Poetry Page 1962

Reva Urban wrote 'Poetry Page' using ink on paper. It's a fascinating thing when artists move between disciplines; the materiality bleeds between them. The poem is physically embodied through the handmade quality of Urban's handwriting; you can almost imagine the hand as it touches the page. Each letter is carefully rendered, giving the impression of a laborious process of mark-making. The slight imperfections and variations in line weight and spacing add a sense of vulnerability and intimacy, drawing us closer to the artist's thoughts. Look how the phrase "Blood red - Red city twisting upon itself" is written in a darker ink than the rest of the poem. It stands out. It is as if the artist wished to emphasise the importance of the red city; the lines, like threads, intertwining to create a vivid and intense image. I'm reminded of the work of Ree Morton, who combined a diaristic sensibility with sculptural concerns, creating installations that read like 3-dimensional poems.