Assembled Pieces: Collage Techniques in the Work of Eduardo Paolozzi and Ludwig Wittgenstein

Abstract

Wienigk suggests that collage techniques can be read as a link between the artistic approaches of the Scottish Pop artist Eduardo Paolozzi and a certain way of thinking and working philosophically, such as the one practised by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Referring to scrapbooks, texts, silkscreen, manuscripts and the process of publishing and focussing on the flatness of each example, Wienigk shows a whole range of collage elements, which allow seeing similarities in the work of Paolozzi and Wittgenstein. The chapter revolves around three main arguments: firstly, Paolozzi’s belief in collage as a metaphor for the creative act itself; secondly, the similarities of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations with the artistic method of collage in terms of both form and content; thirdly, Paolozzi’s twofold use of collage in the screenprint portfolio As Is When—at the level of content (mixing biographical facts, anecdotes and philosophical thoughts from Wittgenstein) and at the level of technique (combining handmade collage and screenprinting). Wienigk argues that the constitutive flatness of collage is essential for the coexistence of phenomena side by side in the two-dimensional space allowing it to emphasize the principle of “as well as” rather than “either/or”.