A PICTURE SAYS 400 WORDS
Comet Project Space
2018
Visual Artists: Judith Lawson, Ellen Mekkelholt, Arwen Flowers, Akiko Diegel, Teresa HR Lane, Mr Du Prizzle, Louise Keen, Shelley Ashford, Katrina Iosia, Paula Friis, Georgia Arnold, Yasmina Gillies
Spoken Word Poets: Himali McInnes, Gemishka Chetty, Divyaa Kumar, Aiwa Pooamorn, Rose Northey, Caitlin Smart, Libby Morrison, Daniel Goodwin, Jamie Trower, Ruby Esther, Nathan Joe
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Poets have used art as inspirations for centuries. John Keats “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is one famous example, but even ancient poets such as Homer have turned to artwork as a source of stimulation for the writing. Plato observes that when paintings and poems are put together, they ‘seem to talk to you as if they were intelligent’. Georgia Heard calls language ‘the poets paint’, and many other writers and artists have commented on the parallels between these two modes of expression.
A Picture Says 400 Words pairs together visual artists and spoken word poets who engaged with ideas of shared importance and collaborated over the last weeks to create works in response to each other. What the poets put into words, will surely transform these works, extending what is often and immediate response into something more lasting and reflective.