Transordinary Titles
by Tim Gaze
A title can be powerful in and of itself, regardless of what is in the book or other artwork it entitles.
Jóska Soós (1921–2008) was a Hungarian shaman and artist, one of whose artworks is titled Black Hole Entity. Based on what I know of shamanism and black holes, this title takes my mind a long way from the ordinariness of the room I’m sitting in.
Recently published books exist, with titles such as My favorite Martian Comics, Arcturian Punctuation, Toys for Telepaths and Messages from Elsewhere – An Alien Graffiti. Just reading these titles is enough to charm my imagination into guessing what their creator might be getting at. This guessing is a worthwhile experience, whether or not one eventually ventures into the book or artwork to which the title belongs. The species of title I’m talking about takes us from the ordinary to the transordinary.
Tim Gaze
Peramangk lands, South Australia
September 2024
