The Typewriter is Holy, the Poem is Holy
Artist Tim Youd retypes entire books and Beat poetry onto single pages using the authors' original typewriter models, transforming literature into layered, abstract drawings during this live performance and exhibition. Paired with Con/Text, a group show of text-based contemporary art. Presented for the region-wide Further Triennial.
January 15, 2027–May 23, 2027
The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH), in partnership with the inaugural Further Triennial in Spring 2027, is proud to present The Typewriter is Holy, the Poem is Holy.
In this multi-day performance and exhibition, Los Angeles-based artist Tim Youd will retype entire novels and volumes of poetry on the exact make and model typewriters their authors used. By layering text repeatedly onto a single page, Youd transforms literary works into abstract diptych drawings. The exhibition at the MAH features these finished physical works on the gallery walls.
Youd’s performance begins with a retyping of Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Koolaid Acid Test, referencing Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters’ departures from the Santa Cruz hills. Youd will then travel to literary sites across the region to retype poetry by Beat Generation writers, including Allen Ginsberg at City Lights, Joanna Kyger in Bolinas, and Weldon Kees at the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Process & The Artwork
To create the drawings, Youd backs a top sheet of paper with a second sheet and types an entire book or poetry collection onto that single space. Over weeks of performance, the text is overwritten until the paper becomes distressed.
When the retyping is complete, the two sheets are separated and mounted side-by-side as a diptych. The entire novel or volume of poems is present on the page, but illegible. To date, Youd has retyped 84 novels at locations across the United States and Europe, including the historic homes of William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, and Virginia Woolf.
Concurrent Exhibition: Con/Text
Presented in conjunction with Tim Youd's performance, the MAH will host Con/Text: Exploring Language in Art. This group show highlights text-based contemporary art alongside pieces from the MAH’s permanent art and history collections. Featured artists include Kristin Bauer, Francisca Benitez, Peter Madden, and Ned Snider.
Proudly presented in partnership with Further Triennial
This exhibition and performance series is presented as part of Further Triennial—a region-wide celebration of Northern California’s creative and cultural life launching in spring of 2027. Supported by Further’s Community Impact Fund, this project connects the MAH with non-profit arts organizations across the Greater Bay Area to highlight regional connections.
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