Paul Conneally
Encyclopedia
Paul Terence Conneally is a poet, artist and musician based in Loughborough
, UK.
In the field of poetry Conneally is best known for his haiku
and haiku-related forms including haibun
and renga
/renku. His definition of haibun is quoted among others on the Contemporary Haibun Online website. He ran the Haikumania Project, (hosted on the website of The Center for Digital Discourse and Culture at Virginia Tech) where some of his work and others is showcased.
Known for collaborative works based on Japanese renga
, he has been published and translated. Conneally's projects include hypertext
works resulting out of actions initiated by Conneally and others via the internet and in the real world. Conneally's work in bringing linked haikai based works to the internet is mentioned in Currents in Electronic Literacy Fall 2001.
Conneally leads live renga
sessions across the UK and has explored the form and process alongside other UK artist poets including Alec Finlay, Gavin Wade, Gerry Loose and Anne-Marie Culhane.
In 2002, Conneally was the director of the first Global Haiku Tournament which was organised by the World Haiku Club. The Japan Times sponsored and presented awards to winners
Conneally is associated with the modern Situationist movement through psychogeography
, social intervention and literary detournement
, both alone and in collaboration with others. This often involves making art in people's local environment, such as encouraging the creation of haiku or renga whilst walking, a modern take on the ginko or 'haiku walk' common in Japan or making poems in and about parts of the local cityscape, and adding them to the environment. Along with Finlay and Culhane, Conneally experiments with renga to produce psychogeographic maps that incorporate haiku
and other poetic texts.
Conneally has been described by the Embassy of Japan in the UK as an "experienced expert" in the field of haiku and led haiku workshops for teachers on behalf of the embassy and Japan 21.
Conneally has worked extensively with schools and community groups all over the UK, encouraging them to make poetry through interacting with their local and wider environment. The poems he has encouraged pupils to create have been critically acclaimed. A teacher's resource film for English called Digital Haiku documents and presents work undertaken by Conneally with young people in rural Shropshire
. The Poetry Society
has listed a number of workshops / intervention pieces by Conneally as 'poetry landmarks'
Conneally has worked with a number of UK museums to encourage the use of poetry including haiku, tanka and other forms to encourage new interactions and interpretations of museum exhibits. His spell as haiku poet in residence in the 'Parade of Life' ukiyo-e
(Japanese woodblock prints) exhibition at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery as part of the Japan 21 celebrations part-funded by the Japanese Government led to the publication of Parade of Life: Poems inspired by Japanese Prints featuring Japanese woodblock prints alongside haiku written by children and visitors to the museum in workshop with Conneally and co-edited by former British Haiku Society Secretary and haiku poet Alan Summers. The book had launches in Bristol
, UK and Akita
, Japan.
His work with school children to produce museum label
s for artefacts on the SS Great Britain
in the form of tanka
, mesostic
poems and riddles is featured on the Teachers' TV channel being used in a classroom by a teacher as an example of model practice in interpreting artefacts.
Increasingly his work sees him working in more diverse artistic forms alongside other artists to make collaborative and solo works in the visual and performance fields as well as texts. In his ongoing piece Walk to Work Conneally transposes the 'walks to work' of individual workers to other places to form the basis of psychogeographic explorations. Walk to Work includes the INVIGILATOR series which has been performed in The New Forest (UK), Derby
(UK), Tokyo
(Japan), Nuneaton
(UK) and Digbeth
(UK)
He has been associated with UK arts organisation, Charnwood Arts, which is a registered charity based in the East Midlands
. 2009 saw the publication of 'The Sound of Water' coming out of an almost year-long psychogeographic haiku exploration of Thurmaston
with the people of Thurmaston themselves resulting in both a book and haiku 'fragments' cut into metal sculptures, wall hangings and benches made by sculptor Richard Thornton throughout a new housing development 'Watermead' built in Thurmaston 2009.
Paul Conneally has edited columns in various poetry journals, including World Haiku Review and Simply Haiku.
DIY band Dum Dum Dum (1978 - 1981?). The band have gained recent notoriety with tracks from their UK DIY post-punk EP rereleased as part of the US Hyped-to-Death record label's Messthetics series including on the widely acclaimed Best of Messthetics album. He also wrote and sang with Iguana Brothers and Bastinado Step. Both bands toured widely and made several national TV appearances. In 2003 Conneally co-wrote the song "The Rainfall" for house music
act 7HQ, which was a top twenty dance chart track. in the UK journal Music Week
.
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, UK.
Poetry and art
Haiku in English
Haiku in English is a development of the Japanese haiku poetic form in the English language.Contemporary haiku are written in many languages, but most poets outside of Japan are concentrated in the English-speaking countries....
and haiku-related forms including haibun
Haibun
Haibun is a literary composition that combines prose and haiku. The range of haibun is broad and includes, but is not limited to, the following forms of prose: autobiography, biography, diary, essay, history, prose poem, short story and travel literature....
and renga
Renga
' is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry. A renga consists of at least two or stanzas, usually many more. The opening stanza of the renga, called the , became the basis for the modern haiku form of poetry....
/renku. His definition of haibun is quoted among others on the Contemporary Haibun Online website. He ran the Haikumania Project, (hosted on the website of The Center for Digital Discourse and Culture at Virginia Tech) where some of his work and others is showcased.
Known for collaborative works based on Japanese renga
Renga
' is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry. A renga consists of at least two or stanzas, usually many more. The opening stanza of the renga, called the , became the basis for the modern haiku form of poetry....
, he has been published and translated. Conneally's projects include hypertext
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
works resulting out of actions initiated by Conneally and others via the internet and in the real world. Conneally's work in bringing linked haikai based works to the internet is mentioned in Currents in Electronic Literacy Fall 2001.
