Poetry Beyond Semantics: Broken and Unbroken Code

What came first, the words or the poem?

Put a new spin on your practice with the course Poetry Beyond Semantics: Broken and Unbroken Code – five weeks taking you from the very origins of language to the boldest poets of the present. Along the way, we will make a pit stop by some of the most groundbreaking European ideas of the twentieth century, delve into the rich tradition of Eastern calligraphy, and take a detour past the forgotten wonders of the handwritten letter.

The course, both challenging and playful, is a great fit for anyone curious about the possibilities of poetry, and anyone taken with the complexities of language. Whether or not you have any experience with linguistics, with abstract art, or with avant-garde poetry, this course is guaranteed to give your writing a breath of fresh air. It is an antidote to the generic, an attempt at radical rethinking of the poet’s tools. What is language? What is it made of? What can be made of it? What happens after the experience, or before its interpretation? Questions which we may or may not come close to answering, but which form the foundation of the course, and which, hopefully, well serve as a springboard for new ideas.

Less about the textual content than the presence of the text itself, you’ll get a chance to work with a wide array of methodologies, materials, sources, and suggestions. No expertise is required, and all experimentation is welcome. This course is open to all and will be an encouraging space to attempt new things, change perspectives, search for possibilities, and have fun.

Poetry Beyond Semantics: Broken and Unbroken Code Studio+ by Vilde Valerie Bjerke Torset runs 18 January to 22 February 2021. Join the waiting list by e-mailing [email protected].

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash