Chapter5

Laω No. 4:

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There are two ways of spreading light — to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it (Edith Wharton)

The meeting between Narcissus and his reflection was fatal. Every feature of the reflected face, every expression and movement, danced with him in full synchronisation. But here also lies the tragedy of Narcissus, since the reflection did not inspire him; it did nothing but mimic him. And Narcissus, blinded by love, craved for merger with the θther who was himself and so, drowned in his own self-reflection.

In order to avoid such unfortunate circumstances, I looked for reflections in a world that has similarities to my own and yet, holds significant differences. I decided to confront my palindromic-system with free improvisation. While composition derives from structure, improvisation reveals its structure only retrospectively. This distinction creates a vital tension and a fruitful dialogue: determinism vs. the unpredictable. The tangent point to my reflectors, including you, is the substance that creates the arias. It is a free territory which is created out of restrictions, that “individual act..wilful and intellectual” (de Saussure). 

In this chapter I invite you to write a poem in “Palindrome Concrète” – a system that creates palindromic sentences from different sounds, comprised of recordings by: Ronald Boersen, Daniel Davidovsky, Uri Frost and Dganit Elyakim. The system also presents a few suggestions that you may or may not use. Please share your poem with me on “Reflect On Me”.

Ar¡a:

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