Fusing images with poetry, Norwegian poet Odveig Klyve identifies a poetic charm in images, words, movements and everything else.
Hers is a creative vocation of narrating poems through photographs, through ‘Geopoeticon’, a mission of making visual poetry through short films and posters. For the poet, all she requires to give visual life to poems is by getting inspired by them. “A poem creates an impression in the mind. When I listen to poetry, I understand a lot in my own way,” says Odveig.
In her own terms, it is a search to portray both simplicity and complexity of life which are paradoxical to each other.
As far as she is concerned, poetry exists beyond geographical boundaries. For instance the lines of Kunwar Narain and the image it carries can be taken to see how she managed to blend this criterion with poise. Odveig opted for a snowy landscape in Norway to capture an image to underscore the imagination of an Indian poet.
Similarly, for the expressions of an Egyptian poet, she gave a visual translation through a photograph taken in Poland. Likewise, she has imparted life to several poems from across the world including countries like India, Egypt, Lebanon and England.
Once the photographic mission is kept apart, her poems can be seen brimming with nature and natural imagery. The lines from ‘Embroidery’ can be seen comparing dawn and dusk with fastening of threads. “Poetry allows us a freedom to do anything in it. Imagination can go unbridled without setting boundaries to it,” she adds.
Maybe her acquaintance with outdoors has also helped in translating nature at its best. The poet says, “Norwegians spend most of their time outside. This is reflected in my poems as well,” she pointed out.
In addition to poetry and photography, the film director has some 30 short films to her credit. There also she prefers to bring in a poetic charm. She feels that “in short film, you do not have a narrative challenge and are free to try different things in it. I create a space between words and dialogues so that the viewer can breath poetry in between.” Many of her films are literally short that it lasts only for about two to five minutes. She places her ‘poetry films’ in between music-videos and art-films which she says is part of trying something new.
Odveig Klyve had hosted a photo-poetry exhibition of 15 frames at the Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi Art Gallery at Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan on the sidelines of Kritya, the international festival of poetry.