“Poetographics”- The conversation between poetry and black photography
“Photography is writing through light”
Central to Shange’s writings and black photography is the ability to capture emotions and life’s mundane activities. Stories of the black individual’s experience in America. The impacts of societal organization on the realities of each lived experience. Kamoinge’s photographs in conversation with Shange’s words grant access to an intimacy that one may not be worthy of or does not have the tools or experiences to understand. The writing as well as the photograph expands, complicates or perhaps simplify narratives by granting permission to the consumer. With this permission explicit contexts may not be available and thus allows the consumer to feel and imagine beyond the scope of the artist’s intentions. The writings and the photographs give language to what is or what may seem inexpressible. As shange mentions, photographs hold memories beyond what is captured in “a bit of the Lord will take you thru”:
“light barely brushes their pictures/ but the hope
in the photographs makes light magnificent
the memories flow on their own/ or from the glistenin’
trumpet/ the smile of the bride/ the recruit
before danger & sons a plenty to carry on the family
names” (3)
In thinking about the relationship between poetry and photography, Ed Maximus is Haitian artist who has a photo series titled “For Colored Girls”. I have very complicated feelings about this series as the portraits are of black women and the artist is a man. It puts into question the conversation his work is centered around and his decision and intentions to title the series “For Colored Girls”
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