Underground In contemporary society this is a wider concept applied to social stratification. It usually refers to groups less educated and less classified than the civil majority and their mainstream establishments, which function 'beneath' or independently of the latter. Related words include 'parallel or alternative societies/layers', 'second publicity', 'resistance', 'opposition', 'subculture', etc. Henceforth I shall mostly refer to the artistic underground, which I understand, on the one hand, as artistic community which is excluded from art organizations and the art business and hence is often relegated to social insecurity, and, on the other, as the artistically interested layers of intellectuals, students or sympathizers In special cases (such as in an era of political repression) professional artists may also belong to the artistic underground. Another frequent occurrence has been that representatives of the art establishment freely choose to move towards the underground, motivated by their social or professional commitment. Subculture A narrowing down of the underground culture-oriented system, i.e. a non-institutional social layer identified by its unique culture. This word first gained ground in connection with the various forms of 1960's youth culture (e.g. pop and rock music). The subculture of the visual arts had not become characteristic until the 1970s.Alternative art A synonym or specification for visual subculture, focusing on certain groups categorized in terms of modernist or postmodernist strivings and expressive forms as well as stylistic concepts. The first international appearance of alternative art was even supported by large internationally acclaimed art institutions-e.g. display and promotion of Pop Art, or Harald Szeeman's exhibitions campaigning for conceptual art and different artistic obsessions. These tendencies have become part of the institutional culture since. Later developments of alternative art, however, have vanished from institutional control and become a matter for less strictly organized artistic groups, leading as for as to a subversive meaning of 'artist proletariat.' But alternative art still continues to mean such well-defined professional disciplines as to provide a valuable alternative to more routine-like forms artistic expression.Network The narrowing down of various branches of alternative art to certain organized groups. The transferred meaning of the word is a system of connections. In creative arts, visual literature, and related fields, as well as in underground music productions, a new practice developed since the 1970s and 1980s; alternative artists then began to tie up their international connections by means of spontaneous group-forming activity and a more intensive use of postal delivery, calling the ensuing loose decentralized organization 'Network'. The Network system unites its members into a communication chain and not only does it forward information but, to a certain extent, it also makes up for the lack of institutional exhibitions, publications, or even performances of the artistic creations or other utterances involved. Typically, these artists would represent each other's audience. As the Network has grown into a far-reaching and smoothly operating international chain since the 1970s, it is no exaggeration to see in it a precursor to the internet. Certain artistic disciplines also developed their own Networks, and hence we can speak of Networks of Xerography, art books Networks, and even audio or tape exchange Networks ('cassette-net').Mail Art A specialized field of Networking, involved primarily in visual forms of expression for artists and 'lay' participants as well as authors who keep in touch through address lists established since the 1970s and arrange mail art projects by means of postal items. These projects are events for which everyone can submit their works. They are usually introduced by an invitation to a mail art exhibition, and the organizers publish the incoming works in the form of catalogue documentations. In many cases, the publication of the catalogue makes even the exhibition redundant. Alternatively, periodicals may also announce mail art projects, where a separate issue represents an individual project. The unwritten laws of mail art projects allow anyone to participate without any jury, participation fee, or royalty from the part of the organizers; the works are not returned to the participants, but every contributor receives documentation (a catalogue or a magazine issue). Mail art projects not only comply with the standard regulations of non-profit making events but go beyond this in trying to avoid any exchange of money. The documentation of mail art projects, for example, was usually not for sale-they could only be acquired through participation in the given project. Participation, on the other hand, was not restricted in any way (this is what the democracy' of Mail Art means).Artist portfolio Though it might resemble a book, or even an almanac, this term generally designates a collection of unbound sheets and prints placed in a folder. The artist portfolio goes back to the graphic folders of classical times and to embellished, large-size anthologies representing individual artists or groups of artists by means of original works or, in some cases, quality reproductions. The artist portfolio differs from an assembling in that it does not publish works by external authors or artists in a periodic rhythm but is an occasional publication for a smaller, closed group. Thus it cannot have any periodical function at all.Artist's books A term first used in the 1960s, this practice had had a longer tradition. It designates a book-like publication designed, compiled, and published by creative artists in order to use the book format as an expressive device in line with primary genres of art. Two larger categories are known: reproduced artist's books using printing techniques and unique individual works, in which an augmented use of manual techniques-collage, painting, modeling, etc.