Conneally leads live renga
Renga
' is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry. A renga consists of at least two or stanzas, usually many more. The opening stanza of the renga, called the , became the basis for the modern haiku form of poetry....
sessions across the UK and has explored the form and process alongside other UK artist poets including Alec Finlay, Gavin Wade, Gerry Loose and Anne-Marie Culhane.
In 2002, Conneally was the director of the first Global Haiku Tournament which was organised by the World Haiku Club. The Japan Times sponsored and presented awards to winners
Conneally is associated with the modern Situationist movement through psychogeography
Psychogeography
Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals." Another definition is "a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for...
, social intervention and literary detournement
Detournement
A détournement is a technique developed in the 1950s by the Letterist International, and consist in "turning expressions of the capitalist system against itself." Détournement was prominently used to set up subversive political pranks, an influential tactic called situationist prank that was...
, both alone and in collaboration with others. This often involves making art in people's local environment, such as encouraging the creation of haiku or renga whilst walking, a modern take on the ginko or 'haiku walk' common in Japan or making poems in and about parts of the local cityscape, and adding them to the environment. Along with Finlay and Culhane, Conneally experiments with renga to produce psychogeographic maps that incorporate haiku
Haiku in English
Haiku in English is a development of the Japanese haiku poetic form in the English language.Contemporary haiku are written in many languages, but most poets outside of Japan are concentrated in the English-speaking countries....
and other poetic texts.
Conneally has been described by the Embassy of Japan in the UK as an "experienced expert" in the field of haiku and led haiku workshops for teachers on behalf of the embassy and Japan 21.
Conneally has worked extensively with schools and community groups all over the UK, encouraging them to make poetry through interacting with their local and wider environment. The poems he has encouraged pupils to create have been critically acclaimed. A teacher's resource film for English called Digital Haiku documents and presents work undertaken by Conneally with young people in rural Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. The Poetry Society
Poetry Society
The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry".The Society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society in 1912...
has listed a number of workshops / intervention pieces by Conneally as 'poetry landmarks'
Conneally has worked with a number of UK museums to encourage the use of poetry including haiku, tanka and other forms to encourage new interactions and interpretations of museum exhibits. His spell as haiku poet in residence in the 'Parade of Life' ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
(Japanese woodblock prints) exhibition at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery as part of the Japan 21 celebrations part-funded by the Japanese Government led to the publication of Parade of Life: Poems inspired by Japanese Prints featuring Japanese woodblock prints alongside haiku written by children and visitors to the museum in workshop with Conneally and co-edited by former British Haiku Society Secretary and haiku poet Alan Summers. The book had launches in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, UK and Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
, Japan.
His work with school children to produce museum label
Museum label
A museum label or caption is a label describing an object exhibited in a museum, or one introducing a room or area, or the whole museum.-Introduction labels:...
s for artefacts on the SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain was an advanced passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first...
in the form of tanka
Waka (poetry)
Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...
, mesostic
Mesostic
A mesostic is a poem or other typography such that a vertical phrase intersects lines of horizontal text. It is similar to an acrostic, but with the vertical phrase intersecting the middle of the line, as opposed to beginning each new line....
poems and riddles is featured on the Teachers' TV channel being used in a classroom by a teacher as an example of model practice in interpreting artefacts.
Increasingly his work sees him working in more diverse artistic forms alongside other artists to make collaborative and solo works in the visual and performance fields as well as texts. In his ongoing piece Walk to Work Conneally transposes the 'walks to work' of individual workers to other places to form the basis of psychogeographic explorations. Walk to Work includes the INVIGILATOR series which has been performed in The New Forest (UK), Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
(UK), Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(Japan), Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
(UK) and Digbeth
Digbeth
Digbeth is an area of Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment scheme that will regenerate the old industrial buildings into...
(UK)
He has been associated with UK arts organisation, Charnwood Arts, which is a registered charity based in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
. 2009 saw the publication of 'The Sound of Water' coming out of an almost year-long psychogeographic haiku exploration of Thurmaston
Thurmaston
Thurmaston is a village and civil parish within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. As of the 2001 census its population was 8,945...
with the people of Thurmaston themselves resulting in both a book and haiku 'fragments' cut into metal sculptures, wall hangings and benches made by sculptor Richard Thornton throughout a new housing development 'Watermead' built in Thurmaston 2009.
Paul Conneally has edited columns in various poetry journals, including World Haiku Review and Simply Haiku.
Publications
- Parade of Life: Poems inspired by Japanese Prints, selected by Conneally and Alan Summers. Poetry Can, ISBN 09539234-2-8
- 100 Verses for 3 Estates, a renga word-map of King’s Norton, by Conneally, Alec Finlay and others. Published by Strategic Questions, Commissioned by Birmingham City CouncilBirmingham City CouncilThe Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
. ISBN 978-0-9551611-9-3 - The Sound of Water : A Haiku Poetry Project, Published by Charnwood Arts Feb 2009, ISBN 978-1-903947-24-3
- Digital Haiku Teacher resource and video published by Rural Media
Music
Conneally was a member of UK post-punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
DIY band Dum Dum Dum (1978 - 1981?). The band have gained recent notoriety with tracks from their UK DIY post-punk EP rereleased as part of the US Hyped-to-Death record label's Messthetics series including on the widely acclaimed Best of Messthetics album. He also wrote and sang with Iguana Brothers and Bastinado Step. Both bands toured widely and made several national TV appearances. In 2003 Conneally co-wrote the song "The Rainfall" for house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
act 7HQ, which was a top twenty dance chart track. in the UK journal Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
.