poetry in motion speach
Good morning/ afternoon everyone
First of all, thank you for inviting me to this exhibition of Poetry in Motion. I was inspired to create my work based on the poem called This Man, by the Solomon Islands poet, Celo Kulagoe. This poem is a critique of the all-encompassing power of money, which can dictate to presidents and prime ministers alike and can ruin those with few resources. This resonates with the current issue of Coal Seam Gas mining and its wealthy supporters, while the dangers to the environment of such exploration and exploitation is apparent.
My first image is of a street protest with the banner ‘We can’t drink money’ and refers to the poetic line, ‘so much so that I am now nothing but bones’. The reason I have chosen this image is to show that coal seam gas production may pollute the water that we drink. The man in the poem, Mr. Dollar, is also affected by the decisions made by wealthy people, including the fracking companies that exploit their workers and the country in general. The ‘bones’ is a metaphor for loss of health and self-esteem associated with the scramble for money and, in terms of the fracking companies, the exploitation of the earth’s resources. Fracking is a process where chemicals and water are pumped into the earth causing cracks through which natural gas can escape and be harnessed for energy.
The second image, of the fistful of dollars, is associated with the line of poetry, ‘He is more powerful than the government’. This image I have chosen is a telling reminder of the power of the almighty dollar and its power to persuade. The personification of the dollar in ‘he’ puts the power of money above that of prime ministers, who should represent the highest power in the country. In terms of coal seam gas production, the dollars represent the corruption within governments who are prepared to risk the lives and environments of its citizens.
The third image is to represent the line of poetry, ‘he opens their mouths and they speak with
First of all, thank you for inviting me to this exhibition of Poetry in Motion. I was inspired to create my work based on the poem called This Man, by the Solomon Islands poet, Celo Kulagoe. This poem is a critique of the all-encompassing power of money, which can dictate to presidents and prime ministers alike and can ruin those with few resources. This resonates with the current issue of Coal Seam Gas mining and its wealthy supporters, while the dangers to the environment of such exploration and exploitation is apparent.
My first image is of a street protest with the banner ‘We can’t drink money’ and refers to the poetic line, ‘so much so that I am now nothing but bones’. The reason I have chosen this image is to show that coal seam gas production may pollute the water that we drink. The man in the poem, Mr. Dollar, is also affected by the decisions made by wealthy people, including the fracking companies that exploit their workers and the country in general. The ‘bones’ is a metaphor for loss of health and self-esteem associated with the scramble for money and, in terms of the fracking companies, the exploitation of the earth’s resources. Fracking is a process where chemicals and water are pumped into the earth causing cracks through which natural gas can escape and be harnessed for energy.
The second image, of the fistful of dollars, is associated with the line of poetry, ‘He is more powerful than the government’. This image I have chosen is a telling reminder of the power of the almighty dollar and its power to persuade. The personification of the dollar in ‘he’ puts the power of money above that of prime ministers, who should represent the highest power in the country. In terms of coal seam gas production, the dollars represent the corruption within governments who are prepared to risk the lives and environments of its citizens.
The third image is to represent the line of poetry, ‘he opens their mouths and they speak with