Cut-Up Text and Poetry

With my latest painting project the ‘Evolution of the Pod’ I have been experimenting with cut up writing techniques to add a written narrative  (see below for a potted history of the technique ).
I made a list of botanical words and phrases including adjectives, verbs and the odd random phrase. I mixed them up and picked from a hat spreading them out into lines of 3 to 6 words. These are some examples that I have used. Some ‘poems’ worked without a random change of word some didn’t.

Pollination scatter

In tropic gusts,

Chlorophyll tides

Flood epidermal craters,

Achene dreams

Sweat from pod’s gaping wound.

Lichen breathes into

Pod’s rhythmic pulse,

Deciduous thoughts spiral

Through abscisic acid storms,

Woody echoes dissolve

Into leaf, petal, pistil, root.

The process in someways mirrors my approach to abstract painting in as much as I start with a simple plan and follow my intuition often using random palletes  layering and mark making to the paintings conclusion.

The History of Cut-Up Writing, Poetry and Stories

Cut-up writing and poetry is a technique in which a text is cut into pieces and rearranged to create a new piece of writing or poetry. This avant-garde approach challenges conventional narrative structures and allows for the emergence of unexpected random connections, often producing fragmented and surreal compositions which can be surprising and thought provoking.

Dada and Surrealism (1920s–1930s)

The origins of the cut-up technique trace back to the Dada movement and the Surrealists, who sought to break away from traditional forms of art and literature injecting chance and spontaneity into artworks.

•Tristan Tzara (1896–1963): A key Dadaist figure, Tzara famously proposed creating poems by cutting up words from newspapers, throwing them into a hat, and drawing them out randomly. This method embodied the Dadaist embrace of chance and absurdity.

•Surrealists: The cut-up approach also resonated with Surrealism, as it mirrored the spontaneous and unconscious associations they valued. André Breton and other Surrealists explored automatic writing, which, while not cut-up per se, shared a similar disregard for linear logic

Mid-20th Century: William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin (1950s–1960s)

The cut-up technique became more formally developed through the collaboration of William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin, who popularised it.

•Brion Gysin (1916–1986): An experimental artist and writer, Gysin stumbled upon thetechnique accidentally while cutting newspapers for an art project (and certainly not for a ransom note ;). Realising its literary potential, he introduced the method to Burroughs.

•William S. Burroughs (1914–1997): A major figure of the Beat Generation, Burroughs applied the cut-up method to prose and poetry alike. He often cut pages of text into quarters and rearranged them. His books “The Soft Machine” (1961), “The Ticket That Exploded” (1962), and “Nova Express” (1964) showcase this fragmented and nonlinear style. Burroughs believed that the cut-up technique revealed hidden truths and unconscious connections.

Late 20th Century: Postmodern Experiments (1970s–1990s)

•Kathy Acker (1947–1997): An experimental novelist and poet, Acker used cut-up and collage techniques to mix found texts with her own writing. Works like “Blood and Guts in High School” (1984) exhibit this blend of fragmented narrative and rebellious spirit.

•Genesis P-Orridge (1950–2020): A performance artist and musician, P-Orridge, in works with the band Throbbing Gristle and later Psychic TV, integrated cut-up text and sound into lyrics and spoken word, influenced directly by Burroughs and Gysin.

21st Century: Digital and Conceptual Approaches

• Avant-garde and Digital Poets: Modern digital poets have taken the cut-up technique into the virtual realm, using software and algorithms to randomly shuffle text. Online cut-up generators allow for spontaneous poetry creation, blending technology with traditional cut-up ideals.

• Conceptual Writers: Writers like Kenneth Goldsmith and Caroline Bergvall use found text and reconfiguration as part of their conceptual art practices, echoing the cut-up’s challenge to authorship and originality.

From the early 1970s, David Bowie used cut-ups to create some of his lyrics. In 1995, he worked withTy Robert’s to develop a program called Verbasizer for his Apple PowerBook that could automatically rearrange multiple sentences written into it.  

Key Themes and Impacts

1. Disrupting Linear Narratives: The cut-up technique fragments conventional storytelling, creating disjointed, dreamlike texts that reflect the chaos of modern life.

2. Exploring the Unconscious: By rearranging existing texts, cut-up poetry taps into unexpected associations, often revealing subconscious thoughts.

3. Challenging Authorship: The method raises questions about originality and control, as the final text emerges from both intention and chance.

4. Multimedia Experimentation: The technique has influenced visual art, music, and film, most notably in David Bowie’s songwriting and the avant-garde cinema of Burroughs and Gysin.

Conclusion

From Dadaist randomness to Beat Generation subversion and modern digital experimentation, cut-up writing continues to inspire poets, musicians, and artists. Its unpredictable and chaotic essence challenges conventional storytelling, making it an enduring and evolving creative tool.

There is  an app on the Apple Store that does the job digitally, I haven't tried it yet. It’s called Cut-Ups.

Graeme Webb May ©️ 2025