CATALAN POETRY

Twelve senses

a CD-ROM devoted to Catalan Poetry

J. Ignasi Ribas, multimedia producer

Xavier Berenguer, project director

Pere Freixa, graphic designer

Audiovisual Institute

Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona

Lecture at ISEA'96, Rotterdam (1996)

One aim of the Audiovisual Institute of the Pompeu Fabra University is the production of interactive programs supporting the main research and educational activities, and the dissemination of minority cultural knowledge through new digital media.

Through these productions we want to bring together the research in multimedia design with its practical application and testing. We study the relations between interface, content and user personal characteristics, and the possibilities of these interactive interfaces as a new way to communicate.

Our first interactive production is Dotze sentits. Poesia catalana d'avui (Twelve senses. Today's Catalan Poetry), a CD-ROM made in collaboration with "Editorial Proa" (a publishing company) and "Diputació de Barcelona" (a public regional institution).

It is based on the works, lives and ideas of twelve living catalan poets (the selection and the related contents is due to Jaume Subirana):

Blai Bonet, Joan Brossa, Enric Casassas, Narcís Comadira, Feliu Formosa, Pere Gimferrer, Maria Mercè Marçal, Miquel Martí i Pol, Josep Palau i Fabre, Francesc Parcerisas, Màrius Sampere and Jordi Sarsanedas

We have tried to accomplish two main objectives. First, a user interface as transparent as possible in order to guarantee an easy approach to information by people that are in principle interested only in poetry.

Second, to create a surprise effect and promote the desire to exploring the CD-ROM, offering a collection of multimedia possibilities that probably the user never expected.

The CD-ROM contains a set of different multimedia materials:

poems performed in video or audio by its authors,
manuscript views,
text and fonts animation,
interactive and video interviews,
poets personal photographs, objects, works and hobbies commented by him or herself.

We include also a more traditional encyclopedic approach which offers to the specialists an exhaustive and textual information on biography, bibliography and the contents of articles about each author, and contemporary catalan poetry in general. This information can be printed if desired.

A third playful approach uses a theater metaphor with animation and audio elements to propose a poetry reading in video with a personalized list of poets.

The CD-ROM has won the Spain and Portugal Möbius 1996 award (cultural and artistic category) and has achieved an increasing success among local audiences, either general or poetry interested.

"Twelve senses" (only available in Catalan) is an example of a way to approach poetry, an old and mainly textual or verbal artistic form, to the general public using the new communication possibilities that interactive media offer.

Screens sample

	General menu After the opening sequence, a general menu presents the main sections: Poets, Poetic Recital, Encyclopedia and Other.
	The poets Starting with the first section, you choose one of the twelve poets.
	Entry screen for a poet With his or her signature, some lines chosen as emblematic, a recent photography over the view of the place where he or she works.
	Poems Each poet has personally selected five poems. The first appears in video together with the text.
	In the second, the text "take shape", following the tradition of the calligram and visual poetry, on the basis of the author's voice. It is a free visual interpretation (made with the kind tolerance of the poets ;-)
	The recital of a third poem can be followed with the images of the original manuscript.
	Finally, a last couple of poems can be heard and read showing new photographies of the poet.
	Interview The poets can be seen and heard commenting their own work or speaking about poetry or art in general.
	Book Covers The covers of each author's books of poems provide a visual tour of their published work, with bibliographical information and details of prizes received where relevant.
	Photo Album Each poet has combed his or her photo album, selected eight photographs and captioned them with his or her voice.
	Those special objects They present half a dozen objects which for some reason are especially meaningful to them. They also show us their rag-bags full of surprises.
	Crazes Painting, music, films, translation, collecting and passions divers... Each author proudly confesses the craze on which he or she happily fritters away time and energy.
	Biographies and bibliographies A biography (often expressly written) and an extensive, up-to-date bibliography enlarge and document the reportage on each author, making this CD-ROM a vast database on Catalan poetry.
	The best writings on their work Each poet has made a selection of writings (prologues, reviews, interviews) which he or she feels best introduce their work (all these writings may be printed). There is also an anthology of general articles on contemporary Catalan poetry and a list of the main awards and their winners.
	Recital Finally, you can create poetry recitals in a virtual theatre with poems recited by their authors. You can combine them at your own, adding entr'actes or interludes, or simply requesting an automatic choice to organise a different multimedia poetry happening.

You can order the CD-ROM (for Mac and PC) from Enciclopèdia Catalana, S.A.