Multimedia Portfolio
by
Slobodan Vitkovic (photography)
&
Sasa Vazic (haiku)
My friend, Slobodan
Vitkovic, a painter, conservator, restorer, esoteric and writer often sends me
photographic "moments" from nature. Are they not wordless haiku? Indeed,
I often think that haiku would be best if it did not have to be written down.
What is depicted is almost unutterable. A sudden haiku moment, which automatically,
in a mere instant, activates the human’s senses to register it, needs no
words, no descriptions. It is a mute image which comes and goes, but also remains
always a bit different -- or perhaps, quite different, depending on what has just
happened. A photograph records a moment, but even this representation is unable
to catch the precise instant wherein "the haiku image" occurred. Some
time is needed for the camera lens to be sharpened, for an eye to be sharpened;
moreover, “the upper legs of a frog" might not be seen "above the
water" any more!
Nothing is perfect.
A recollection is, perhaps, nearer to perfection, but on the other hand, what
is retained in the mind is personal and uncertain; so much so, that it may cause
an insecure feeling regarding its credibility and duration. We sometimes write
from memory. If a recollection is sharp enough, the haiku may be successful, but
might it not be just a bit false? I ponder whether the resulting haiku isn't a
kind of deception, both of oneself and the reader? Memories projected into the
present moment from whatever time they may have occurred -- even during one’s
childhood, but do not exist as reality, Rather, they are colored with our further
experiences, wishes, impossibilities, secrets and dreams. The mixture may become
too bitter or too sweet.
One feature of haiku is sincerity, but even though the haiku experience is "here
and now," it, nevertheless, will always contains an author’s personal
experiences, feelings, imagery, memories of and connections to those psychological
features. In a photograph (as haiku ) however, only the words are missing -- words
which may spoil everything, but could also exalt the image. Unfortunately, we
all communicate, basically, by the means of words. A photograph, which is not
usually a work of art, and the written word, which might well be, are convenient
means of communication with oneself and others. This is why I believe that nearest
to the ideal of haiku may be a photograph.
To my dear friends I present these photographs taken by my friend, Slobodan Vitkovic, along with my haiku.
Sasa Vazic
Click Image to View Haiku
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