Hidden Poetry
October 28, 2009
Hidden poetry is no new concept. Oftentimes words are revealed to us by using capital letters for the words that will be used for a new poem. In other works, the old words are blacked out. Either way, the hidden poem is the result of some form word elimination.
Oni Buchanan’s “Mandrake Vehicles“, a flash-animated series of poems, is a new and innovative form of poetry. Her poetry not only presents a new way of writing, but it also bestows on the reader a new way of reading, absorbing and comprehending poetry. Buchanan takes advantage of this fact in naming her poetry “Mandrake Vehicles”. I did a little research and found out that a mandrake is plant. No surprise there, since almost all of Buchanan’s poetry is nature themed. But, the interesting part of this plant is that is resembles the form of a human being, when pulled out by the root. If you are a Harry Potter fan you will remember in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone” the magical screaming mandrakes that return people who have been cursed to their original state.
The mandrake metaphorically represents the poems as human-like. Through the flash animation, letters fall away as leaves, and words are formed from the left over words to make new poems, poems that were hiding in the midst of the original. Finally, after three times of revealing hidden poetry, a bare and essential poem is left, a mere eighteen lines of only two or three words each. It seems as though the poem is being stripped down to its roots. From start to end, the affordances of the poem affects the reader significantly. In the words of J.J. Gibson, “affordances are relationships”. The affordance of the reader in the Mandrake Vehicles is to be stripped down, emotionally and literally through the sparsely worded poetry, to the ‘natural’, and’human’ form of the mandrake. The continuing metaphor allows the poem and the reader to be a mandrake shedding its leaves to get to its most human form, the root. The design of electronically revealing the hidden poems is new concept in poetry and in this case is very moving. The The flash animation allows Buchannan to form a relationship with the reader, so that in witnessing the act of revealing the hidden words and poems combined with the meaning of the words, the reader is afforded an emotional experience that may not have been possible in reading poetry from a book. In effect, the flash animation enhances the meaning of the poetry.
I am very intrigued by your project on “The Mandrake Vehicles.” The idea of flash poetry fits so well with new media and I’ll admit, I could sit there all day and play with all of the affordances that the poetry offers. As far as applicable sources go, I would recommend revisiting several articles we previously read.
In Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” article, he cites how Nietzsche’s writing was influenced by his tools or “vehicle.” Poor eyesight and headaches plagued him until he discovered the typewriter. His writing became more sharp, concise and strengthened through the brevity offered by the new medium. This also links back to McLuhan and how “the medium IS the message.” The fact that this flash poetry is so interactive determines the final message.
Similarly, our reading on Oulipo is very closely linked to the restrictions that “The Mandrake Vehicles” possesses. It can only operate in so many directions and the very style in which the poetry is written determines where it ends up.
I also think looking over Kress’s “Reading Images” relates to your project because the flash poetry is an image itself. It is meant to strip down in this mandrake format, which is very creative and interactive for new media. I would love to see you explore the mandrake idea even further, but you’re off to a great start!
I think you have the beginnings of a fantastic project at hand. “The Mandrake Vehicles” is not only fascinating as a Web site, but it also engages actively in act, agent, agency, purpose and scene. You have more than enough to write about all of these, but especially where act, agent and agency link. This was created by someone for others to engage in and it makes them feel like their individual mouse clicks can shape a poem into something else. This interactive feature makes for an innovative affordance and links image, text and interface in a fascinating way.
Small stylistic thing: don’t say “I did some research.” Just say what you found out.