The last Pre-Tree workshop on April 12 had Ian Keteku facilitating.
The technique he focused on was brainstorming for metaphor. For example, start with a concrete word and do waves of associations to back out from it to go towards the underlying meaning, then cut the middle bits.
Instead of the expected, stock simple comparison — eyes are dark as night, or eyes glitter mad as moons — go one of two associative leaps away so the qualities of moon are still embedded but there’s another layer of dimension. What could cluster around the concept of moon or night? Brainstorm:
Moon: eclipse, crazy, periods, werewolf, wolf, harvest, midnight, apollo 11, blue…
What if your eyes are two canines baying? Or, for example,
– Lollypops
-What do you associate that with?
– Childhood.
– Why? What about childhood?
– Going to the fair as a child and getting that candy.
– Why? What does that signify to you?
– Family vacations.
– What are family vacations about?
– Getting Away.
– Getting away from what?
– Away from fighting parents.
– What does that mean?
– Belittlement and silence.
So to cut out the middle bits, have we got to something underlying with more legs to run on and take us a poetic road less traveleld?
Instead of Childhood tastes like lollypops, how about, Childhood tastes like belittlement. Or Childhood tastes like the space between licks of belittlements? That is a more fresh starting point and gets to more of the emotional heart of the story of what something could mean. Throw in comparisons that are using synesthesia.
For each of the 5 senses, associate a word and then attach and extend the association in a similar way.
As a group we each threw a word in the bucket. (I didn’t catch them all). You’re building a bank of things to cross-wire and see what sparks. A word from childhood for each of the senses. Quick is good. This is just a brainstorming firestarter to get going.
Smell: moss, talcum, damp sand
Sight: smiles, anger, intoxication, escape, wild grass, freedom
Touch: ice, frost, blood, belittlement, walls
Taste: mould, porride, coal, nuts, failure
Hearing: crazy walls, tapping cards, cacophony, sparrows,
Cross-wire bits and question into them.
What are angry walls? What would angry walls do? Scream? Why would walls scream? They’re tortured. Why is there torture? To learn something to change the direction of future politics. What would the walls say? The lessons of history.
So cutting back thru the stock of concepts built up, what does childhood taste like?
Candy? Or does it taste like this?
Blood on coal, sound like sparrows against a cacophony of walls around tapping cards inside a wild grass of intoxication, the lessons of history under the torture of ceilings. Outside the freedom slips from damp sand into the protection of ice.
You’re building up a picture of unconventional comparisons, juxtaposing surprises.
By doing the sort of exercise as a habit, you build a tool and can train yourself to sift for and find connections quickly.
You can also say what something is like or define it by what it is not. He pointed out DJ Morales’ line of “I love you the way cows love the sound of grindhouses”.
The next one will be facilitated by another member of The Recipe, Brandon Wint, on April 26, 6:45pm, Library Room at the Arts Court.