Works Seiichi Niikuni

1 works

1.1 modernism in beginning
1.2 metaphors analogies
1.3 zero-on
1.4 asa , going international

works
modernism in beginning

niikuni started write poetry on side while attending school, , until in twenties write not experimental poetry lyrical poetry. effect of sakutarō hagiwara seen in these works, , niikuni admitted himself hagiwara starting point. niikuni wrote paid attention works of shirō murano , junzaburō nishiwaki. in addition, fascinated surrealism, new objectivity , existentialism among others.

from metaphors analogies

as japan forced face loss in second world war, old values uprooted , niikuni started question meaning of words , metaphors in poems. in particular, read junzaburō nishiwaki s chō-genjitsu-shugi-shiron (超現実主義詩論) , found idea of poems being metaphorical limiting , empty. thereafter, began thoroughly strip words barest form, , reappropriate words meaning poetry constructed out of shapes , sounds. however, not able move modernism of nishiwaki , hagiwara, took number of years of hesitation able gradually move visual , aural poetry. transition, niikuni did not reject metaphors, included metaphor-like modernism , on top of pursued poetry s essence in analogies. furthermore, visible works @ time of hyōga, niikuni particular carnal expression such using sexual kanji 男女 (danjo, men , women) , 唇 (kuchibiru, lips).

zero-on

stéphane mallarmé s un coup de dés

niikuni first present concept of visual , aural poetry in 1963 in zero-on (0音). work divided 2 parts, first half consisting of calligraphic poetry , second half being aural poetry. note calling readers read poems aloud accompanied first half.

the calligraphic poetry in first half constructed of kanji of varying sizes, hiragana , katakana characters, placed on pages special emphasis on spatiality created, being close experiment in visual poetry. aural poetry in second half was, name implies, poetry listening, exemplified public performance of reading aloud of poems in december 1963. experiment witnessed composer yasunao tone among others.

the works in zero-on, of calligraphic poetry, created out of spatially emphasized characters, thought influenced french poet stéphane mallarmé s un coup de dés. influences john cage , twelve-tone music noted.

vinholes advocated importance of audio niikuni, after niikuni started actively experiment aural poetry. @ same time, reel reel audio technology , phototypesetting developed, , seen have had effect on style of expression in zero-on , later works.

asa , going international

pierre garnier s pik bou

although @ time of zero-on niikuni not yet aware of international avant-garde poetry movement, arrived @ same methodology concrete poetry movement in countries used alphabet. when pierre garnier saw zero-on, amazed @ how similar works strove , produced although languages spoke differed much. beginning of friendship. later, garnier , niikuni collaborated on nichifutsu shishū (日仏詩集), producing works such micropoem. niikuni noted abroad example of writer relied on ideographs (kanji), , requests display works kept coming in. niikuni progressed methods graphic design , emphasizing communication after zero-on, not budge expressing through kanji characters.

in asa niikuni presented notable works, such kawa mata wa shū (川または州) , ame (雨). place characters if surface, bringing forth visuality of both complete surface , individual characters @ same time. in yami (闇), character sound (音) seen breaking away character of darkness (闇). niikuni started using gothic typeface instead of minchō. thought kind of breaking kanji parts , varying shape of characters done western audiences in mind.

also around time, works started incorporating explanatory notes in english meaning of kanji characters used. example, uso (嘘) in 1966 explained (口)=mouth (虚)=void (嘘)=lie . in response requests abroad.

niikuni himself disliked fact these visual poems regarded being borderline art, , denied based on photography. however, in actuality works talked point of view of there being relation between pictures , poems, , opined cannot avoided poems utilized spatiality approach realm of art.