Sound & Syntax International Festival of Sound Poetry (1978)
Sound & Syntax International Festival of Sound Poetry (1978), CCA Glasgow - Bob Cobbing, Franz Mon, Henri Chopin
From Syntax International Festival of Sound Poetry (1978)
Poetry readings by Franz Mon and Henri Chopin, with a cut to an unidentified classical guitar concert at the end of the tape. The setting is the same as in Tape 118. Begins again with Bob Cobbing, introducing Franz Mon and the idea of ‘Concrete’ as, among other things, ‘that which we have not thought of.’ Mon then introduces his 1st poem with the help of an interpreter, a concrete poem written in German. There are then several other pieces, many of which rely heavily on repetition, including one about counting. There are occasional wide shots of the interpreter (Jeremy Adler, whose poetry reading is documented on Tape 126) standing silhouetted against the stage lights, although the camera mostly stays on Mon. There are some long, recorded, sound poetry pieces using the voice like a musical instrument, which become quite orchestral. After around 46 minutes, Cobbing takes to the stage again to introduce Henri Chopin, talking about the use of tape recordings in sound poetry. Chopin then provides a more detailed intro to his piece - a manipulated tape recording of abstract, vocal sounds. After about 56 minutes the piece finishes and the tape cuts to a wide shot of an audience watching a guitar duet. The two male guitarists play gentle classical music until the end of the tape, which cuts off mid-piece.
Bob Cobbing acted as MC for the festival as well as performing in it himself. His association with Tom McGrath went back to McGrath’s days in London where Cobbing managed Better Books, a bookshop that seemed to operate equally as a proto-arts lab throughout the 1960s. Franz Mon (real name Franz Löffelholz) was part of the German concrete poetry movement.
RESOURCES:
Bob Cobbing in UbuWeb Film Bob Cobbing in UbuWeb Sound Franz Mon in UbuWeb Sound Henri Chopin in UbuWeb Sound Henri Chopin in UbuWeb Fim