-is perceptible at first glance. The latter often aim at a poetically expressive or sculptural (plastic) effect; hence the possibility to call them Bookworks, Book-objects, or, sometimes, Paper-works. Since most magazines, catalogues and other book-like publications created within the Network reveal traces of manual art (and are also obviously the very own productions of artists) it is with good reason that sometimes-e.g. at an exhibition-one can count them among artist's books.Network magazines The periodicals circulating in various branches of the Network usually produced on a non-profit basis and with the use of cheap technology (stencil, instant print, photocopy, etc.). Their number of copies may run from a few dozens up to one, or even two thousand. Since the 1980s the so-called fanzines have gained prominence; these are the internal publications of the fan groups of popular underground pop and rock bands, often accompanied by audiotapes. The most well-known magazines of the visual underground are, however, the Mail Art magazines, to be discussed in more detail below. The different types of Network magazines are often abbreviated to 'zines.Compilation A periodical or catalogue publication circulating within the Network which does not display the submitted works in their original form but edits ('cuts' them into neatly arranged pages which are then multiplied. Many compilations have limited textual comments to the most essential and can thus almost be confused with assemblings publishing original material. Others have made use of a layout resembling the pages of convention al periodicals and given ample textual announcements reviews, or statements and information written by the editors. Occasional prototypes of such compilations were popular political or social review publications or tabloid magazines, which they parodied in an ironic, blasphemous way. Certain Network magazine types, on the other hand, mimed or parodied one another, leading to a craze epidemic that lasted for a couple of years (see 'Smile Mania', for example). The 1980s epitomized the heyday of Network magazines.Assembling In the last third of the 20th century there emerged a limited edition publication form, for which the editor would request a certain number of copies of statements and contributions by the authors and then they would compile them into periodical-like publications whose number of copies cannot exceed the amount of copies submitted. Assemblings are thus always periodical-like anthologies of original works, which does not mean, however, that their source material has the same function as original, that is, 'unique' pieces of art entered into the art trade. Assemblings created underground or in the Network also often do not make it clear whether the individual issues include original contributions (as in the publication of graphical prints, photographs or 'original photocopies'); similarly, the signing and numbering of materials submitted is also rarely obligatory. The editors would more often expect of contributions that their quasi-unique nature be made obvious through manual intervention, synonymously with handmade contribution. Assemblings used originally to be paper-bound book-like volumes or booklets, but spiral-binding as well as metal or plastic staple splints have gained prominence since. Numerous assemblings were also collected in folders, cardboard boxes, envelopes and plastic bags; in these, the unbound contributions retained their flyer quality. On the basis of the pivotal differences in packaging bound and unbound assemblings can be distinguished. Another important piece of information is the number of copies of each assembling publication as well as the size of collected and published contributions. These data are always decided by the editors in advance (though not always observed by the participants), so that they could assemble a unified volume. If the editor turned a blind eye to such formal shortcomings, incomplete or imperfect assemblings might be the result, whereas within a single volume there might be produced oversized-and, therefore, folded-or undersized pages, the latter apt to fall out or safely inserted into a smaller envelope accompanying the collection.Related concepts: Assemblage-Not a periodical, merely the one-time collection (or, occasionally, mounting) of homogenous materials into one anthology, documentation, or other compositional forms similar to unique works of art (e.g. Marcel Duchamp's folders and boxes, the 'Fluxboxes' and 'Fluxkits', Dana Atchley's 'Ace Space' documentation collected in loose-leaf books, etc.).Artist portfolio-see above. Accumulation-Compositional method, the compilation and mounting of motifs, materials, and objects of identical nature and origin (e.g. Arman's object accumulations). The genre derived its name from New York-based Richard Kostelanetz's avant-garde periodical Assembling (1970 -1987).One-shot assembling An assembling edited for a single publication. Several attempts at establishing an assembling periodical never made it to the second volume-these are often dubbed 'one-shot-assemblings'. On other occasions, an anniversary or a special event led to the announcement and publication of one-time assemblings, which can be understood as specialized one-shot assemblings. In the present volume I have only admitted those one-shot assemblings which in their announcement and editorial principles as well as in terms of the participating authors do not differ significantly from other (Network) assemblings. Even in regular assembling publications it might happen that contributions by special guests (such as members of a closed group of artists or a class of an art college) are included. Usually these persons are not members of the Network, rather one-time guests. These are called special edition magazines, and their authors special or guest participants.Semi-assembling An assembling-like publication whose contributions are printed by the editors on behalf of the authors; as though all material had been received in its final form. This effect may be achieved through varying paper quality and printing technologies, changing layout, etc. Few such semi-assemblings have been produced that would comply perfectly with this imitation technique. More frequently does one encounter a need on the editors' part as truthfully to reprint an 'original submission as possible in order to make up for missing copies (partly semi-assembling).Partly assembling A form particularly popular with Mail Art assemblings. Since many Mail Art revues transformed into assemblings from original compilation magazines, it often happened that (1) the first (compilation) issues of such magazines were followed by assembling issues under the same title, incorporating original works; or (2) certain later assembling issues of the periodical atavistically fell back upon previous compilation techniques - editing, in which case up to one half or one third of the volume became false assembling. Occasionally, however, this duality was also reflected in the layout; here the given issue could be divided into two separate publications (e.g. a booklet and a portfolio assembling published in folder format), the two merely connected by a cover page or an envelope.Original work, original contribution, original multiplication These terms normally used in art history and art trade (cf. 