Rebecca Kim – Looking Outwards – 02

Jackson Mac Low (1922-2004) used computational methods to create poetry in a sort of “cut out” methodology that contradicted conventions of syntax and structure. He implemented algorithms to create abstract texts–but with intricate craftsmanship. Despite the outward incoherence of his texts, Low maintained aesthetic control–even down to the seconds elapsing between each phrase–with methods mirroring those of a composer. The slight connections between consecutive words are even comparable to Siri’s predictive feature on the keyboard.

Strangely, I felt like I understood the essence of his texts, whether that was the sense he intended for his audience or not. For example, in his poem, “Call Me Ishmael” (1972), he pairs the word “circulation” and “long long” and “coffin” that, to me, conveys the mundane cycle that is life. He–or, his algorithm–incorporates tinges of politics as well, with a name characteristic to a specific culture and the phrases “city a land” and “extremest left.”

Low and his methods were a perfect manifestation of “first word art”–what he accomplished was revolutionary. He broke the constraints of composition–and even art. A fruitful creative of the 20th century, he also continued to receive prestigious fellowships and awards throughout his career.

Read more about him here:

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/jackson-mac-low