Moment

Tags

abstract, condition humaine, coping, Dada, essential, fotografie, gedicht, kunst, philosophy, photography, poem, poetry

When emotions no longer

are stirred by elements

that pass.

When anger is frozen

by lack of a proper

target.

Then comes the moment

to turn the page.

Wanneer emoties niet langer

worden opgeroepen door elementen

die langs komen,

Als woede is bevroren

bij gebrek aan een geschikt

doel,

Dan komt het moment

de bladzij om te slaan.

(c) Drager Meurtant, text & photo, March 1, 2018

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Water – H2O

Tags

assemblage, collage, Dada, fotografie, gedicht, kunst, nothingness, painting, philosophy, photography, poetry, poezie

Let us linger on the state of water, as fluid.

Laat ons stilstaan bij de staat van water, als vloeistof.

 

(1) Barges on the River Maas

Barges flatten the water / till waves / roll aside / from the prow, /

take distance / and break upon the river-bank. //

Reeds move / and dampen the billows. //

On the river /  the distance is crossed by foam /

that separates left from right, /

there, where the goal / has been passed. //

With eyes looking ahead / steers the skipper / the vessel /

towards another bend / in the counter current. //

Crawling crosspoint / in going / passed the mill-point.

(poem 2000, photo 2012)

(1) Aken op de Maas

Aken varen water, plat / tot golven, / uit de boeg / opzij rollen, /

afstand nemen / en breken op de wal. //

Het riet beweegt / en dooft de deining. //

Op de rivier / streept schuim de afstand door / scheidt links van rechts, /

daar, waar het doel / is voorbij gevaren. //

Ogen vooruit gericht, / stuurt de schipper / zijn vaartuig /

naar weer een bocht / in de tegenstroom. //

Kruipend kruispunt / in het gaan / voorbij het maalpunt.

(gedicht 2000, foto 2012)

 

(2) The Face of the stream

“The face of the stream / changed with the seasons . . . now it wore a gentle face”

 

(from: Morris West – The devil’s advocate)

(Het gezicht van de rivier / veranderde met de seizoenen . . . nu was het aanzicht vriendelijk”)

(uit: Morris West – The devil’s advocate)

(painting / schilderij, 21×29 cm, 2017)

 

(3) Currents

Still, I don’t know / whether to swim / against the current / or to drift along. //

For the time being / I watch what / happens to others.

(3) Stromingen

Nog steeds weet ik niet / of ik tegen de stroom in / moet zwemmen /

of me mee / moet laten drijven. //

Voorlopig kijk ik toe / naar wat anderen overkomt.

(Assemblage-collage, 2016, 30x21x3 cm)

 

(all texts and artworks by Drager Meurtant, unless stated otherwise)

Doubt – Twijfel

Tags

Dada, Decay, direction, found-object, gedicht, installation, instruction, nothingness, poem, poezie, temporary, verval

Doubt

‘Don’t follow me’
the guide said, and
disappeared around the corner.

An instruction needs
critical examination
full of doubt
before being left
behind,
unused.

Twijfel

‘Volg mij niet’

zei de gids, en

verdween om de hoek.

Een aanwijzing dient

steeds kritisch en

met twijfel onderzocht

te worden,

vooraleer deze

ongebruikt achter te laten.

 

<Image and text (c) Drager Meurtant, 2017>

Now tell me . . . / Vertel eens . . .

Tags

abandonned, coping, Dada, emptiness, fotografie, gedicht, health, kunst, philosophy, photography, poetry, poezie, state of life, verlaten

Now tell me

“Hello Doctor, / come in and / please be seated.”

(a moment of silence)

“I prefer we get / to business / right away.

Now tell me:

what use / were you / for society?”

Vertel eens

Hallo Doctor, / kom binnen / en neem een stoel.

(een moment van stilte)

“Ik kom graag / meteen ter zake.

Vertel eens:

welk nut had U / voor de maatschappij?”

An easy path? / Een makkelijk pad?

