Chanccani Quipu. Cecilia Vicuña. Granary Books. 2012.
Chanccani Quipu. Cecilia Vicuña. Granary Books. 2012.
Chanccani Quipu. Cecilia Vicuña. Granary Books. 2012.
Chanccani Quipu. Cecilia Vicuña. Granary Books. 2012.
Chanccani Quipu. Cecilia Vicuña. Granary Books. 2012.
Chanccani Quipu. Cecilia Vicuña. Granary Books. 2012.

Chanccani Quipu.

Granary Books, 2012. Item #GB_152

18 1/2 x 18 1/4 x 4 in., knotted unspun wool and bamboo in box enclosure.

Chanccani Quipu by Cecilia Vicuña is a modern interpretation of the 5000 year-old quipu, which recorded the literature of the Incas on knotted cords. It is a remarkable work, which embodies the intention and essence of a poem by Vicuña translated into English by the poet along with Jerome Rothenberg. Chanccani Quipu is perhaps the most experimental work published by Granary Books. It certainly takes the most liberties in provoking and extending the form of the book while creating a stunning verbal/visual work.

Accompanying Chanccani Quipu is a full-color signed drawing inserted into a pamphlet entitled Instruction Manual & Orientation to Various Meanings. These items present insightful meditations on the project by the artist based upon her near-lifelong engagement with the quipu as intellectual, aesthetic and spiritual configuration.

From Instruction Manual & Orientation to Various Meanings:

Chanccani Quipu reinvents the concept of ‘quipu,’ the ancient system of ‘writing’ with knots, transforming it into a metaphor in space; a book/sculpture that condenses the clash of two cultures and worldviews: the Andean oral universe and the Western world of print.

"In Chanccani Quipu breath metaphorically imprints the unspun wool floating as a shadow or unstable mark on the outer hairs of a river of fleece.

"The floating words take the place of knots, and the fleece takes the place of the twisted threads.

"No record of a historical or archaeological quipu constructed with unspun wool, or with words ‘printed’ on wool has been found.

"Chanccani Quipu may be a command or a plea (depending on the tone of voice).

"It is a prayer for the rebirth of a way of writing with breath, a way of perceiving the body and the cosmos as a whole engaged in a continuous reciprocal exchange.

"In Quechua the writer/reader of the quipu was called: quipucamayoc (khipukamayuq), literally: ‘the one that animates, gives life to the knot.’ ”
—Cecilia Vicuña

Each Chanccani Quipu was produced entirely by hand. The poem was “printed” on unspun wool using stencils made by the poet who also knotted the threads. The quipu is tied or bound to a 16 in. bamboo spine from which it hangs to about 48 in. when installed. The work is housed in a hand-stenciled box (18 1/2 x 18 1/4 x 4 in.) made by Susan Mills. Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints in Philadelphia printed the drawing and the pamphlet in full-color. This is from an edition of 32 copies, numbered and signed by artist and translator. Out-of-print.




ABOUT CECILIA VICUÑA

Pictured: cover and five views.

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