Concrete : ab·stract
Gabriella Acquafredda
Concrete : ab·stract considers the breadth of the written word. It is a work of spatial poetry—poems that work with/against/through/outside of their place on the page based on their sonic qualities.
The two (titular) works exist in conversation: each referencing and analyzing the other as they unfold. "Concrete" is a curatorial exercise featuring twelve manually transcribed texts—with my observations and re-interpretations in the margins. The latter half holds five scanned manuscripts that have informed my practice over the last half-decade, all with my handwritten annotations.
"ab·stract" is a collection of original ekphrastic poems—presented (physically) as an artists' book and (read aloud) on vinyl. Each poem features musings on a single, commonplace subject and aims to capture it sonically/spatially.
Together, the works are a celebration of the visual-voco-verbal potential of the written word.