INTERMEDIAL INTERPRETATION OF THE KEY TOPICS OF METAPHYSICAL POETRY (TWO CHAPTERS FROM AN INTERNATIONAL ART PROJECT “THE SEA IS HERE. ABSENCE AS PRESENCE”)

Abstract

The paper discusses the productivity of the new creative approaches to the established types of poetry. Building on the theoretical definitions, taxonomies, and observations formulated in the works of James Smith, Frank Warnke, Michael Nott, Robert Crawford and Norman McBeath, Susan Sontag, Viktoria Khoniu, et al., the research argues that the artistic practices of photopoetry (“a form of photo-text that takes, for its primary components, poetry and photography”, Michael Nott) offer new ways to interpret certain topics of metaphysical poetry. The term “metaphysical poetry” defines an independent trend of literature focused on “the realities of peculiar kind” (James Smith) such as Time, Death, Religion, and Love. The material for analysis is taken from the international multimedia project “The Sea Is Here: Absence as Presence” (2020) edited by Natalia Kutsepova (USA) and Nina Kharchenko (Germany). Two photopoetic pieces from this art book, “Miracles” by Shaun Evans and “Bond” by Kati Dahlmann, explore the themes of Religion and Death, which are central to metaphysical poetry. The detailed analysis of “Miracles” and “Bond” outlines the types of artistic collaboration in both projects and focuses on their structural, stylistic, and semantic characteristics. Special attention is paid to the ways of interaction between photographs and texts. It is noted that the principle of photopoetic imagery is close to the principle of metaphysical conceit (to harmonize the incompatible). The author concludes that the creative strategy of photopoetry can be instrumental in interpreting the key metaphysical topics. It proves the vitality of some traditional concepts (memory as a tool to transform the transient/mortal into the stable/immortal) and introduces important innovations (the detached position of a human being in their communication with God).