Poetical text as a way of organizing city space

Abstract

Since the sixties of the twentieth century, different algorithms for using poetic texts in the transformation of urban space have emerged. Poetic discourse is being increasingly contextualized in space, whose role in the contemporary cultural system and specific tasks of urbanism has been growing. In the urban context, poetry may acquire different forms — street performances, advertisements, murals and other types of visual poetry. It may turn the city into a venue for a festival of urban poetry. The poetic text interacts with urban objects (monuments, train stations, airports, bus stops, and benches), including QR codes and other technical means. The article explores the process of integrating poetic texts into urban space using the example of the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Spain and countries of Latin America. Urban poetry contributes to overcoming the linearity and elitism of the poetic text, shifting the emphasis from verbal to the visual or performative component of the text, and strengthening the function of the addressee. As a result, poetry acquires an applied character. The city becomes an instrument of mediated poetic communication and can be used for the representation of the city.

Keywords

• contemporary poetry
• accommodation
• cultural system
• urbanism
• visual poetry