Um Poema Errante / A Wandering Poem
Um Poema Errante / A Wandering Poem is the printed collaboration between travelling poet Christian Marques and visual interpreter Angharad Hengyu Owen.
A literary project unlike anything before published, A Wandering Poem is a bi-disciplinary re-exploration of an eight month journey across seven countries – through Europe, the Middle East and Asia – undertaken by the author himself, unearthing a poem a day. The result is a bilingual (English and Portuguese) collection of emotional imprints, where each poetic free-verse works hand in hand with its own unique visualisation – a multi-layered voyage through printed word as varied as any personal journey may be.
The 200-page book is a culmination of almost two years work and experience, its starting point the moment of departure, its finished form shaped through collaboration. Designer Angharad Hengyu Owen carefully places and shifts letters on the page, the poems unfolding, expanding or perambulating in sympathy with their subject. The visuals and aesthetic emerge from the narrative, and in doing so become a part of it. Her style is intricate yet minimal; as much about the space and meaning between the words as about the poems themselves.
The book is out now, and you can find the official website here. In addition to the online shop you’ll find sketches of the book in development, an interview with the makers, and stunning photography by author Christian Marques – the people and places that made both the journey, and the stories that followed.