|
AMBIGUOUS
LANDSCAPES
|
|
1. DIFFERENT TRACKS
a list is a compact and functioning system
it is important to move around
does anyone know where I can find a map?
a list raises both questions and answers
lines of discourse
different tracks
neither string nor line and we are listening
an unparalleled network of well built roads
all forgotten
or lost completely
does anyone know where I can find a map?
the road runs across the foreground
a pathway you can walk
a
short diversion
the invasion changed our island completely
a field walking exercise and an aerial survey
the roads all run in straight lines
regardless
neither string nor line and we are listening
myth surrounds much common understanding
land observations
geospatial data sources
does anyone know where I can find a map?
this previously unknown altemative route
probably passes quite close
almost
parallel to
a phenomenon that held an empire together
is this the right place to ask a question?
empty the wheelbarrows in the correct order
neither string nor line and we are listening
|
Road drawing 3 © James Brooks
|
2. WE ARE LISTENING
listening is a magnetic and strange thing
yes we are listening
storm sounds whale
sounds space sounds
with closed eyes we are listening
place can hold meaning
place can and does speak to us
along the frozen river
we watch we play we listen
and then we shall listen some more
we are listening and changing
we are listening
you said we did
migration and narrative
we watch we
play we listen
and then we shall listen some more
we always try to provide a listening service
reverb and crazy delay added to your voice
the gist of a conversation or monologue
in many ways we feel like
we are ahead
of the curve
along the frozen river
we are listening
and changing
first of all we would like to thank you
for taking a few minutes to listen
listening is a magnetic and strange thing
we like to hear
tell us what you think
we are listening
and then we shall listen some more
give me pause
and then
shall we listen some more
|
Road drawing 4 © James Brooks
|
3. AMBIGUOUS LANDSCAPES
(version)
words peel from the pages
as we excorate the future
to find out what is going on
on the wall
fluorescent marks & paper burns
scuffs & fading stains
through the gaps in the fence
bright colours in next door's garden
another world hidden from us all
distant
vertical marks in a nameless landscape
one person standing in a field
shadows passing on the stairs
dark silhouettes against blue ice
an image of a man we once crucified
pinned to a tree in the orchard
a ladder nearby showing the way to heaven
a messenger from hell points to the word hope
carved into the wall beside the kitchen table
in a house we long ago left behind
distant
vertical marks in a nameless landscape
walk away and the jetstream of your passing
makes the model planes hanging from the ceiling sway
steal the eggs and crack your mother's heart
the autopsy report says she danced by herself
around the empty room in front of the cameras
swearing she was possessed
in the blanket box something that once spoke
last spoke several years ago
is kept quiet and hidden
distant
vertical marks in a nameless landscape
the past is a toy dog we drag behind us
trying to shelter from the wind
that fans the fire on the local news
under the perfect dome of brambles
washed-up plastic and windblown bags
full colour mould and the stench of decay
after the introductory essay and portraiture
close-ups of plants we never knew could grow
and the rubbish that defines our lives
|
Road drawing 8 © James Brooks
|
4. FULLY SIGNED DIVERSION ROUTES
the road runs across the foreground
a pathway you can walk
parallel to
where we want to go
evidence of a past
we want to know
an abandoned network of decay
winding ways and popular tours
timed excursions lift the spirits
fully signed diversion routes
make ordinary journeys interesting
|
Road drawing 2 © James Brooks
|
5. ON THE ROAD
out on the road
the transcript lies
rumour machine
no boundary
a theory of silence
body space
image and source
false gravity
shadows on the lawn
blurred by the rain
secondhand light
theories of noise
the transcript lies
cold memories
off in the distance
say goodbye
no evidence here
of a past
©
Rupert M Loydell 2012
These texts were written for musician and artist James Brook's Land
Observations project. Mute released a CD,
Roman Roads IV-XI, in
September. The poem 'Different Tracks' is reproduced on the Land Observations
blog, and also in the forthcoming deluxe edition release.
All art work © James Brooks 2012
|