Dia Gallery poetry Reading

The poetry readings staged in the "Dia" gallery in chelsea  took on a very dramatic overtone, one far different than the stereotypical back alley poetry readings in a dimly lit nightclub.The first reader Franck Andre Jamme who read in his native french, gave a very brief introduction to himself and his work before abruptly diving into the piece. Although I do not speak french, Franck Andre Jamme's slow, dramatized reading style conveyed an error of the utmost serious nature. Every word that he spoke and was transformed into easily digestible sounds that spoke to me in much the same way that an unsubtitled foreign movie's tragic hero monologue feels when they express their deepest secrets to their side kick before going off into battle to die.

The second piece, a translation of the same piece just read by Frank Andre Jamme, was now read by Norma Cole, his translator.  As she hobbled up to the podium,one could not help but notice the stark contrast between the two speakers; man vs woman,American vs French, hobbling vs walking, even their reading styles were different. Where as Frank Andre Jamme was slow and clearly articulated, Norma Cole read at a much faster pace and cut nearly every word short. Where Jamme spoke loudly and clearly, Cole was much quieter. This is not to say the reading was bad any standards, it was merely a much different sounding piece then the first. Perhaps the difference in speakers says something about the nature of translation itself because where although the same piece is being read, both are in fact two distinct pieces and end up conveying a different set of emotions.

The third presentation, Peter Gizzi, a man who was introduced as having a similar style to that of John Ashbery, gave much more of an introduction then either of the other speakers and continued a much more sociable style of reading throughout. His reading style is best described as subtly dramatic, not overemphasizing anything, but yet emphasizing everything a little bit to where each words importance isn't missed. Although his poems were not lyrical, sometimes Gizzi gave them a soft beat to which occasionally he would unconsciously bob his head a little. His work used mostly common words, however much like Ashbery, the syntax changed the simple vocabulary into new and exciting phrases with fresh ideas which in turn allowed the listener to become immersed in the work while constantly re examining what had been said.        

By Andrew  Davis