In the Beginning Were Word and Image

Verbal and Visual Representation in Art and Literature

We live in an age in which perhaps no more is said than in the past, yet the spoken and written word has achieved unprecedented reach. At the same time, we are experiencing an unparalleled flood of images, a relentless visual bombardment. Both are the results of fascinating technological developments leading to “total information”, whose quality, unfortunately, does not match its quantity: prepackaged, second-hand experience takes the place of direct engagement, while informed judgement and profound experience become increasingly difficult and rare.

In the Lyrikkabinett entitled Word and Image: Verbal and Visual Information, we aim to explore the common ground and dividing lines that emerge in contemporary discussions of word and image in general, and of visual art and poetry in particular.

Participants:

Lisa Trockner (art historian and curator)

Jörg Zemmler (writer, artist, performer and musician)

Arno Dejaco (performance poet, seeker of music and words)

Moderator: Ferruccio Delle Cave (writer, literary scholar and musicologist)