Concrete Poetry
Overview
‘The term ‘concrete poetry' is used to designate all manner of shaped, typographically complex, visually self-conscious poetic works' (Druker, J. 1998).
Although certain elements of Concrete Poetry are equivalent to the other work in the long tradition of visual poetry , but the real elements are not expressed the exact same way. Care must be taken before rearranging a part or the whole work. The work could end up having a different shape on the page and also may lose a part or its meaning if it is done without considering the typeface and form, which were part of the poet's original work. (Druker, J. 1998).
Author: Eugen Gomringer, "Silencio" ("Silence"), 1954.
Source: Concrete Poetry: An International Anthology
1967, by Stephen Bann. London Magazine 1967
Concrete Poetry is formed by arranging the letters or words that describe an object into a visual image that also describes the object. Letters or words are used as a medium to communicate the idea or concept.
Sometimes it is also used to speak out author's mind about a particular subject.
Typically it is inspired by the objects in the vicinity that are interesting and worth describing in the form of Concrete Poetry. It could be formed using a combination of words, the shape and sizes of forms and positioned accordingly.
Author: Eugen Gomringer, "Wind", 1953.
Author: Haroldo de Campos, "Untitled Poem", 1962.
Reproduction made in Photoshop
More information about Concrete Poetry may be found in the following sources:
Bayard, C. (1989) The New Poetics in Canada and Quebec, From Concretism to Post- Modernism. Toronto, Buffalo & London: University of Toronto Press.
Bohn, W. ‘Exploring the concrete labyrinth' (Accessed 16/02/10)
Block, F. ‘Digital poetics or On the evolution of experimental media poetry' (Accessed 16/02/10)
Concrete Poetry revision (Accessed 16/02/10)
Drucker J. (1998) Figuring
the Word, essays on books, writing and visual poetic, New York: Granary Books.
Kloppenborg, P. (2001) CONCRETE TO COMPUTER: The future of visual poetry
(Accessed 16/02/10)
Padin, C. (1997) ‘The Currents of Concretism' (Accessed 16/02/10)
Simanowski, R. (2003) Concrete Poetry in Analog and Digital Media (Accessed 16/02/10)
Solt, M. (1968) Pilot Plan for Concrete Poetry Augusto de Campos, Decio Pignatari, Haroldo de Campos: Brazil. 1958. (Accessed 16/02/10)
Solt, M. (1968) Concrete Poetry: A World View (Accessed 16/02/10)
Specific Concrete-Visual Poems on the WWW-InterNet. Selected and Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo. (Accessed 16/02/10)
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