chronopoems – Martin Moolhuijsen
chronopoems
a chronopoem is a form of conceptual and sound poetry that employs an auditory illusion known as verbal transformation effect
the word chronopoem comes from the greek words chrono (time) and pŏēsis (the process of making)
in its dichotic presentation, the illusion manifests itself through headphones, as a consequence chronopoems need to be experienced with headphones
a chronopoem does not correspond with the audio file that contains the poem, nevertheless it is dependent upon it
a chronopoem is a chronopoem only when it is experienced
the duration of a chronopoem therefore coincides with its experience
a chronopoem transcends the fact that it is fixed-media, not in the sense usually attributed to poetry, as claims of the experience of universal themes such as the relationship between human and nature, absolute love, death or the finiteness of life, but in its impossibility to be perceived as static
verbal transformation effect may vary with different volume levels, the poem is therefore volume-dependent, a listener may or may not have control over this parameter
every interpretation of a chronopoem is equally valid, in other words, the author has very little authority
in a chronopoem interpretation and experience coincide
a chronopoem in one language can be interpreted in another one
titles are just suggestions
the person that has uttered the word used in a chronopoem is always stated before the title
a chronopoem perpetually oscillates between being meaningful, here intended as ‘having meaning’, and being meaningless, none of these moments is more important than the other, although meaningful moments might be funnier
if the verbal transformation effect is an auditory illusion that allows listeners to hear imaginary words, chronopoems are a form of imaginary poetry: whatever that might mean concerning the illusion of words mediated by recorded speech
to imagine: from Latin imaginare ‘form an image of, represent’