VideoTonePoems™ / VTPs…short, edgy multimedia montages that speak to both hemispheres of the brain in and energetic mash-ups of words, images.
In October 2013, a trip to the spectacular Ajanta and Ellora ancient caves in the state of Maharastra, India catalyzed a new integration of my creative expression through video, poetry, photography, and music: work I named VideoTonePoems™ (VTPs). I was unaware, at that time, that this expressive form of poetry, in visual-moving form, had existed for some decades variously called video poetry, visual poetry, videopoem/video poem/video poems, digital poetry, poetronica, etc. The father of the videopoem is considered to be Tom Konyves who coined the term videopoetry in 1978 to describe his first work (Videopoetry). Many poets are/were involved with creating video poetry and a number of video poem websites exist to showcase the genre (Moving Poems, Poetry Film Kanal). I adapted the expression, tone poem, as it is classically defined as a piece of orchestral music, usually in one movement, on a descriptive or rhapsodic theme. My VTPs are a digital, auteur genre, using all the visual, poetic, and musical tools and technologies to express a unified vision of one individual’s expression in multiple creative arts.
VTPs focus on three Message categories: (1) Spiritual Messages, reflecting on universal spiritual concepts (some influenced by Indian spiritual ideas and sites), (2) Natural Messages , depicting my experience of Nature (especially in the pristine environment of the Himalayas), and (3) Afflicted Messages, meditations on the human condition, the environment, and technology, all interacting in our Age of the Anthropocene (where Homo sapiens is a sometimes very destructive force of Nature).
Some of the poems used in the VTPs are found in my books, The World in You (2015), and You in the World (2010).I have drawn on the tone poem musical form and expanded it into a conceptual and meditative collage that hopes to stop/engage the viewer in the roar of our 24/7 lives…and in that brief moment allow a connection to the higher wisdom emanating from Spirit and Nature and how they mirror our existential challenges.
VTPs production team editors and technical support included: John Portillo, Gunjan Sharma, and Pankaj Yadav. DVD screen design and jewel case by CJ Singh/CorePR.com
A meditative exploration of the 2,200 year-old, Ajanta Buddhist Caves in Maharastra India, reflecting on their timeless nature, including thoughts of the Buddha. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has spectacular examples of deeply profound Indian spiritual art and culture.