Dieter Roth

(c)image: M HKA
14 chansons et 1 charade / 14 songs and 1 riddle / 14 chansons und 1 rätsel, 1967
Collection M HKA, Antwerp
Book , 16 x 12 cm, 154 p.
ink, paper

14 Songs and 1 Riddle is a text originally written in 1963 by Robert Filliou and performed in 1977. The text was translated into English in 1966 by George Brecht and then in German in 1968 by Dieter Roth. During the performance of 14 Songs and 1 Riddle, Allan Kaprow reads the English translation of George Brecht , Vincent Trasov read the German translation of Didier Roth, Steve Mc Caffery reads his own homophonic as well as BP Nichol and Dick Higgins translation, and Robert Filliou reads from the original text.

The original text is a series of bizarre erotic poems , punctuated by repetitions, enumerations, alliteration, assonance and approximate homophones recalling Mallarmé and Dufrêne. The process of creation represented in the translation and transcription, is also obtained in the reading of the texts. The performing artists read these texts or separately, or simultaneously, or echoing and updating the approximate homophony process le son du sens et le sens du son.