VERBAL-VISUAL ALLEGORY: POETRY IN FORM

Words are imperative instruments in communication, one of the most basic and fundamental aspect of our everyday lives. We
communicate with words to express to our loved ones of our feelings towards them, to fill them in about the things that we do
on a Sunday evening, or perhaps even to articulate an ordeal of the most grievous kind. Words are one of the most powerful
tools that we as humans possess as their effect towards us are so intriguing, deeply instigating that they could either construct
or destruct ones life.

The impacts of words somehow depend on the emotional way of expressing a thought or message that one is trying to allocate.
Especially in Asian culture, the emblematic and allegorical ways of communicating are the requisite elements in conveying
ones thought the use of metaphor. It is a way to enunciate advice or perhaps to assert criticism by using decent analogies
and hence, the existence of poetry. Poetry is the essence of language, and the mirror of the soul. Its full range of experience
resulted from the very few lines that composed such beautiful form of language. This is why up until today; poetry is widely
acknowledged by most of the society. But by bringing appreciation to the next level, could poetry be possibly intertwined with
the visual arts to be highly valued? What is the point in transforming poetry which is already a form of expression, into a work
of art to also signify something?

The term poetry derives from the Greek term poiesis, which means making. It is a form of literature that exerts aesthetic
and rhythmic qualities of language with the use of phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metaphor in evoking meanings that
replace straightforward ways of expression. Visual arts on the other hand portrays visual and involves meaning-making based
on the subject that we see in the image of an artwork which most of the time is free from any linear interpretations.

Both forms of expressions can work hand in hand. By having poetry at the back of the head as direction, the artists somehow
had their own insight about the meaning and attempted to translate them visually. Both artists, presenting Amy Nazira and
Safar Zin, together they opted and interpreted 7 renown local poems or pantun; a Malay traditional oral form of expression,
into the work of art based on their own respective experiences and ways of looking.

Amy Nazira

Experience comes from the unveiling of a discovery. As children, we were always open towards unearthing new things in life
that we tend to curiously explore. We were exposed yet so naive that we needed guidance from the elderly in knowing the dos
and the donts. These salient things are what Amy Nazira would like to emphasize as she believes that advise and guidance
should be given to the youngsters or children as they still lack good insight in gaining knowledge. She stated that it is easier to
shape a childs way of thinking rather than the adults. This somehow coordinates with how pantun tackles the way of giving
advise with its beautiful arrangement of words and rhythm to actually obtain a much deeper engagement with the younger
generation.

In conjunction to that, borrowing pantuns elements which are pembayang and maksud; the allegory and the meaning, Amy
tries to utilize these elements in her works by having the objects and figurative as the allegory, with texts to portray the
meaning. It is interesting to acknowledge the concept of pantun into painting. It has both pembayang and maksud. Why not
we use them as well in the painting to create our own meaning?, she explained. The texts that are included in the paintings
are intuitively chosen according to her personal interpretation whether directly or indirectly reflect the underlying meaning of
the pantun. Her well-known style of "nave art" and gullible-like hand drawing in her paintings somehow add more playfulness
in the visual that makes it more appealing to the viewers.

Safar Zin

While it is crucial in tackling the youngsters, Safar Zin on the other hand is more inclined towards pointing out societal issues as
this preference is apparent throughout numerous of his previous works. Appropriating the poster concept, his works manifest
his interpretations on the chosen pantun in rather excruciating visual and profound in terms of its meaning. To him, the
affections of pantun is deeply powerful if we try to extract the meaning critically instead of taking the meaning literally. He
adores the ambiguity of experience in people which could range in different interpretations or entry points.

From his point of view, visualising pantun is actually one way to spark the audiences consciousness towards some ongoing
issues that society is having. Thus, his approach is not in trying to solve the problem but instead to take notes for himself and
attempting to emanate his thoughts on those issues. It is not about changing or fixing the problems, but rather to open up
new possibilities that could embark another action, he emphasized. Referencing pop-culture, he incorporates some movie
scripts and album covers as texts in the painting to relate with the pantun which brings to light a new dimension of looking at
the poems in a much recent and wider context.

Process

Initially, both artists agreed on separating the task by dividing the pembayang and maksud. Which is to say, one took the
allegory and the other took the meaning of the chosen pantun. However, it seemed to be asymmetrical in terms of achieving
fair individual interpretations, and for that reason they decided to extract their own ways of interpreting the poems. They
realised that this form of poetry is one of the most prominent form of aesthetic language and fairly intimate to the heart of the
Malaysian society, hence selecting pantun as the theme for the exhibition rather than any other form of literature. Not only
that its arrangements of words are delightful, but the satire, flowery yet remarkably rich in meaning are also some of the
essence that make it more delicate as a form of language.

By working together, Amy Nazira and Safar Zin learned that the key is to celebrate individual apprehension of looking at things.
Both artists have their own interpretation and have different contemplation on the subject that they chose, but the main thing
for sure is to uphold and affirm the beauty of our local language in poetry in order for the viewers to have a more critical point
of view. It is about being more enthralled towards peeling off the surface in seeking more of its content and meaning.

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. Leonardo da Vinci

Both the art and the poetry leave different marks in their own blank page, one for the eye, and one for the ear. These form of
expressions should interact with one another, not merely restating the same message. Their interactions should be subtle, with
the art not directly representing a visual iteration of the subject in the poem but more towards different manifestation of
image. Perhaps the overall experience of looking and hearing too, somehow dont really have mutual affections towards the
ones who are experiencing them therefore leading them to a different kind of experience or insight. Nonetheless, both share
the same engine as their core that cannot be diminished totally and that is, the metaphor.

Sorong papan tarik papan, I slide and pull the board,

Buah Keranji dalam perahu, In the boat, theres Keranji fruit,
Suruh makan awak makan, Asking you to eat and you do,
Suruh mengaji awak tak mahu. Asking you to read but you dont.

Berburu di padang datar, Hunting in the plains,

Dapat rusa berbelang kaki; Caught some striped feet deer,
Berguru kepalang ajar, Having a false learning,
Bagai bunga kembang tak jadi! Is like a flower but not that blooming.

Orang Daik memacu kuda , Daik people are riding the horse,
Kuda dipacu deras sekali They drive the horse furiously,
Buat baik berpada-pada, Do good sparingly,
Buat jahat jangan sekali. But dont ever do evil.

Berakit-rakit ke hulu, Rafting towards the upstream,

Berenang-renang ke tepian, Swam to the shore,
Bersakit-sakit dahulu, Lets strive at first,
Bersenang-senang kemudian. Then shall have the ease at the end.

Buah Cempedak di luar pagar, Theres Cempedak fruit outside the fence,
Ambil galah tolong jolokkan, Take a pole and pick the fruit,
Saya budak baru belajar, Im just a kid who wants to learn,
Kalau salah tolong tunjukkan. Guide me when theres a foul.

Pisang Emas dibawa belayar, Gold banana is brought sailing,

Masak sebiji di atas peti, Cook one on top of the case,
Hutang emas boleh dibayar, Gold loan can still be paid,
Hutang budi dibawa mati. But we bring along indebted to death.

Dalam semak ada duri, There are thorns in the bushes,

Ayam kuning buat sarang, Yellow chicken is making a nest,
Orang tamak selalu rugi, Greedy people always lose,
Macam anjing dengan bayang. Like a dog with its own shadow.