Responses

“The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin” by William S. Burrough, illustrates the belief that randomness and recombination of any type of medium is the best way to generate new ideas and create a different meaning from its originality. W. S. Burrough further expresses his thought and suggests that the cut-up method is an alternative in processing scientific data, military strategies, and filming, rewriting or even art.

According to the article, the cut-up method is the best way to produce great poetry, but i, have been taught differently. It has been said that looking over your work and rectifying your mistakes is how you get to the best. The cut-up method simply helps you channel your ideas with those that you had before to be able to deliver new result. Just like when you are writing a paper and a thought creeps in mind, what do you do? You cut and paste.

Being an art student, i can understand the cut-up method used as a form of collage, sculpture, or any other form of art. As Burrough says “cut-ups often come through as code messages with special meaning for the cutter.” this indicates art. An artist would always produce a piece of work and present it as something completely different from what you thought it was, meaning what ever the artist makes she or he has their own unique way of interpreting it. This however, doesn’t necessary mean that every work presented is done randomly, artist do take time to think and lay out how their work is or should be like.

In the article Burrough constantly compares the cut-up method with art and continues to stand strongly on his belief. I too consider the cut-up method, art.

If what Burrough says is true, that the best product is the one rearranged, then we are all better of without revision or organization. This I can relate to art because of the fact that he used different types of writing- also an art, a form of replacing images, and cut and paste them in different sections to give a new idea and meaning is art.