"Lazarus As Red Bird": Beginning with the idea that the mind itself is an artist, in that it has an innate ability to synthesize and process disparate bits of information as a streamlined narrative, the poem "Lazarus As Red Bird" challenges the reader to push beyond conventional (linear) thinking to reach for a deeper understanding. The poem is experimental in structure and incorporates repetition and "choruses" to bring a sense of familiarity to the abstract nature of the text. Lazarus can be read as a confession, a manifesto, an existential rant or a meditation. As such, participating artists should feel free to interpret the text in their own aesthetic, including translating the text into song, dance, and/or languages other than English.
Goals & Objectives: To create a short video (approx. 20 minutes) in collaboration with other artists around the world based on a long poem entitled "Lazarus As Red Bird." To screen, post and otherwise share the outcome in venues around the country and the world. To publish a "project book" featuring bios, pix, and blurbs about the contributing artists and their work.
Effect on Others: Over time, poetry has been viewed as less and less accessible to the so-called "masses" however, in the age of technology, poetry can reach a wider audience in the form of video. Project Lazarus is a collaborative experiment, designed to make a somewhat obtuse text, more comprehensible by including a spectrum of perspectives, rather than just one. Sadly, reading books (and esp. books of poetry) is becoming a dying art form, where video is becoming more and more popular. Perhaps video killed the radio star, but saved the poet?