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[[stamped]] JAN 29 1990 [[/stamped]]

Jan. 23, 1990

Jack Lenor Larsen

Dear Jack:

Your letter was extraordinarily kind, reassuring--and amazing. Once again, I learned from you. Yes of course, as you implied, the theoretical term I am proposing appears to have a wider range than I had suggested. I had no sooner mailed off the proposal than I began mentally testing my idea, and your letter helped me carry it further. There is another factor that is not quite variant form but does deal with variance. For want of a better term, or perhaps it is a good one, I am thinking of displacement, i.e., an unexpected, unlikely, unpredictable use of almost any element--motific design, texture, color, pattern, uses of material, with the idea of producing an opposition, or a tension, or negating expected 'reality' or demonstrating the viability of new realities.

Your mind rolls along in large ways these days. Even more than in earlier years. And yet more precisely. Do you feel that? I was struck by that in both of those brief telephone interviews I did with you recently (I've asked that copies of each magazine be sent to you). 

I wonder what reports you heard of the museum conference. I attended from the opening speech to the last cup of coffee. You may not have been there in body, but your persona haunted the proceedings: your name was dropped numbers of times, and there were slides of your textile designs, the signage of your show in Montreal, and the back of your head viewing someone else's work--I believe that may have been at Cranbrook. And finally, even your ties made their appearance; Roy Slade proudly announced he was wearing one of your designs.

Again, my gratitude. I'll keep you posted.

Best wishes,

Lisa[[strikethrough]]
Lisa Hammel