Zwichen Experimenteller Form und Politische Engagement / Between Experimental Form and Political Commitment: Konkrete/Visuelle Poesie in den nordischen Ländern von 1960 bis 1970 / Concrete and Visual Poetry in the Nordic Countries, circa 1960–70

The lectures, and with them the texts compiled here, roughly reflect two thematic focuses of the symposium:The first revolves around the reciprocal international influence among the concrete poets: their interrelationships and joint exhibitions and publications. How did concrete poetry spread internationally? Who made reference to whom? What special characteristics are encountered in the individual countries? Which media and techniques did the artists work with? The second focus thematizes the theoretical, artistic, cultural, and social foundations. What theoretical implications and interrelationships can be discerned? How are social and political influences to be assessed? In his contribution, Fred Andersson directs his attention toward concrete poetry in the Nordic or Scandinavian countries and shows how their political references relate to their experimental form. Within this framework, he provides an overview of the artistic activities in the respective countries in the 1960s and 1970s.