It is perhaps evident that orientation influences the flow. The plane affects the pace of reading. I am reminded of Wasssily Kandinsky’s remarks on the basic plane (BP) in Point and Line to Plane.
At all events, certain forces of resistance can be felt upon approaching each of the four borders of the BP, and these definitely separate the unit BP from the world surrounding it. The approach of a form to the border is, therefore, subject to a special influence, which is of critical importance in the composition. [trans. Howard Dearstyne and Hilla Rebay]
Take for example the layout of the following poem in three horizontal blocks:
Elocution (poem)
It is difficult to achieve similar results with a vertical arrangement:
daylight tightens
squint grabbed
back-of-the-throat skidwhat’s up the creek is down
the road and over the
hillsemaphore along finger of spine
dream-fed dusk-hungry
stretch
And of course the addition of a yellow background is also an element at play…
And so for day 772
23.01.2009