Artist’s Statement: The videopoem plays with the idea of ‘orbit’ in space / the body, and I had fun with the rhymes, as well as the images offered by the archive. I used several text-to-speech voices for those part the poem is heard rather than seen, to offer some odd corporate/collective/cult/hivemind quality to it. I’ve an uneasy relationship to institutions and ‘joining’, as well as a great love for science fiction motifs: both bubbled up in the piece. For me, the practice of working with footage to generate writing, which one then reintegrates with the re-edited footage is a fascinating one, which I’ll be continuing to explore in future films.
Caleb Parkin is a poet, performer, facilitator, educator, and filmmaker based in Bristol, England. Having worked for some time in media production for the BBC, for a science publication, and in education, he is currently studying for an MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes, as well as working as a facilitator and project manager on freelance arts projects.
His writing, performances and projects have featured in locations as diverse as planetaria, schools, museums, computer shops, wildlife events, and festivals. He often writes about animals, machines, science and technology – and has been published online and in print anthologies. He was shortlisted in The Rialto Open Pamphlet Competition 2016 and commended by Philip Gross in the Ware Open Poetry Competition 2016. Read more about his projects and publications here: https://couldbethemoon.co.uk/where/publication/ and on www.word-rocket.co.uk
