Barthes on the Ballpoint
“‘Ballpoint’ is an exhibition at London’s Pentagram Gallery organized by my partner Angus Hyland and featuring the work of ‘artists, illustrators and designers invited to make an artwork using only ballpont pen.’ The participants include Ron Arad, Nicholas Blechman and Christoph Niemann, Paul Davis, Marion Deuchars, Jeff Fisher, Alan Fletcher, Benoit Jacques, Uwe Loesch, and Ian Wright. The exhibition, which runs through June 25, prompted an interesting note from Dan Hedley. Hedley, who describes himself as having recently completed a Ph.D on ‘the strategic use of branding in Renaissance literature,’ pointed out a passage from a 1973 interview with theorist Roland Barthes. ‘It would appear from the interview,’ says Hadley, ‘that not only is M. Barthes no friend of the ballpoint, but he is rather critical of those who are.’”