Poetic responses to nuclear visual art
By Maggie Bourque
Ekphrastic poetry responds to a work of art by using vivid verbal description to expand upon and explore themes and layers of meaning emerging from the visual form. Wanting to engage with nuclear imaginaries across time, I decided to create a set of three poems, each responding to a unique visual work. I chose pieces that spoke to a range of perspectives from past, present, and ongoing nuclear narratives. My interest in timescales—particularly the spinning, centrifugal nature of deep time—also informed my selection of the visuals.
The poems emerged through a process of deep looking, reflecting on the emotional impact and conceptual themes, and expressing the associative, evocative experience I had as a viewer. Each piece can be encountered on its own, and when taken together, invite cross-conversation about our past, present, and future nuclear imaginaries. The three poems are titled “ERASURE,” “(RE)GENERATION,” and “IMAGINARIES (2076)”.
ERASURE
(RE)GENERATION
IMAGINARIES (2076)
Maggie Bourque is a senior lecturer in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. Her field is best described as place studies—spanning geography, ecology, art, education, social sciences, and the environmental humanities.
Header image: Auto Immune Response: Confluence of Three Generations (Will Wilson)
