. "Jaki Irvine: Metamorphoses and Becomings." Parachute: Contemporary Art Magazine July-September 2001: 128-135.
Notes the use of Brautigan's In Watermelon Sugar by Irvine in her 1995 multi-screen installation performance "Margaret Again" and in her 1996 installation "A Difficult Sunset."
Combined, Multiple Works > Selected Responses
"Brautigan Installation 2009"
Chris Sollars
Headlands Institute for the Arts
Sausalito, Californina
June 2009
Sculpture and video installation featuring seven sculptures for seven books by Brautigan. Videos based on each book interrupt the live video feed in the space.
The seven works by Brautigan featured in Sollars' installation were: A Confederate General from Big Sur, The Abortion, In Watermelon Sugar, The Pill vs The Springhill Mine Disaster, Revenge of the Lawn, Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt, and Trout Fishing in America.
Sollars produced a video to document his installation as a whole, and each of the seven separate sculptures.
"XXI Century Brautiganism: Interactive Poetry and Digital Art Installation"
4 December 2009
Washington State University Vancouver
Vancouver, Washington
An interactive multimedia performance and installation by students in the FA 331 Art and Technology class, Kathi Rick, instructor. Students and audience members read selected examples of Brautigan's poetry and prose to a backdrop of original digital video and music. A digital video feed of the event was projected on screens lining the windows of a tower room on campus, creating a "poetry tower" (see below). A "book garden" was planted on campus, recreating Brautigan's conceptual framework for his work Please Plant This Book.
XXI Century Brautiganism Video
A video produced and edited by Mikhail Oparin, with video background and soundscape by Christina Broussard-Pearson provides a good overview of the performance/installation including the "Poetry Tower" and public readings of Brautigan's work.
XXI Century Brautiganism Audio
"XXI Century Brautiganism"
Program audio streamed by KOUGradio.com, campus Internet radio station at Washington State University Vancouver
4 December 2009
Online Resources
XXI Century Brautiganism website maintained by Oparin. Follow the "Spanky's" link for documentation of the "Spanky's Windows into Art" installation which represents the unpublished writings collected in The Brautigan Library.
Todd Gunderson, Vancouver, WA, was present at the event and took a series of photographs. This one shows Dr. John Barber, The Creative Media & Digital Culture Program, Washington State University Vancouver, welcoming the evening's guests.
Gunderson also produced a short video of Barber reading two selections of Brautigan's works.
Sound Files Contributed by Todd Gunderson to the Performance
"Watermelon Sugar"
remix by Todd Gunderson
Used by permission
"20th Century and Love Poem"
remix by Todd Gunderson
Used by permission
"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace 1"
remix by Todd Gunderson
Used by permission
"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace 2"
by Todd Gunderson
Used by permission
Feedback from Todd Gunderson
Do you remember the cold Friday evening of December 4th, 2009? Well, I sure do, that was the historical night when about 50 people gathered in Vancouver, WA to celebrate a great (and even local!!!) wordsmith—Richard Brautigan.
Dr. John Barber and some of his students put on the event, complete with archival video footage of Richard many had never seen before playing on a giant screen, plenty of history on his books and life, and also a portion where humans read Brautigan's wonderful words from the past from old fashioned books (remember those things?), scraps of paper and yes: handheld electronic devices. Hey, this is the future after all—all watched over by machines of loving grace indeed!
Many great poems, stories and lines were shared by the class members, some of us simply audience members/fans of Brautigan, and even Dr. John Barber himself read some verses: an actual friend and acquaintance of Richard's: what a great host for an evening of Brautigan celebration.
People took turns at the microphone reading their favorites. I even read two of his poems. A man in the crowd got up to read, in its entirety, the Kool-Aid Wino chapter to us from Trout Fishing in America . . . ahhh . . .
While the event was in progress, they were feeding footage up onto a tower outside on the campus, so that all of the snowmen and snowwomen of Vancouver, WA could see the the great poetry tower mentioned in Richard's 1967 poem "Rainy Day Gary Snyder Poetry Night." Yes, dear reader, it was all pretty magical.
The archival video portion featured lovely music made by one of the students, artsy visuals with Brautigan’s words incorporated and many other great images. Very well done!
I took a few quick photos and rough videos—though they are far from professional, they might just give you a quick simple idea of the spark in the auditorium that night.
I had a blast. My son, who was only a few weeks old at the time, slept in the comfort of his mother's arms while great words and memories hummed all around him.
