Ekphrasis

Ekphrasis

Writing about another form of art.

The Blue Scholars’ 2011 release ‘Cinemetropolis’ imagines a relationship between poetry and visual art much evolved since the Grecian origins of this literary term. Instead of painting moving pictures with stanzas, the Seattle duo presents reels as the new standard for realism, subverting the capacity of their own medium. This powerlessness is a clever twist on the Sisyphean nature of the creative process, and by juxtaposing the impotence of lyricism, the album does invoke the power of cinema, not by vivid description like the ancients, but by negation.

Ekphrasis

Borrowing meaning from another medium.

A recent picture of Pogba and Draymond together in LA raised two questions in my mind—how are they the same height (listed 6’3” and 6’7” respectively), and what brought them together? Although the pair are a natural fit—reigning champions whose personalities loom larger than their own frames—it’s unlikely that they just texted each other to chill. Their staged patio “hang-out” betrays the skewed rules of famous friendship—publicity is synonymous with social connection.