Tsira
A series of ten illustrations based on Tsira, a poem by Simon Chikovani*
Tsira explores the relations between the whole and its fragments, and expresses the relationship between Georgian futurism and local folklore. The series of illustrations, each of which resembles a vulnerable and coverless open book, is set upon a black tin shelf that contrasts the soft fluidity of the drawings. Each illustration is made of a number of layers and materials, its base is a compilation of papers taken from old books and fixed to carbon paper using a “soft spine” which is made of reflective ribbon.
*Simon Chikovani, real name Simon Ivanovich Chikovani (b . Naesakovo 1902/3 - d. Tbilisi 1966) was a poet and the driving force and leader of the Dadaist group H2SO4 (1922-28). His poetry is a fusion of avant-garde and Georgian folklore, nonsense-syllables and rich assonance. One example is this fragment of the poem "Tsira" which reminds us of the propitiatory ritual of a witchdoctor. Chikovani incorporates dialecticisms and quotes from spoken Georgian, abstracting it towards the "enchantments" of a rhythmic, sonorous cadence, like these verses of the poem Tsira.
Tsira (fragment)
Bade baidebs
Bude baidebs
Tsira muxlebze gulpiltvs daidebs
Aida-baidebs, aida baidebs...
[transcription by Shota Iatashvili]
A series of ten illustrations based on Tsira, a poem by Simon Chikovani*
Tsira explores the relations between the whole and its fragments, and expresses the relationship between Georgian futurism and local folklore. The series of illustrations, each of which resembles a vulnerable and coverless open book, is set upon a black tin shelf that contrasts the soft fluidity of the drawings. Each illustration is made of a number of layers and materials, its base is a compilation of papers taken from old books and fixed to carbon paper using a “soft spine” which is made of reflective ribbon.
*Simon Chikovani, real name Simon Ivanovich Chikovani (b . Naesakovo 1902/3 - d. Tbilisi 1966) was a poet and the driving force and leader of the Dadaist group H2SO4 (1922-28). His poetry is a fusion of avant-garde and Georgian folklore, nonsense-syllables and rich assonance. One example is this fragment of the poem "Tsira" which reminds us of the propitiatory ritual of a witchdoctor. Chikovani incorporates dialecticisms and quotes from spoken Georgian, abstracting it towards the "enchantments" of a rhythmic, sonorous cadence, like these verses of the poem Tsira.
Tsira (fragment)
Bade baidebs
Bude baidebs
Tsira muxlebze gulpiltvs daidebs
Aida-baidebs, aida baidebs...
[transcription by Shota Iatashvili]