While words convey meaning, they are also visual, musical, and physical. Poetry is not only something we read and write—it is something we perceive, something that has a shape on the page. Yet the embodiment of language is often lost, and the art we make can begin to feel stagnant. Reconnecting words with their form offers a path through which our practice can be enriched and revitalized.
In my practice as a visual artist, I’m interested in the cross-pollination between different media: drawing with words; pairing video art with music; animating poetry; projecting video on paintings. Ideas emerge from unexpected places and flow into hidden crevices. The best work often materializes when I’ve surprised myself into new ways of seeing.
We’ll begin by exploring artists who incorporate language in their visual work and poets who use a visual approach to deepen the impact of words. Then we’ll get our hands dirty—or not—with simple materials (and our own words). We’ll embark on a series of exercises designed to liberate us from habit, open new possibilities for making and thinking, spark future explorations, and invite us into a practice that celebrates accident and surprise as fertile ground for discovery.