Tags

Dada, emptiness, fotografie, gedicht, kunst, painting, photography, poetry, poezie, schilderij

Obstacle

Wandering in the forest / the frst impression was / to be confronted by obstacles. //

However, at close inspection / the elements had been constructed /

to bridge a gap.

Obstakel

Dwalend door het bos / was de eerste indruk / te stuiten op obstakels. //

Maar, bij nadere inspectie / bleken de elementen te zijn ontworpen /

om een kloof te dichten.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Do not enter

The medium is clear / that of mixed-media. //

The intention, no … /

the aim is to provide / an easy path through the delta /

of my inner meandering.

Ga niet binnen

Het medium is helder / dat van gemengde techniek. //

De bedoeling, nee … /

het doel is het verschaffen / van een makkelijk pad door de delta /

van mijn innerlijke kronkels.

 

(text and photographs (c) Drager Meurtant, 2017)

Borders, boundaries, barriers and walls

Tags

barrier, confinement, defense, demolition, destruction, limitation, obstruction, position, wall

Humans, and other animals, perhaps even some trees and plants, create borders to defend oneself, to keep out others, or – as an alternative – to lock (imprison) an opponent or prey.

Walking in the mountains, along old pathways of minimal capacity, I encountered barriers formed by steep rocks, that often forced me to return. At other moments, the physical capacity and lack of endurance within, blocked my way of going.

When examining the meaning, or the effect, of a wall (boundary, barrier or border) encountered on our path, or raised by ourselves as means of confinement or defense, differences become evident, depending upon our position.

In five images and texts, I will illustrate these differences.

(1) Bricks (for instance)

Take bricks, for instance / and put them on top / of one another. // This will separate / two parts. // The one you’re in / and the one you’re not in. // Didn’t realize before / that death was just another wall.

 

(2) From the outer into the inner world

Although the world / of our neighbours often looks better / than our own / most people will stick where they are. //

Here / is the passage / from the outer world / into the inner world / but it can be reached only / by crawling in between two iron plates.

 

(3) YOU CANNOT RESTRAIN ME: “No, you can’t “

(related is the following imaginary sensation)

 

(4) Locked

“For a long time / I was locked / in myself / and in the eyes / of other people. //

Until the pressure / became too high / that made me explode”.

(echo from ‘Keefman’, bundle by dutch poet Jan Arends)

 

(4) Every grain of sand

My feet wear off / on a road / that is not indicated. //

Down to the raw flesh and / the pain tells / there is no end /

other than unexpected / as destined by hazard, /

that is bloodless, and astir.

(c) Drager Meurtant, photos and texts 2014-2017)

Wrong mindset

Tags

coping, fotografie, gedicht, gezondheid, health, nothingness, philosophy, photography, poetry, poezie

Motive

Over the past months, I had to adress problems of the mind. Outside of me (see “Neighbour”) and inside me (see “Pressing”)

Motief

In de afgelopen maanden, moest ik aandacht geven aan een aantal problemen van de geest, in de omgeving, zie “Buurman”, en van binnen, zie “Drukkend” )

(1) Neighbour

“My neighbour is a person / with some fixations.”

“Mijn buurman is iemand / met fixaties.”

 

(2) Pressing

My thoughts / are creeping in front of me / in the twilight,

between coiling branches / of bushes left and right,

aimless / and estranged.

And I’m stuck and / bound / by the channels that /

I feed.

Drukkend

Mijn gedachten / kruipen voor me uit / in het schemer,

tussen de kronkelende takken / van struiken links en rechts,

doelloos / en vervreemd.

En ik zit eraan vast / gebonden / door de kanalen die /

ik voed.

(01-07-2017, (c) Drager Meurtant)

Contemplations

In this posting, some contemplations are given (form poem + image, in English and in Dutch)

(1) Feather

When I escape through a narrow / cleft, dancing, / the reproach will resonate / that I evade God. // When this poems falls / touches ground, / the earth will not tremble. // Light as a feather / writes my pencil.

