Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Poem by Jefferson Adams

This blog documents a line of artistic inquiry into the possibility of expressing literary poetic text, or poetry, as multimedia art.

Synopsis: This project seeks to present a single piece of poetic text titled "The Artist as Lord of Creation," in thirteen different contexts, using multimedia, advertising and commercial product packaging. The individual expressions of the poetic text will then appear collectively in a single installation. So, the entire piece will consist of thirteen individual expressions of the poetic text, and the installation in which they appear collectively.

Presentation: Pieces will be presented in a gallery or similar setting.

Text: Will be presented within large/medium-format photographic image, in various forms of Morse code, Braille, sound recordings, popular consumer items such as toilet paper and paper towel roles with accompanying commercial packaging, video recordings, projections, various types of commercial and industrial signage, computer displays, nixie tubes,  among other methods.

Pieces will use both analog and digital technology, machinery, and methods, sometimes in combination, to create a unique, highly controlled presentation of poetic text.

The project will incorporate the best thirteen of the following contents:
00--Poem as a Large-Format Photograph
01--Poem as Photograph on Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle in a Plexiglass Box
01a--Poem a jigsaw puzzle of photograph 00
02--Poem on individual Rolls of Fine Toilet Paper
02a--Poem on 4 Rolls of Fine Toilet Paper w/ Individual and package wrapping
02b--Poem on a 12 Rolls of Fine Toilet Paper w/ Individual, 4-pack, and 12-pack package wrapping
03--Poems on a Roll of Fine Paper Towels
03a-b--(Same as 2a and 2b above--4-packs and 12-packs of poems with packaging
04--Video: Poem in a Flooded Waterscape
05--Book of Poems as Video Loop
06--Poem as Video Display
07--Poem as Shredded Poem
08--Poem as Nixie Tube Display
09--Poem as Programmable Light Display
10--Poetry as Puzzle Book
11--Poem in Colorblind Letter text
12--Poem in Braille
13--Poem in Semaphore
14--Poem in Morse Code
15--Poem as Computer Puzzle Game
16--Poems as Poetry Wipes
17--Thirteen Voices/Thirteen Ways
18--Poem as Multiple Voices--Artist as Lord
19--Poem as Laser Projection on Landscape
20--Poem as Maritime Flags
21--Poetry on Split-Flap Sign Board
22--Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Poem
23--Poem as Binary Code
24--Poem as Binary Code Photograph
25--Poem as Text Photograph
26--Poem as Binary Soundscape

Early proof of Poem as Large format, live action photograph as retáblo painting. The text is presented in Spanish: