Word as sound

Just as visual art is art created in space, audio art is created in time. This leaves purely audio-related art a limited number of things to utilize in expression: dynamics, pitch, tempo, rhythm, tone, timbre, texture, and articulation. What makes music or poetry interesting is the manner in which the above are selected and combined and used to affect the listener. Take Christian Bok, for example. Pitch does not seem to be a major concern to him, but he does utilize rhythm in ways which make his performances exciting. Despite the fact that his relentlessly aggressive utterances do not demonstrate distinct variations in tempo, his use of rhythm is what gives the poetry character. I would imagine that Bok would have been incredibly popular with the Zurich Dadaists. Rhythm appears at the forefront in Mairead Byrne's work as well. In "Baghdad", the repetition of the word "Baghdad" throughout the piece creates a driving rhythm not unlike the kind that Bok employs or even forces on the poetry he performs. Byrne's performances, however, seem to be on the other side of the spectrum in terms of the use of tone and volume in expression. This does not mean that it is expressionless, but that it allows the natural driving rhythm of the text to speak for itself. Having said all this, I find the work of both artists, with their very distinct styles, very enjoyable.