December 2017 & January 2018

To commemorate the anniversary of the January 13th 1915 earthquake in Italy we have a video poem “Poemotus 1915” by Dimitri Ruggeri and Marco Di Gennaro.

WEEK 4
How Can You Remain in Love in San Diego? by Kevin Dublin

I am afraid you will remember me as a wooden ladder
or even worse, forget I was. And I’ll remember you
as a disaster. Unable to recall how you swallowed yawns
like milk, …

Kevin Dublin’s poem is the title poem from his chapbook. This poetry film is stunning in the mood created by the words and images.

14 Sentences by Carolyn Guinzio consists of 14 micro-movies on “crime” and “punishment.” Each micro-movie is a couplet consisting of two words only, divided by a title to create a breath in between.

I wanted a visually complex and evocative piece, but because of the speed with which the pieces pass, I thought fairly literal imagery was in order.

Lifeline by Gen3rati0n_Y
Gen3rati0n_Y an experimental science fiction poet and audiovisual artist who previously worked as a medical doctor in internal medicine and palliative care.

There was only the flow.
The air that connected our mouths.

It’s molecules in our every cell.
Semisolid micro-objects permeating our sovereignty.

Poem with Flying Termites & Cheesy Ending (take seventeen) by Baga Defente, Brazil. English subtitles have been translated from Portuguese by the author.

Once again I cleaned the house, made the bed, washed the dishes & you didn’t come…

Another beautiful and moving video poem.

Those Drawn Alive by Jukka-Pekka Jalovaara is unsettling and intriguing.

Having first studied sculpture as a Fine Art student Jukka-Pekka moved to moving image. Here words and visual images have been sculptured.

From physical sculptures to ‘mental sculptures in light and shadows’

WEEK 3
This week we introduce our featured poet and poetry filmmaker Cactus Chilly. Cactus has a freshness and distinctive voice that she brings to poetry film and performance: I hope you’ll enjoy it in these 4 films:
The Tobacconist’s Son, which features the performance and spoken word artist The Neanderthal Bard.
The Alcotrosses
The Waiting Room
It’s Nothing to do with Indecision

They are all filmed in Margate. Margate is an English holiday town on the Kent coast and is home to the Turner Contemporary which is currently displaying works by JMW Turner alongside Tracey Emin’s My Bed!

Cactus has preferred not to provide detailed explanations of her work stating that:

“recently I’ve trying a different approach to life, absolute nothingness, the less said the better, sort of thing”.

Featuring a poet/poetry filmmaker gives us an insight into their creative journey … where they’ve been, where they might be heading. It’s not a ‘This is your Life’ approach, it’s a moment in time.

WEEK 2

The Book of Traces by Ángel Guinda and Charles Olsen.  
A poetry film made with photos rather than film, like a police photographer documenting a crime scene, as a nod towards a court case against the poet for alleged blasphemy in 1987. With a play on words, the National Police Corps becomes the National Poetry Corps.

Jannah by Puccio Chiesa & Roberto Moroni
Dedicated to the memory of Khaled al-Asaad (1932-2015), the archaeologist murdered by Daesh in Palmira because he didn’t want to reveal the location of the ancient artifacts that he had helped to hide.

Kill Your Darlings – Part 2 by Linda Cleary
Some of you will have seen Kill Your Darlings Part 1 which was filmed by Alban Roinard and screened at the Zebra Poetry Film Festival in 2014. Linda has made Kill Your Darlings Part 2 herself using photographic stills and Windows Movie Maker.

“The roots are the hands of my ancestors; rough with hard work, stretched with yearning, empty of children, clutching suitcases, wiping silent tears, burying the dead”.

Domestic Literature Movement by Raquel Gaspar Silva and James Jacket.
Raquel is a Portuguese artist who creates visual poetry. In this intriguing piece of art, poetry and silverware are combined ….

Digital Distraction by Philip T Stephens

“They say he’s got the whole world in his hands but lately it seems like he’s juggling a few too many priorities, …”

Love Mykolaiv if you dare by Angie Bogachenko: “We love our city, but over the years it loses shape. How can it be corrected? Imagine that you found a magic music box, which is able to change any of the drawbacks.”

WEEK 1

Featured poet and poetry filmmaker Lucia Sellars. Featuring a poet/poetry filmmaker gives us an insight into their creative journey … where they’ve been, where they might be heading. It’s not a ‘This is your Life’ approach, it’s a moment in time. And that time can be at any stage of the journey: from just starting out to accomplished and well known.The moment I met Lucia just over a year ago, I discovered her infectious enthusiasm for poetry film. She has now created over 60 poetry films and featured here are six chosen by Lucia. I’ve added Lucia’s 2016 poetry film The Great Big Yes because watching it, well, it just makes me feel good! I think you’ll enjoy it! Also included is an interview with Lucia from 2016.