Before attending both of the
Kearney/Bryant readings I had a reasonable understanding of the word
diaspora. But along with this term, Kearney and Bryant introduced me
to a new word—Textual Orality. This term is a new look at
performative language on and off the page, it is a processes and a
system of thought that is self-reflexive. What I found most profound
about the panel/reading was the literal demonstrations of Textual
Orality.
For Kearney, Textual Orality
manifested as a critical re-discovering of his written text The
Black Automaton, as well as
something he refereed to as “critical karaoke.” He amazed me with
his ability to manipulate the readability of his book; he would have
audience members score different poems in the book. Then, he would
read the text based off what they had written. For him, in that
moment, Textual Orality was breathing life into a passive event—a
lecture/poetry reading—and turning it into a group activity that
can change at a whim. Next, he performed a critical karaoke of Ice
Cube's “Natural Born Killaz.” His approach to both the form of
hip-hop and karaoke collide in a song of conflict and friction. He
would sing over Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, interrupt their verses, and
inject controversy into their semantics.
Along
with this, Bryant approached Textual Orality with writing and
performance, as well. First, she showed a slide-show
describing/defining what Textual Orality—also rewriting the frames
of the show as they were being shown. She transitioned into her book
Unexplained Presence
by explaining her processes for writing the book and then showing an
image that was an ekphrasis in the actual book. Her idea of leaving
something out of the book, in it and of itself, is a form of Textual
Orality that represents and acts as a diaspora in the text and as a
reflection of Black art/writing.
Together, Bryant and Kearney made for an incredible show and brought
attention to a new type of thought and processes when engaging with
art, especially art arising from Black culture. However, Textual
Orality is in no way limited to Black art. Textual Orality, as I have
come to know it is a living, breathing art form that requires an
attentive audience—one which is willing to approach difficulties in
forms of representation. This can, in my mind, be extended to any
other culture or art form. Walking away from this lecture, I have
determined that my writing can, and at times, must be more aware of
the Textual/Oral approach to reading and writing because of how much
subtext can be missed if it is not given out to the audience.
However, this reminds me of Bryant's missing images from her book and
how my desire to recreate this images in my head affects my reading
of her text. Ultimately, Textual Orality exists as a multi-dimensional
work that challenges preconceptions about art and how one should
think of it.
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