A vispro experiment. In experimentation (and with intent) I created two different works to see if two different approaches to the same material resulted in two different outcomes (many more followed in order to come to grips with the process as well as the finished work). I have followed David’s words for many years now*, and when I eventually tired of reading his poetry through my own filter, I asked him to write me clues for understanding his poetic. This correspondence has gone on for quite a few years, resulting in books bound and destined for The New Alexandrian Library**. I began working firstly with David’s poem Citadel VI 10. lrlot"
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David Stone – Note accompanying two poems in the series.
With intent*** to create two different kinds of images, I used David’s poem to begin a vispo image and his prose as the starting point for a vispro image. The method approached for the vispo image involved certain poetic devices, but these were used in a visual way – enjambments, repetition (B), ‘consonance’, expressive font (vispo), alliteration. David wrote: “much easier to suggest the poetry with vispo than with vispro. Contains only a few, alliterative, bold words: Berlin, Beethoven, brutal border, bottle logic, point of thirst, and image of a bottle with some text from Citadel”. * https://www.amazon.com/David-Stone-Philosophical-Cheryl-Penn/dp/9388319370 **https://newalexandrianlibrary.blogspot.com/2020/ Donated to Jack Ginsburg Centre for the Book Arts ***Often in vispro discussion on Facebook, quite a lot was spoken of intent. Obviously I am in favour of free, unbridled artistic spirit, but, in being that, so what? Imagine if we could write novels endlessly filled with gibberish. Would they have any value? What are we actually trying to accomplish here? IF nothing/meaningless-ness (as artistic intent is intended) and that is indeed a personal pursuit, fine, but that is not for this discussion. And, why post such images/words anywhere (such as Facebook) if we hold them to be nothing? Why must everything be segregated to the middle word - vispo? Why experiment if not to reach ‘the real deal’? By definition, ‘intention’ is an aim – a purpose one is attempting to achieve. Although experience of an artwork has a multitude of intensely personal answers – such as - interpretation coming through personal experience to an artwork, does not ‘classification’ aid our understanding? Simple example: we can comfortable ‘classify’ Monet as the father of Impressionism which aids us (so many years on) in unlocking his intentions. This movement faced harsh criticism too, its proponents perceived as violating academic painting – but they changed the ‘face’ of painting forever.
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