'unique') were inherited in a slightly shifted meaning by avant-garde movements and by the Network. Namely, here anything can count as an original if it derives from the hand of the author or artist, however insignificantly the aesthetic and practical value of the contribution might otherwise exceed the value of everyday objects. This peculiar viewpoint can be explained by the fact that these circles do not generally accept the priority of aesthetic or monetary value while also denying the justification of any legal or moral distinction in terms of the copyright. Thus any reproduction might qualify as an 'original work' if it was created by the artist (this resulted in 'original copies' in the case of photocopying). In alternative circles the originality of the works was normally testified by a stamp (e.g. a conventional seal comprising the name and address of the artist) printed on the first or last page, but other means (e.g. stickers, vignettes, labels, and, of course, the traditional hand-written signatures) were also accepted. In order to distinguish between various signing methods, in the Soft Geometry Archives we have followed the practice as described below:Signed = manuscript signature (the initials are sufficient). Many works are only signed overleaf.Marked = a work with a sticker or a stamp. It is not necessary for the name to appear; if it is absent, however, it is essential that a sign making unmistakable identification possible (such as a graphic or written logo, etc.) be used.Participant / Contributor These fairly neutral terms were introduced due to an urge to avoid such aesthetically loaded concepts as 'artist' for example. With certain contributions it is difficult to identify their authors because unclear signs or intentionally ambiguous or anonymous publications might be used. Mail Art compilations as well as related assemblings often incorporated unsigned and unmarked works, only enumerating the authors in a separate 'participant list'. It was a usual practice to publish the unsigned works in the order of appearance on the list; hence the authorship of various pieces can be inferred. But in the case of assemblings-especially if the works were not bound together!-the order might easily have changed even with the first leafing through the collection, which made the identification of individual works practically impossible. An advisable solution would be to write the names of the authors on the back of each work when first looking at the publication.Participant list An alphabetized list of contributors is to be found in a minority of assembling publications only (e.g. in Kostelanetz's Assembling, or in the A+C Books). Most editors placed the submissions on one another in the order of delivery and then compiled the list of contributors accordingly, i.e. not in an alphabetical order. In Mail Art publications the address had to be provided as a rule, but if the participant list was incomplete or missing, the address could not be given either. There were mixed solutions as well. Vittore Baroni's Arte Postale! for example normally only listed those names and addresses which could not be made out from the contributions themselves (e.g. they were not written on the accompanying stamp). It also happened sometimes that certain assembling issues were printed without any participant list at all, probably because there was no time to create such a list. In these cases I have tried to identify the authors on the basis of the contributions and thus fill in all gaps in the list. The expression 'found out participants' refers to such instances.Internationalism Since the Network and its Mail Art component have from the very beginning been based on international address lists and links connecting various countries with one another, the use of English became a convention. It was agreed upon that in the Network information, publication, and project chain the English language be used even if neither the organizers, nor the direct participants spoke it as their mother tongue. This unified language did not only become the symbol of the internationalism of the Network but also, indirectly, an important means to create a more or less normalized literary and visual language ('voco-visual communication') and artistic style within the Network. In the early years of the Network evolution (around 1968 and 1970) even some of the most important publications used national languages. Moreover, it should also be noted that in the 1990s, i.e. the period of dissolution, several projects and publications returned to national languages, showing c symmetrical development or decline, as it were. It is another telling symptom that the return to these various. languages also weakened the visual idiom that had earlier-especially in the heyday of Mail Art-become so characteristic and easy to recognize.Network archive Since in the Network and in Mail Art, the exchange material that was circulating was accumulated by the participants and never left the diaspora became inevitable that every member should create kind of archive in order to reserve the materials they received. Most Mail Art archives merely stored incomngmaterial in the chronological order of delivery; elsewhere, the owner created separate collections from those items that they deemed important. Network archives may seem a mixture of graphical collections, samizdat collections, document archives, and some kind of a library by nature. The materials they entail often defy classification in terms of known genres of art or literature, which in itself makes their objective understanding and cataloguing more difficult. Be it as it may, such archives manifest the most enduring part of the Network and Mail Art, provided that these collection might survive even after its members have ceased to actively participate in the Network.Treating Network and Mail Art archives as historical sources and institutionalizing them in the form of museums or libraries characterized the very zenith of the movement. The Californian Getty Museum was the first to acquire a Network collection of international acclaim when the Jean Brown collection was purchased. Since then, numerous museums and public institutions have got hold of various Network materials such as artists' books or Mail Art archives, and many workshops have started scientifically to research these archival materials. Some have even been displayed in galleries. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.