Rewriting an Old Idea
Poet Steven Reigns, author of Your Dead Body is My Welcome Mat, has reshaped an old concept. Broadsides. Broadsides are large format paper sheets printed on only one side. It consists of text with basic woodcut illustrations. Broadsides' popularity increased after the invention of the printing press. Some broadside collections date from the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Broadsides were popular in Britain, Holland, France, Italy, Spain and Germany and later in America for the distribution of ballads. Though no musical notes were printed, it was often noted for the ballad to be sung with a common tune. These sheets were often sold in stalls or by traveling peddlers. People pasted the sheets on walls, logbooks, and any other convenient area to learn them. When the song was familiar it was discarded or pasted over by another song.
Expanding upon the historical tradition of Broadsides, Reigns has placed six of his new poems on broadsides. "I wanted to honor the printed tradition of Broadsides. I like the idea of poems being taken out of books and put up for public consumption. It is a way of offering written art to those who may not necessarily have the time or desire to pick up a book." Reigns recruited the help of visual artist Thaddeus Root. "Steven came to me with the idea and I wanted to be a part of it. I don't know how the final project can be defined. Ultimately, I think that it is a merging of artistic forms all of us are familiar with."
The final broadsides are larger size photographs taken by Cara Daniels with a poem placed over the image. It is a recreation of an old idea. Instead of using text peppered with woodcuts, Root placed the poems strategically on the images. Root doesn't see the project as over. "Art to me is a process. I don't feel like the displaying of this brings it to an end. I intend for us to keep working with this concept. Collaboration, especially across artistic disciplines, is important."
Opening on August 1st, the broadsides will be displayed at A Different Grind Coffee House till the end of September. Reigns is pleased his work was selected for their space. "I think a coffee house is a perfect venue for this type of work. The economy of language that poetry requires is ideal to read at a glance. We are fortunate to have such a venue in Tampa."
A Different Grind is located at 406 South Howard Avenue in Tampa. They are open Monday-Thursday 11:00 AM –11:00 PM, Friday- Sunday from 11:00 AM to midnight. FMI (813) 251-9368. Prints of the Broadsides are available for $18.00 at A Different Grind. www.tomes-treasures.com