#artypoetry - the Union of Art and Poetry
During lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic, it all went very quiet for a lot of people in the creative industry. We had no idea what the impact would be on us, and if we’d even be able to earn a living. Many of us make our money from commissions and the odd sale here and there. Some of us also teach and run workshops. With lockdown, everything was on hold for the foreseeable future. What did that really mean?
In my head, it would last for three to four weeks maximum (I was hoping it would only be two). Well… 16 weeks on and we are still not fully back to normal.
For me the panic was very real and my priorities quickly changed, health being top of the list. The invincible human being becoming unbelievably vulnerable to a killer virus. As the number of infections and deaths rose daily, some of us with children at home had no words to describe what was happening. We just had to put on a brave face and get on with it.
On the other hand, I soon noticed that many creative-minded people were starting to come together and ideas were forming. People were offering a variety of free online sessions such as art, yoga, and even Instagram management. The sense of community started to blossom. The main focus was now on how we could help our neighbours, friends and schools, rather than ourselves. Suddenly it was less about ‘ME’ and more about ‘US’. This gave me hope, something I held on to very tightly.
As creatives, we started to think about what we could do to help. How we could use our time productively to create something meaningful and profound in these unprecedented times. I have so many interesting examples of offerings and collaborations I could mention, but for now, I’d like to talk about Furrah Syed, my dear friend, and the founder of #artypoetry.
Here’s more about Furrah :
Furrah Syed is a London-based abstract artist who specialises in painting heavily-textured canvases using acrylics, oils, and mixed media. She studied Fine Art and Textile Design along with Art History in London, but chose to pursue a corporate career in Finance and Marketing. During a career break to raise a family, and while accompanying her husband on an overseas job posting in India, Furrah’s passion for creating art was reignited. She resumed her true calling and, with the new found inspiration that India had to offer, began to create abstract art which was well received within the art community. During her 3 year stay in India, she participated in a number of group shows and finished off with a hugely successful solo show before returning to the UK. Back in London, she went on to establish her art practice and continues her art journey as a full-time artist and an accomplished educator.
Furrah’s works show a strong commitment to colour, texture and movement. Focusing primarily on ‘pure’ colour, she uses the canvas as a vehicle to promote the energy created by the interaction of pigment with brushes and various other tools. Her bold experimentation using mixed media has been well received within the art community. Her paintings have a very strong visual effect and compel the viewer to delve into the world of purely abstract expression, vivid emotion, and raw energy.
Furrah called me one Sunday evening during lockdown. She had an idea for a collaboration between herself as a painter working with writers and poets. The project was to be called #artypoetry. The idea was she sends one of her paintings to a poet who then writes a poem based on what she/he feels about the painting. The poet then sends a poem back to Furrah to paint what it makes her feel. Finally, the two pieces of work would be posted together on social media and her website.
Furrah invited me to take part in the project as a poet. I was delighted and terrified in equal measures! I’ve never thought of myself as a poet, yet she was quite sure I was one, and was keen to have me on board. Of course my answer was yes as I trust her vision and it was an honour to be a part of her wonderful project.
Her project is going strong and doing really well. She is collaborating with ten incredible poets and writers, the majority of them are quite prolific. Her paintings are stunningly beautiful. I see this project as the perfect bridge between the world of words and the world of colours and textures. A fortunate union of expression.
Here is how Furrah explains her collaboration with me:
“Tanaz’s response to my painting ‘Larimar’ was very descriptive and I loved it! Reading her words I could smell the ocean air, I could hear the waves breaking and I could feel the sand between my toes. Tanaz’s poem placed me in the middle of a touching story that evoked emotion and history”.
LARIMAR by Tanaz Assefi
Golden sun,
Warm sea,
I smell the sea and
the sweet and sour memories of you and me,
the warm breeze brings back to me
the deep love I had for you
hidden deep within the shell of my womb.
This time I cherish the love beyond reasoning
vast and unconditional like the sea.
“When reading Tanaz’s second poem ‘Harmony’, the flow of life came to my mind. Everything in existence is beautifully balanced for us to survive and thrive
Red and green are complementary colours and when compared or combined, they cancel each other out. I wanted to represent this on the canvas to depict the highs and lows of harmony. The grey shards represent not only: “Harmony is the grey area that everyone dismisses” but also the coming together of red and green.
Blue is depicted in motion with dynamic strokes and the varying textures represent the “breathing space between ideas and action”, with gold enhancing the energy bringing harmony to all aspects of life for the highs as well as the lows!
HARMONY by Tanaz Assefi
Harmony is like balancing the seesaw just like a scale but for life.
Harmony is the grey area everyone dismisses.
Harmony is power as it holds everything together, the high and the low.
It is the meeting point of both.
Harmony is the breathing space between ideas and actions.
For more information on Furrah and #artypoetry please click for her website and follow her social media pages:
https://www.facebook.com/furrahsyedart/
https://www.instagram.com/furrahsyedart/
https://www.twitter.com/FurrahSyed/