Earth’s Cries Recorded in Space
The
broadside, a distinctive form of artistry, came about in the 16th
century. Traditionally, a broadside was an attractive, eye-catching message scribed
on a large sheet of paper and intended to be posted or hung in a public space,
thereby transforming that space. By bringing a mixture of poetry and art to the
people in this way, the poster or broadside became part of daily conversation
The modern
broadside has the very same mission, each being an original literary-visual
collaboration, an evocative combination of poetry and art meant to be enjoyed
by a wide audience. Thus displayed for
all to see, the age-old mission of the broadside as street literature is
accomplished. Any given viewer on any given day may be stimulated both by the language
of the poem and the visual image, each in the service of the other
Whereas early
broadsides were ephemeral, the modern broadside, using archival inks and
papers, and executed by printers of high literary merit, has no such short
life. Today, as in early works, text and graphics appear on a large sheet. Each eloquent art poster or broadside is a
work which represents a unique and innovative collaboration between a poet and
an artist. In rendering a modern broadside, the visual or graphic artist experiments
with forms and techniques influenced by his/her individual association with the
poet.
The broadsides shown here are from the literary/visual
collaboration of poet Irene Mitchell and artist Daniela Bertol. They have created two series of distinctive
broadsides "Seduction" and "Heart of the Matter", each a limited first edition archival print, numbered and signed.
Choosing the Éclair
Epistle
Chiaroscuro
Every Bright Green Yet Uncorrupted
Gazing with Galileo
N.B. “Gazing with
Galileo” appears in Mitchell’s collection
Sea Wind on the White Pillow (Axes Mundi
Press). All other poems appear in her
new book, A Study of Extremes in Six Suites (Cherry Grove Collections)