Visual Poetry & Spoken Word
A series of Artist-written hybrid 3D mixed-media visual poetry works exploring the confluence of the visual, linguistic, sonic, & digital. Interactive in engagement, the poetry forms of cento, anaphora, mesostic, and free-form phonaesthetics are employed within the current body of work. ( See also Video & Moving Image ).
Contextualisation:
Tracing ambits of practice that intermix inks of Tōhaku’s sumi-e, Kansuke Yamamoto’s photographic catechisms on light, with geometries of Gomringer’s foundational concrete, Johnston’s poetry sounds amid future concretes like Donato Mancini’s classic Starfield Series or “zen-koan-jingle” of his Æthel logotypes. Whether text or poème-objets, all have sculptural weight and play monochrome’s scales, densities across compositional fields.
By way of screen rendition, verbal-visual flux transposes into sonic modalities, scored video & moving image works composedly transmit tactics as panel, cento, collage, mesostic yield to canon and montage.
The Realm of The Less moves towards the best-synthesized hybridity – in modes of say, Hoffman’s ciné-poème Kokoro is for Heart. Bathed in novel digitality, these accumulations “phrase and rephrase” lament, keening from within the “trap” of our earthly Mare Crisium / Sea of Crises.
Natasha Cuddington
Poet, Editor, Programmer
3D Mixed-Media Sculptural Assemblages - 1130mmL x 170mmW comprising Hi-Res.Large Format Digital Prints over 5mm Foamcore + Laser Cut Acrylic & MDF forms + Digital Prints on Acetate.
Installation View 1
Visual Poetry Mixed-Media Assemblages & "Confluence", Elin Johnston Solo Exhibition, 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast, N.I. 2023
Scriihl Scraahl Screehl
The Realm of The Less (A Cento)
sea-mews sea-mews
a dusk pulse shade without colour traversing skies shape without form
a dusk pulse traversing skies shape without form
murmurs ascent land laid
shade without colour murmurs ascent land laid grown sheer
pale grown sheer
shape without form murmurs ascent pale sea-mews eyes meet eyes meet
a dusk pulse a creature made a creature made
forever less
forever less
Of Nature
lost
cut off
hidden
trapped
bought
burnt
torn
mute
Forest Aflame
affinities
born
derived
beauty
attested
abstract
firmament's
afflicted
colour
shadowed
memory
foretold
Memoria
Sorrow standing dark /
In rooted rhythm's measure /
Circle, sound, and eye, remark /
A votive veil descending /
To stipple the opened earth
Mare Crisium
turntornpalepall
wavewovesingsung
riseroseslipslid
burnbornwordworn
lipsliessoarsour
tombtomekistkiss
tolltoldriterote
wailwilldeepdead
In Deserted Time
We depart lost lands with dubious promise /
following primitive instincts, mythic rite
a plaintive presage of deception,
of turbulent episode, seen in series /
those heralds heard, in so far denied
give urgency upon a signal, to cease
repeated verses of echoed duress /
dwelling in deserted time.
This Dark Water
Shadows arrive /
Splendour cedes /
To a fire above /
Upon this dark water /
Shadows remain /
Subject To Revision
2wo 5ive 4our 4our 5ive 2wo zer0 9ine
1ne 3hree 6ix 1ne 6ix 8ight
4our 7even 6ix 3hree 1ne 8ight 4our