Happy Birthday Futurism! Poesia Visiva Symposium

Futurism turns 100 this year. Meanwhile, an impressive collection of 60s and 70s Italian concrete and visual poetry formally stored with the University of Sydney’s Italian Department has found a new home in the University Art collection. The connection between these two becomes clearer in the accompanying ‘Poesia Visiva’ Symposium held at Sydney Uni on the 29th May. The history of the concrete/ visual poetry movement and of the University's collection was traced in a series of lectures acedemics and curators. We are told that the collection was generously given to the University by Adriano Spatola and Giulia Niccolai in a visit to Sydney in 1978. Apparently Spatola gave an outrageous performance in a pub in Sydney, I couldn’t find the video but here is another of Spatola reciting. The works in the collection are mostly in Italian, but no matter for non-Italian speakers because the idea is of a refusal of 'poetry' as narrative-based and lyrical, instead using language for its sounds and formations. In the case of Betty Danon's [a featured artist's] poems and paper sculptures an escape altogether from existing structures of language is sought, replacing words with symbols, dots and lines.

Michele Perfetti, Siamo Tutti Insieme (We are all together) 1977

Tim Fitzpatrick spoke in the symposium of the ‘Theatrical Fireworks' of the Futurists, citing their impact on consequent theatre movements and on the Futurists' Itallian descents, the concrete/visual poets. The Futurists rejected conventional structures of language and narrative in the theatre, but is the trajectory to concrete and visual poetry a straight forward one? In comparing the war-mongering, nationalistic and fascist politics of the Futurists with the liberal feminist and anti-imperialist message of the concrete/ visual poetry a rupture is seen. Fitzpatrick quotes Marinetti’s Futurist manifesto - “Glory to war – the world’s only hygiene”.

Barbara Campbell maintained a performative presence throughout as the symposium’s in-house artist, bringing the concrete poetry discussion up to date by tweeting short observations on the forum inter-spliced with segments of Italian concrete/visual poetry, and interestingly updates of a Mosque bombing in Tehran. This reminder of conflict worked to counter the Futurist mantra that war is beautiful, and perhaps problematises any celebration of Futurism. This part also links to what could be seen as Barbara’s ongoing project of vigilance towards the Middle Eastern conflict. You can "follow" her on bcperformance if your one of them (tweeters).

After the talk fest we found out that our programs were megaphones all along (with a bit of adjustment) and Barbara Campbell led a group recital of some of the poetry. The exhibition is definitely worth a look at the University of Sydney Art Gallery until the 19th July.

Audience with megaphones. Sorry. It was so dark!