Poetry, at its best, shakes readers awake, rousing their senses and calling upon them to look at reality with new eyes. A group of artists have taken this experience to another level, through poetry installations that literally affect multiple senses.
A series of multi-dimension poetry installations created by a team led by Kochi-based writer and director Vinod Krishna, at an exhibition organised by the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan here at its at the Koothambalam, enable the viewer to experience poetry visually and aurally.
Each exhibit has an art installation that captures the essence of the poem, accompanied by a multitude of sounds that set the backdrop for it, and last but not the least, a recorded recital of the poem itself.
The poems that form the basis for the installations include K. Satchidanandan’s After the War , Pablo Neruda’s Ode to Salt , Amrita Pritam’s My Address , and Mahmoud Darwish’s Identity card . Originating from various cultures and languages, these poems explore subjects that are on one level, ordinary elements of life, but on another, have deep implications on the human psyche.
Sound
Music composer and singer Bijibal, filmmaker and actor Joy Mathew, singer Sayanora Philip, and poet Ajeesh Dasan have recited the poems.
The installations were inaugurated by poet K. Satchidanandan on Sunday.
The multi-dimensional poetry installations are the brainchild of Mr. Vinod, who says that nothing like it has been created anywhere else before. He and his team had set up their first series of installations at the Durbar Hall art gallery in Kochi two years ago.
The ongoing exhibition is the first such initiative sponsored by an institution under the government.
Others on the team include P. Raveendranath (project designer), Linu Chakrapani (art director), Renganath Ravee (sound designer), and project coordinators G.S. Vinayan and Dhanya K. Vilayil.
The exhibition is on till May 20.
