Title: The Significance of New Technology to Visual Poetry (1) Aims:1. To identify the major influences of new technology in the presentation of Visual Poetry.
2. To demonstrate by creative work some influences of new technology in the production of and presentation of Visual Poetry.
3. To add to the understanding of how new technology may affect the communication potential of Visual Poetry.
(2) Regulation 10.9
It is intended to achieve Aim 2 by an exhibition of the candidates own practical work. This exhibition will form part of the assessment process together with a thesis achieving Aims 1 and 3 linking the findings with the creative work. A photographic record of the exhibition will accompany the written thesis.
(3) Background
Recent technology has provided us with new possibilities in both the production of Visual Poetry 'Poetry composed for the eye, as well as, or more than, for the ear' and traditional verse where 'the written text serves mainly a notational role'. The New Princetown Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics (1993). Multi-media artist Jeffrey Shaw has allowed his involvement with computers to produce a number of works which allow the spectator to travel in a virtual space of images and words whilst Chadwyck-Healey have recently published English Poetry Plus on CD-Rom, a full text database with images and sound. The purpose of this study is to identify the means, and establish the communication potential of recent technology in relation to Visual Poetry. In a traditional sense, 'all poetry is originally oral and the earliest inscriptions of it were clearly ways of preserving material after the tradition of recitation had changed or been lost ' (Hollander 1986). Since then the developement has been from 'visual organisation of phonological data to a visual organisation that carries meaning without reference to the phonological'. (Cummings and Summons 1983). Examples of Visual Poetry have been found dating from 300BC and developed through Pattern Poetry first composed in the 4th century and Emblem Poetry composed during the Renaissance through to the 20th century where movements such as Futurism, Dadaism, de Stil, Constructivism and Concrete Poetry all experimented with typographic form to produce visual effects . Studies on diversity of 20th century developements in this area have been completed by Bohn (1986), Ruder (1967) and Swann (1969). Historically there has always been conflict between the Visual Arts and traditional verse from Horace's comment 'as is painting so is poetry' (361) to Shaftesbury (1712). 'Comparisons and parallels between painting and poetry are almost ever absurd at best constrained, lame and defective'. Visual Poetry has perhaps succeeded in best combining the two areas. The influence of new technology in this area could further contribute to the arguments put forward in this debate. 'The medium or process of our time - electronic technology is reshaping and restructuring patterns of social interdependance and every aspect of our personal life. It is forcing us to reconsider and re-evaluate practically every thought, every action, and every institution formally taken for granted. McLuhan, Marshall and Fiore Quentin (1967).
(4) Outline of Research Methods.
Phase 1.
a) Literature search and visual search of contemporary Visual Poets to identify the means of technology currently practised in this field. b) Interviews with artists identified from the above research to establish the effect of technology in the production and presentation of their work. c) Investigations in the form of literature search and interviews, into individual areas of appropriate technology, to determine their possible application in the area of Visual Poetry.
Phase 2.
The results of the above will be analysed to achieve Aim 1. Phase 3.
Practical work will be produced involving the production of Visual Poetry in the context of the technologies identified in Phase 1. This will achieve Aim 2.
Phase 4.
The results of phase 3 will form the basis of research involving both studying the interaction of appropriate groups or individuals with the visual poetry and interviewing relevant artists, poets, teachers and students.
Phase 5.
The result of phase 4 will be analysed and in the final exhibition and thesis will achieve Aim 3 by demonstrating both visually and in writing how new technology can affect the communication potential of Visual Poetry.
(5) References.
Bohan, Willard. 'The Aesthetics of Visual Poetry'. Cambridge University Press, USA. 1986
Hollander, J.Visan. 'Two Scenes of Poetic Form'. 1958.
Horace. 'Avs Poetica'. 361.
McLuhan, Marshall and Quentin, Fiore. 'The Medium is the Message'. Allen Lane, The Penguin Press.
Great Britain. 1967.
Premunger, Alex and Brogan, T.V.F. 'The New Princetown Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics'.
Princetown University Press. Princetown New Jersey. 1993.
Ruder, Emil. 'Typography'. Alex Turanti Ltd. London. 1967.
Shaftesbury. Plastics. 1712.
Spencer, Herbert. 'Pioneers of Modern Typography'. Lund Humphries Publishers Limited. London. 1969.
Swann, Cal. 'Techniques of Typography'. Lund Humphries Publishers Limited. London. 1980.
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