Veder

Als ik de dans ontspring, / zal het verwijt klinken, dat ik God ontwijk. // Als het gedicht valt, de grond raakt, trilt de aarde niet. // Vederlicht / schrijft m’n pen.

(2) Need of War

Now what / if they want to take this stronghold? // Then there is no other choice / and blood will feed the soil / and our sons and daughters will die / for the great honor / of serving the mighty ME. //

But what, if there ain’t nothing in it? // Then their death will be in vain / and even more to admire.

De noodzaak van oorlog

En wat te doen / als de vijand deze versterking in wil nemen? // Dan is er geen andere keus / en bloed zal de bodem voeden / en onze zonen en dochters zullen sterven / voor de grote eer / de machtige MIJ te dienen. //

Maar wat / als er niets in steekt? // Dan zal hun dood ijdel zijn / en des te meer te vereren.

3. Beyond the earth

Beyond the earth / there was no sense / of black and white. // There was no recollection / and no mirror. // There was only / a void of movement / and lice.

Voorbij de aarde
Voorbij de aarde / was er geen besef / van zwart en wit. // Er was geen herinnering / en geen spiegel. // Er was alleen / een leegte van bewegen / en luizen.

The wholeness of elements

Tags

assemblage, Dada, essential, fotografie, found-object, independent art, installation, kunst, philosophy, photography, poetry, poezie

An essay as Drager Meurtant, titled “Assemblages: the entrails explained”, has been published end of 2015 in Axon Journal Issue 9 (on assemblage, free on line access).

In the form of a poem, the essence of creation of assemblage can be formulated as follows:

Painting elements

Elementary pain / fits the precisionist. // When hammer hits thumb, / the outcry / of the artist / becomes the glue / of the assemblage. // And paint / drenches the pieces / into steady oneness.

Assemblage, wood, metal, glass, paint; http://www.meurtant.exto.org (2014, in private collection)

Installations are different.

This artist must take more time to get to the essence of installations. Here are just two examples (first image, then text):

Drone just landed in a meadow

This drone does not spy nor harm / except blades of grass / and only if pushed.
(One unique printed photo on aluminium available at 36 x 28 cm, 2013)

Bao Strictcontor

In particular / at the end of day / is the bao strictcontor / subspecies Grohe / at its deadliest. / The bite can come / from the crane-shaped head / and also the circular mails / of the many tails / contain a stealthy poison / that at long stand-still / causes death of veterans. (80 x 40 x 25 cm, 2013)

 

One-hunderd-thousand miles away from nothingness

Tags

emptiness, nothingness, philosophy

On some occasions, one comes at a particular place or view, that appears empty, or even dull. Yet, at longer inspection, and at closer look, elements arise, that have ‘content’, or background. At further consideration, connections and interplay become visible, that demonstrate that the place (or view) is far from being empty, and its image fits within the theme “one-hundred-thousand miles away from nothingness.”

Road to emptiness

I looked around the corner / and you can accept my word for it / this road leads nowhere / or atmost, it leads to emptiness.

(images 1, 2 & 3 made during walk in February 2015)

“100,000 miles away from nothingness”. if you type that phrase, and search for it on the world-wide-web, a band by the name of ‘cult to follow’ appears. with a song this is nicely written, but the opposite from what I want to express.

That is, to imagine – by light-writing or photography – the state of nothingness, that was around before. Before we were, before our ancestors were. A state that lasted eons longer than the minutes of our life.
Concrete: can you from time to time make a photograph that has so little noice, sound, surface, that terms like ’emptiness, idleness, nothingness are approximated. If so, keep still…

Black heap and no more

(could talk more than one hour about what’s more)

 

Shattered

Whether these are memories / or reflections, /  that does not matter. // When frames crumble /  or even pillars tall / then both memories and reflections / will rumble and fall.

 

Imagination helps. Thus, when arriving at a spot where not much is happening, figures may appear, that start talking….

Forgotten

P: “You forgot something.”

Q: “What are you saying?”

P: “You forgot something.”

Q: “That’s what you think.”

passing a demolition site, April 2015