The poems and texts found as sub-pages were created with a method that I developed during my Flausen residency „Konkretes Theater“. I began with the idea of using dice to generate random text: the consonants of the alphabet were each assigned a number between 1-20. Using a 20-sided die, I then generated a string of consonants. Vowels would then be inserted at my discretion between the consonants to create words and hopefully phrases and meaning. Absurdity and nonsense were absolutely acceptable.
During the process I discovered that the random sequence of letters triggered my subconscious imagination immensely. I soon realized that I was not so much interested in absurd text as in meaningful text emerging freely and not restricted by (my) rather conventional notions of „what the poem needed.“ Thus I developed the procedure and allowed certain flexibilities:
- „Q“ was always „Qu“
- Certain consonants such as „X“ and „Z“ could be freely replaced at my discretion with a vowel
- A letter could be doubled, „K“ could be changed to „C“ or „C“ added to create „CK“ and certain other phonetic adjustments could be made, if a word „appeared“ in my mind that was suggested by the consonant sequence although it was not strictly possible
- if a string of words „appeared“ in my mind that weren’t part of the sequence but triggered through it, I would write that string down in paranthesis
I began to develop a „ritual“ of how I created the poems:
- I would first insert vowels as described above, writing several versions. This was seen mostly as a warm-up and as creation of interesting phrases to be later used in cut-up poetry.
- Then I would write a series of sentences using each letter in the sequence as the first letter in a word. Here I would try not to follow a theme but let the words take me where they wanted to go. I usually work sequentially from left to right.
- Then I would write a poem with the letters forming the first letter in a line of a poem. Here I would try to let the theme develop of itself, while being aware of themes that were moving me at that moment.
Interesting was that while writing in English, words would surface out of my – subconscious? – of their own accord (so to speak). In German, I would have to search more intently for the words. It was more like entering a room and lifting covers, opening lids, pulling drawers and raising blinds until I „found“ the word.