Burroughs Cut-Up

Have you ever dreamed that you are reading something and though the words on the paper do not make much sense, they are still understandable? This was my first impression on Burroughs' cut-up method. Before reading about cut-ups, I had no idea that there are artists out there who treat words as collages. Connecting words and/or phrases that come from different sources, but share the same topic, result in a somewhat unconscious style of reading. Because cut-ups describe certain subjects from many point of views, cut-ups can easily encompass every sensory detail.

To me, the cut-up method is creative, clever, blurry, confusing and yet makes perfect sense in an unexplainable way. It is also similar to appropriation and sampling, where the artist creates a new project by using elements from other existing art work. Since one cannot predict what the next text in cut-ups is going to be about, cut-ups can be mysteriously captivating for one to simply keep on reading and follow where the words lead.

Frighteningly however, I wonder if the artist can abuse the cut-up method by manipulating the readers' minds to unconsciously believe in something that the artist wants them to, whether it may be true or spurious.