THE POEM:
For
the Victoria piece I used an octave (eight line stanza) by Christopher
Patton. I interwove his lines between 4 new quatrains of mine, creating
a hybrid whole of 25 lines. The asymmetrical
result is held together thematically: 'father and son' relationship.
My first two stanzas address my father, the last two my son. Patton
reminisces about his childhood and time spent with his father (Patton's
lines in italics). For background on the structural dynamics and theme,
please see Patton's preface.
THE INSTALLATION:
Victoria,
"City of Bylaws" (David Leach, city editor, Monday Magazine). When my
small crew and I arrived at the designated spot on the Inner Harbour
'causeway' (boardwalk) 3 security guards were waiting for us. I was
mildly surprised, given my city permit and pre-event publicity. Or was
it perhaps because of the publicity they were there? Leach had
written an article recounting some anecdotes about my previous encounters
with authorities. Could it be that these two gents and dame had read
the article, and were not about to be cheated out of their roles as
custodians of public poetry?
Amidst the continuous flow of pedestrians,
a minor commotion ensued. Gesticulating wildly, we tried to establish
the physical parameters of the installation. I had designated an area
of 24 x 50 feet on my permit application. Several measuring tapes rattled
as they criss-crossed the pavement; it was a battle down to the inch!
The chief guard was adamant we not block pedestrian traffic, while I
tried to position for best camera angle.
Then, suddenly, the wailing blast of bagpipes from the sidewalk above
drowned our negotiations. The Chief, having neither lost nor gained
ground, seized the moment. I detected a tone of satisfaction in his
voice when he yelled that the bagpiper was there for the duration, "...you
won't get him shut up." Ever the opportunist (I love bagpipes), I said,
"...why don't we 'install 'the bagpiper alongside the poem...?" "No
way!" came the rebuke, " He's got exactly 3 square feet...not allowed
to go outside that." And he pointed to the other street entertainers
nearby, said they all had specified spots, and them's the rules!
According to plan, I installed 12 lines of text occupying an area of 22 x 35 feet. My last quatrain became a preface, or epigraph of sorts, to Patton's complete octave, line breaks altered slightly. I knew from the outset that due to the space constriction and limited number of characters in my set, I'd be unable to install the complete 25 lines. Accordingly, I used a prop to present the entire poem.
The 25 lines were printed on an equal number of black and white balloons . The poem was also printed on paper, rolled up as a scroll (cigarette size) and tied with a ribbon to each balloon. Thusly, approximately 150 copies of the poem were distributed. About 3 dozen helium filled balloons tied to long ribbons and anchored by rocks ringed the installation. Volunteer bystanders were asked to help release them in unison. And there they went! Dotting the hazy sky, tugging, wriggling inexorably upwards, ribbons trailing, like spermatozoa.
Over the course of 5 hours hundreds of passersby, mostly tourists, stopped and read the text on the ground and on the balloons, some out loud, others mouthing the words silently. Some stared dumbfoundedly and lingered. A few asked questions. When we had packed up and were about to put the last pieces of our equipment in the van (8 pm), an elderly local couple stopped by. They had encountered the first two lines of the installation, had left, and were now keen to read the entire poem on the scroll. I gave them each a copy; poem to go.
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Thanks to Ron Watts, Maureen Shillington & Co., Robin & Jason, Ian Hunter, Stuart, City of Victoria, David Leach, and to all those who stopped by.
Thanks
to The Canada Council for making it possible.
