Philip Larkin: Wires

I have made a digital montage illustrating a poem titled: Wires written by Philip Larkin. I was inspired at first by his written definition of the process of poetry. Taking that into account, you could say that I embraced the third stage: setting off the device and re-creating… The poem Wires taken out of its literal sense is about youth rebellion and the problems encountered—as they go up against authority. The Wire is representational of the boundary between the illusion of innocence and freedom and reality.

The illustration shows visual evidence of youth via the spray paint and the space invader graphic. The authority is represented by a figure monitoring CCTV footage and the CCTV cameras. The tree in the background could either symbolize decision-making as well as being older. The background is seen through parts of the wire fencing. This is to show our ability to break through. Larkin explains:

The Process of poetry consists of three stages: The first is when a man becomes obsessed with an emotional concept to such a degree that he is compelled to do something about it. What he does is the second stage, namely, construct a verbal device that will reproduce this emotional concept in anyone who cares to read it, anywhere, any time. The third stage is the recurrent situation of people in different times and places setting off the device and re-creating in themselves what the poet felt when he wrote it. ~ PHILIP LARKIN