Humanities and Arts
Alain Arias-Misson
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Doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/pajj_a_00597
2022-04-02The Public Poem is a form I invented in 1967 and have performed in many European cities over the decades. For the last six years in Spain, I had been making “concrete” poems, seeing the sheet of paper as a two-dimensional surface which the typewriter could occupy spatially, then placing Letraset letters on superimposed plexiglass sheets that provide a third dimension of depth. One day, looking about in the street, I thought, “If I can place letters on these surfaces, then I can ‘write’ on the street, as well.” I quickly discovered the cheap, light, industrial material of polystyrene which could be easily cut into letter shapes—the size of the human beings who occupy the streets—and thus enter into a dialogue with them and the urban space. At first, I placed the letters and words at strategic sites of the city, but soon I found that carrying them with a team was more eloquent, like a hand holding a pen moving across the page. I often used a classic concrete poetry device, the permutation and recombination of letters, in choosing a mother-word or matrix that could be broken up into other words and then form phrases—even entire sentences—as we moved along, like text passing across a giant electronic screen where one or two words may appear at a time, and a sentence is eventually formed.
Show by month | Manuscript | Video Summary |
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2024 September | 2 | 2 |
2024 August | 33 | 33 |
2024 July | 30 | 30 |
2024 June | 24 | 24 |
2024 May | 32 | 32 |
2024 April | 34 | 34 |
2024 March | 40 | 40 |
2024 February | 18 | 18 |
2024 January | 26 | 26 |
2023 December | 24 | 24 |
2023 November | 24 | 24 |
2023 October | 25 | 25 |
2023 September | 17 | 17 |
2023 August | 7 | 7 |
2023 July | 21 | 21 |
2023 June | 13 | 13 |
2023 May | 30 | 30 |
2023 April | 18 | 18 |
2023 March | 21 | 21 |
2023 January | 1 | 1 |
2022 December | 21 | 21 |
2022 November | 57 | 57 |
2022 October | 37 | 37 |
2022 September | 26 | 26 |
2022 August | 51 | 51 |
2022 July | 40 | 40 |
2022 June | 92 | 92 |
2022 May | 41 | 41 |
2022 April | 22 | 22 |
Total | 827 | 827 |
Show by month | Manuscript | Video Summary |
---|---|---|
2024 September | 2 | 2 |
2024 August | 33 | 33 |
2024 July | 30 | 30 |
2024 June | 24 | 24 |
2024 May | 32 | 32 |
2024 April | 34 | 34 |
2024 March | 40 | 40 |
2024 February | 18 | 18 |
2024 January | 26 | 26 |
2023 December | 24 | 24 |
2023 November | 24 | 24 |
2023 October | 25 | 25 |
2023 September | 17 | 17 |
2023 August | 7 | 7 |
2023 July | 21 | 21 |
2023 June | 13 | 13 |
2023 May | 30 | 30 |
2023 April | 18 | 18 |
2023 March | 21 | 21 |
2023 January | 1 | 1 |
2022 December | 21 | 21 |
2022 November | 57 | 57 |
2022 October | 37 | 37 |
2022 September | 26 | 26 |
2022 August | 51 | 51 |
2022 July | 40 | 40 |
2022 June | 92 | 92 |
2022 May | 41 | 41 |
2022 April | 22 | 22 |
Total | 827 | 827 |