In the beginning there was the word.

Our US host

Our US host
Our US host: Bob Holman (photo: Tamás Zádor)

20110824

RENGA: Poets Respond to Witness // Downtown Rising @ 7WTC

August 24th, 2011

The crew was invited to a Renga organized by Bob Holman, so we headed downtown to 7 World Trade Center for an evening of artwork and poetry.



Located on the 48th floor of 7 WTC, Witness/Downtown Rising is an exhibition of sixty Todd Stone watercolors and oil paintings of Lower Manhattan. The series documents the evolution of the downtown skyline over the past decade. The venue of the exhibition offers panoramic views of Manhattan and presents a unique perspective over-looking the Memorial fountains and World Trade Center reconstruction.  It reflects the emotional journey that the community has taken as the city rebuilds in the wake of 9/11 attack.


In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of September 11th, there was a series of events, among which was a RENGA (連歌) - a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry - organized by Bob Holman and partnered with the Bowery Poetry Club.

Bob performing his verses in a spontaneous mode, surprising the gathering public:

Event opened by the magnificent singing of Valerie June:

Poets Bob Holman, Jason Blasso, Paolo Javier, Nikhil Melnechuk, Stephen Motika, Eileen Myles, Tahani Salah, Patricia Smith, Quincy Troupe, and The Lazy Fleece Beast respond to a decade of  Todd Stone’s paintings of the WTC site in the frame of a RENGA.







  ..and the keen public listening:

VIDEO extract coming soon!
Photos by Tamás Zádor /Kiégő Izzók, Eszter Szabó and BlyWorx.

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