Here is my Motionpoem, “Carousel.” Just imagine it projected across the vast facade of the St. Paul Union Depot:
On October 10 and 11, as darkness fell, this film and three others were shown in St. Paul, Minnesota. Larger than life is an understatement. Hearing the words of my poem boom through huge speakers like an important announcement was humbling. I knew it would be big but I wasn’t prepared to feel so dwarfed by the experience.
I was taken into the film. It encompassed me. I was light and color, spinning, riding, yearning, doomed, and then, slowly, lowered down into the earth. It was a very close encounter.
The film, “Carousel,” was exactly what I had in mind — and more so. I think it helped me peek around the corners of my poem, and under the floorboards, to see further interpretations. Poetry is all about communication and my messages were successfully conveyed. For me, the additional images, sounds and emotions inserted by the film makers are multicolored icing on a sumptuous cake.
Before this experience, I thought of public art as something nice that is just there. I never gave much thought to the interactive qualities of it. During “Carousel,” children danced and tumbled on the grass with the music. People walking by gave double-takes before stopping and gazing up at the building. Some shrugged and kept on walking but most seemed mesmerized and watched the whole thing. Seeing so many people seeing my poem, I was struck at how far-reaching and powerful this art form can be.
As Todd Boss, founder of Motionpoems, has been known to say, It’s putting poetry right in people’s faces where they can’t ignore it. Don’t you think the world would be a better, kinder place if everyone appreciated and wrote poetry? The next time you come upon public art, think about who might be influenced by it. Then start writing your story or poem on the possibilities of public art.
