Douglas and Lawrence,
I find that when I am working on the visual aspect of my work I am
more concerned with the gestural than the visual, somewhat like playing
an instrument.
tom bell
Douglas Barbour wrote:
>
> I'm intrigued by Lawrence Upton's arguments (below):
>
> >I cannot disagree with you that the two "turn out to be entirely different
> >pieces" both because I haven't seen the print version and I don't know your
> >criteria; but I suggest that this need not be a general rule i.e. that
> >"entirely" would not always apply
>
> This may be true, but havinbg looked at some of Tom Bell's visual poems on
> the web, I would have to say that he has accomplished things there that
> cannot be reproduced on the page. I would assume that some of them look
> like 'dirty concrete' (as bpNichol used to all it), but that the ways in
> which background & foreground keep changing on the screen simply can't be
> reproduced. I may be wrong, but this aspect of the work seems to me to make
> it essentially computer-oriented, & that is something new in conrete
> poetry, something only possible with the advent of the computer.
> >
> >There will be difference and I think it cuts in when one stresses the visual
> >element of the poem rather than treating what is on the page as something to
> >read from or as a medium for silent reading. In other words I think the
> >difference is inherent in making visual poetry, whatever that is.
>
> On the other hand, this is a very intersting point. Sometimes such visual
> works are also performance texts, & as such they do (or at least can)
> become something like the tunes jazz musicians improvise on, & so that,
> yes, each time they are performed they are different. But I'm not sure that
> has much to do with the way these pieces appear on screen. Although,
> perhaps having them on a laptop would make for some intriguing performances
> of them, which is an interesting thing to think about...
>
> There is a lot in Lawrence's note to think about, in fact, & I'm grateful
> for that...
>
> Douglas Barbour
> Department of English
> University of Alberta
> Edmonton Alberta Canada T6G 2E5
> (h) [780] 436 3320 (b) [780] 492 0521
> http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/dbhome.htm
>
> the way of what fell
> the lies
> like the petals
> falling drop
> delicately
>
> Phyllis Webb
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LLLL STOPG [ EMPTY ] SPACER
index of online work at http://members.home.net/trbell
essays: http://members.tripod.com/~trbell/criticism/gloom.htm
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