James North

&

& 

ampersand 

noun [ C ] 
US  /ˈæm.pɚ.sænd/ UK  /ˈæm.pə.sænd/ 

the sign &, used for "and" 

?! & 

& is affirmation and
& is yeasaying and
& is connectivity 

& is cubism and
& is neoism and
& is purism and 
& is toyism and
& is fauvism and
& is orphism and
& is realism and
& is futurism and
& is rayonism and
& is stuckism and
& is tonalism and
& is brutalism and
& is aestheticism and
& is lettrism and
& is mannerism and
& is modernism and
& is symbolism and
& is verdadism and
& expressionism and
& is maximalism and
& is minimalism and
& is sumatraism and
& is surrealism and
& is synthetism and
& is vorticism and
& is excessivism and
& is neo-fauvism and
& is panfuturism and
& is pointillism and
& is primitivism and
& is regionalism and
& is remodernism and
& is romanticism and
& is suprematism and
& is synchromism and
& is hyperrealism and
& is photorealism and
& is precisionism and
& is unilalianism and
& is neoplasticism and
& is expressionism and
& is impressionism and
& is magic realism and
& is massurrealism and
& is neoclassicism and
& classical realism and
& is neo-primitivism and
& is neo-romanticism and
& is post minimalism and
& is deconstructivism and
& is pre-raphaelitism and
& is fantastic realism and
& is neo-expressionism and
& is socialist realism and
& is post-impressionism and
& is viennese actionism and
& is kinetic pointillism and
& is abstract expressionism and
& is modular constructivism and
& is dadaism and 

& is any unmentioned isms and
& is ten-score-thousand unborne-isms and
& is art 

II 

Speakers 

Mr. North
Dear Reader 

“But Mr. North, this is all well and good, if a little pretentious, and surely somewhat silly, but what does it all mean? How do I &?” 

Excellent question dear, sweet reader.
Allow me to drop an elucidation upon thee.
If you wish to begin your burgeoning, and sure to be long lived career as an &,
one must remember the magic words
Yes, and? 

“I don’t follow, stop being obtuse” 

These two words are the only elaboration that is needed to understand &
Unlike conventional, traditional, ism-ified, boring art movements
& is both positive and infinite 

“What? Also, doesn’t that phrase carry a sarcastic connotation?” 

There are no limits to &
Or better yet, & is simultaneously limited and limitless
Each individual contributive element of an & work exists within the limits of a movement
Through their connectivity and incorporation into & they transcend those limits
Let’s break down each part of the magic words Yes, and?
Yes is an affirmation
Yes is supportive
And is open ended
And says “What else is there?”
And says “What else do you have for me?”
As for the sarcastic connotation, & is a new artistic movement;
In exercising our creative license, we opt to change that connotation.
Sarcasm to sincerity. 

“I think I am beginning to understand” 

Yes, and? 

“Ouch” 

I kid
& stands in relation to all art movements, past, present, and future
& is about adding-on, and positive contribution 

“So what isn’t &?” 

An & may never remove, only add 

“Explain” 

For an &, to remove is to regress.
Therefore, when exercising one’s right to &,
The removal from a work of any of its constituents is verboten. 

“I get it! This sounds like fun!”
“Although, it would be nice to have an example of an & work” 

Yes, that would be nice, and in anticipation of that request, I have prepared for thine
eyes a historic example of proto-& 

“Why merely proto-&?” 

As expected, another excellent question!
Because while working within the confines of our linear perception of space-time
There cannot be an example of & prior to the conceptualization of &
That being said, let us examine aforementioned example 

 

 

LHOOQ stands as an early example of some of the themes of & (pronounced aloud as ampersand). The main thing to take note of here is the contributory, positivistic element. The artist has taken a representation of an original work and added an element of his own design. Bonus points are awarded for the stylistic clashing/synthesis of the added elements and the original. This work does, however, differ from true & in a keyway.  

A true & work exists in harmony with the original work, not with a reproduction; in order for LHOOQ to be &, it would have been created using the original Mona Lisa. In working with originals rather than reproductions, it is intended that we maximize the coming-into-being nature of art and prolong the concept of art as a process. 

& encourages multi-media work as it aids in the transcendence of genres; the more media present and genres represented, the more a given work is &. An & work may be humorous, serious, shocking, gross, tragic, frightening, or a combination of any of these or other tones. Indeed, it may even be said to be more in the spirit of & to attempt to bridge these states in each work of art. Art movements are reactive; & is proactive. & is the future of art. 

-James North 

About James North

James Hugh North III is a senior majoring in Commercial Aviation and minoring in Philosophy. James was the president of the UND Philosophy Club for 2 years, and also helped refound the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at UND. James is an avid hiker and outdoorsman, and has climbed the 2nd and 3rd tallest mountains in the continental US. He also recently completed his seaplane certification. After graduation, James would like to go work in Alaska flying seaplanes.