Some of the world's great poets inspired the hands of sculptor Phil Morrison as he crafted the works arranged in the north gallery room of the Two Rivers Gallery.
Now, some of the city's poetic writers are returning the favour. An event Thursday night called 3D Poetry brings out new, original written works that were in turn inspired by the cement and mixed-media figures conjured by Morrison on display in his Heaven. Hunger. Heart. collection on display now.
"It is more performative than a traditional poetry reading where you get up, with an introduction, recite, and people clap afterwards," said Al Rempel, one of the poets involved. "This is more designed to fit with the exhibit itself; it is more dramatic. I've sort of likened it to the 1960s and '70s 'poetry happenings' with a kind of surprise element to the event - a one-time experience that you cannot duplicate."
Morrison was inspired by Walt Whitman, Shakespeare, Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, and other lyrical luminaries - even the Bible. Some of the lines even appear within the structures and features of his sculptures. Some are carved by plasma cutter directly into the cement like the figure's innermost thoughts are worn on the outside of the kbody, while others are on bits of paper tucked into glass sleeves, or even stamped into the interior of the sculpted figures (if there is a hole, look inside with your cell phone light, you might see more art inside). On the central sculpture of the exhibition called Humpty Dumpty Christ, a full human figure is pieced together like Frankenstein's monster, the stitching being plastic tubing with fragments of poetry and Bible verse inside the tubes.
The poets who have responded, or the speakers who will recite the masterworks, include Morrison and Rempel, Michael Armstrong, Adrienne Fitzpatrick, George Harris, KD Taylor, Glen Thielmann and Ivy Chelsea.
It was Chelsea who, in a way, got this idea sparked. Rempel was already behind a art-inspires-poetry event series at Groop Gallery he called Ekphrasis. One of the artworks at Groop was by Morrison and the corresponding poet was Chelsea.
"I missed that performance, so I'm looking forward to this," said Morrison.
Remple explained that, "Ivy is absolutely hilarious. She's a Aboriginal Education worker at PGSS and she brought her drum and her hilarity and had us laughing and crying at Ekphrasis, and it was well worth another performance. The same piece is in the exhibition - Container For Spiritual Ideas - it's the shape of a human limb that's draped over the wrong way, bent backwards like it melted over a tree-like object. Her take on it is very intriguing."
Armstrong's inclusion in the project is a major coup, said Morrison, and one he is particularly humbled by. Armstrong is one of the most celebrated actors and writers in city history, and he moved away a few years ago. For this, he agreed to return.
"He came up to see the exhibit a month or so ago, because we're friends from the past, and as he walked through, this idea came up. I thought I'd throw it out to him and he said yes. He wrote what he calls a meditation based on what he thought of one of the pieces and it seems to inhabit the whole exhibit, not just the one piece, so I'm looking forward to his performance because it has that bigness to it but he also has that charisma and that great voice and he'll be exciting for everyone who attends."
Another standout name on the list of performers is George Harris, he the curator of the Two Rivers Gallery and not known at all for public performance.
"Yes, it was a bit of a surprise to be asked and perhaps a bit of a surprise to say yes, but I will be reciting a poem by Dylan Thomas, based on a suggestion by Phil, and I'm really looking forward to it," Harris said. "It's another way for people to connect with the exhibition and have more conversations about the pieces and interpretations."
More than a recital, however, the event will be a cascade of speaking and indicating, with visual elements and drama melting it all together. Linda Rempel, Al's wife, coordinated the flow that will turn it from a series of little poetic interludes into one cohesive structure interwoven with the three-dimensional art all around the room.
3D Poetry happens at 7:30 p.m. and is free of charge. Heaven. Hunger. Heart. will be on display after that until Oct. 12.
