Visual and Concrete Poetry Research

One of the tasks in order to generate a wide range of experimental illustrations for my book covers before narrowing it down to one idea is to create a series of at least 9 images (3 for each book) in a text-editing program (e.g. Word, Text Edit, Pages). I have not experimented with visual poetry much in the past, so I have begun to research more into it so I have a stronger understanding before creating my images. 

Visual and concrete poetry is the art of creating an illustration using type that visually works in a consistent horizontal and/or diagonal line, this also represents strong layout and gives the illustration structure. Visual poetry is famous because of its deployment by the use of typography. The way the typography (the visual poetry) is laid out, represents the personality of the poem and language used.
'These visual means perform the work as a poem that can't be translated into any other form' - Johanna Drucker

Visual Poetry artists that have interested me;

Pierre Coupey; The alphabet of blood. The publication had an early impact on Canadian poet bpNichol, who stated that it was one of the first examples of visual poetry in Canada. It was published in 1964 where each of the original pages were extracted from the original publication and re-arranged into a curve/shapes of dry-transfer lettering. Published in a little magazine; 'The Alphabet of Blood". I love these specific pages in the publication because of the amount of variations in the kernings of the words/letters. I enjoy the contrast of large and small lettering and the way a horizontal letter is placed next to a smaller vertical word for example. It has an impact of how the word might be said (loud, quiet, its importance within the sentence etc)

 

 Johanna Drucker; Stochastic Poetics. Drucker is the first Breslauer Professor of Bibliographical Studies in the Department of Information Studies at UCLA. She is internationally famous for her work in the background of graphic design, typography, experimental poetry, fine art, and digital humanities. The project was conceived during an event at L.A.C.E, (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) that Drucker experienced in her first year in L.A. Three poets, each working with thematic material at the highest possible emotional pitch, were part of a reading/installation event in the galleries in the downtown Hollywood neighborhood. However, she felt that their voices and the concepts/meaning of the poems weren't being heard/presented through the publications/installations. "Sexual abuse, holocaust testimonies, American slave experience, ecological disaster were the subjects in their works. But the event was overwhelmed by street noise, the milling about and comings and goings of the constantly shifting crowd, by the variety show atmosphere of carnivalesque urban night life..." I love how each piece of visual poetry throughout the publication has a voice and emotion to it; the first piece of visual poetry looks as if something is crumbling/breaking, this could represent confusion/trauma/a mess, as the typography starts off in a line and then the letters begin to drift off.

 Alan Riddell; Eclipse. Alan Riddell (1927-1977) was the editor of Typewriter Art (London Magazine Editions, 1975) and regular contributor to magazines that include; Ambit, Fishpaste, Poor.Old.Tired.Horse and Second Aeon. Throughout the publication Eclipse, Alan Riddell weaves typography into shapes/objects and significant patterns that heighten or symbolise the verbal message. The visual poetry is mainly very illustrative and the message is extremely clear (obvious) to see throughout the illustrations; the typography for the piece named 'the locket' is arranged in the shape of a locket.