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Saturday, February 9, 2013

Blackout: A Beginner's Attempt at Poetry

Today I'd like to discuss yet another class based project of mine, shocker I know.  It's called blackout poetry.  No it does not entail drinking an ungodly amount until you can actually create something worthy of poetry (although that would be quite entertaining) instead it is the process of taking a page full of words and making it your own. Magazines, newspapers, books, posters, anything that has enough text to inspire poetry is a good place to start.  In Austin Kleon's words "treat these pages as if it was a word search", finding unique and inspire words throughout until a poem comes to life. Circle these words and blackout the rest and before you know it, voila, Blackout poetry. To learn more about blackout poetry check out this video detailing Austin Kleon's process.


(personally I love what he does with horoscopes, but I'm a astrology buff)






Here are some examples of blackout poetry that stays true to it's roots.  However there about  a billion other ways to achieve these results.  For our class assignment we were asked to complete one 2D tangible piece and another digital piece and were then told to empty out our craft boxes in preparation. We were shown a variety of examples that incorporated color, textures, and an array of mediums and then set lose to create our own.  Here are few that I've created so far.  I was drawn to an example that stitched the pages in a book and wanted to include that in addition to an assortment of textures.  I would also like to preface these by saying I am, by no means, a poet. But I still really enjoyed this process!


I bought some books at goodwill for real cheap and used those as my canvas for part 1!


I worked with tissue paper, scrapbook paper, an exacto knife and some thread...


First attempt.


     


Had to get a little creative with the "your" in this one but I think it works..


For the second part I was really unsure of what direction I wanted to go. With the 2D piece I was limited to the materials I had but with the digital piece the possibilities were endless! Lucky for me, I just so happened to be checking out some Art Deco books for work and inspiration struck (I blog for a paint company and we LOVE art deco colors). One of the books was all about French Art Deco textiles and it all went down hill from there.  Next thing I know I'm looking up famous letters from the early 1900's and then it all came together! I think a big factor in the final look was that I wanted to have the same mind set I did while creating the 2D.  After I had hunted down my letters and scanned my textiles, I wanted to approach the pieces as if these items were tangible instead of digital files.  I think this mind set is apparent in the results...



I scanned textile swatches individually from pages like these and then layered them in my final pieces

 
Scanned page and original letter from FDR to Churchill, January 20, 1941

Final Piece. "Sail on, Oh Strong and great. All its fears hanging breathless. Ever yours."

I love how the visual elements combine although the poem is a reach...

My favorite poem of the group based on a letter from President Gerald Ford and his kids to his wife, Betty (1974). Because the letter originated later in the 1900's I chose a more timeless textile.
"No written words are as strong as our faith in you, everlasting."

The treatment of the knocked-out text was inspired by the current Free People website.



Overall, I really enjoyed the process of creating both sets of work. It proves how successful you can be once that creative wind hits and you just keep going with it! I know this project was technically a class assignment but I have absolutely loved it! You might have figured that out when I create a few more pieces than required for each...  But in all honesty, I highly recommend this one to DIY-ers no matter your poison; design, poetry, just wanna get crafty! If you are interested in learning more I highly suggest checking out Austin Kleon's works and learning about his process.

 I need to pass in just one of each so help me out and comment about your favorites!


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