La Diagonale du hasard: Chance in Poetry at cipM Marseille

The exhibition 'La Diagonale du hasard' at the Centre international de poésie Marseille (cipM), held from October 18 to December 20, 2019, explores the role of chance in poetry. Curated by Alexandre Mare as part of the broader event 'Par hasard' at La Vieille Charité and La Friche la Belle de Mai, the show centers on Stéphane Mallarmé's 'Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard'. Rare items from the Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques-Doucet are displayed, including the poem's first publication in the journal Cosmopolis (March 3, 1897) and corrected proofs. The exhibition also features works by Georges Hugnet ('La Septième Face du dé'), Muriel Pic (her cut-up version of 'Coup de dés' shown at cipM in spring 2018), Victor Hugo, Henri Michaux, Christophe Tarkos, Guy Debord, Asger Jorn, Ralph Rumney ('The Leaning Tower of Venice'), Gil J Wolman, Raymond Queneau ('Cent mille milliards de poèmes'), Frédéric Forte, Nanni Balestrini, and Giuseppe Pinot-Gallizio. The display uses vitrines arranged like scattered dice, creating juxtapositions between movements such as the Situationists, the Beat Generation, and computer-assisted poetry. A survey of contemporary poets, whose responses are posted on the walls, reveals that while few deliberately use chance, most are open to fortuitous circumstances.