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Back in 2010, organizing small 'Home'Baked: literary artzines in the age of the internet' exhibition at London's bookartbookshop, Belfast based comics artist Andrew Luke sent me copies of his hand-written, hand-drawn, self-published title Absence based on experiences of growing up with epilepsy.
Within a year Andrew obtained funding (not from my GSK suggestion I hasten to add) to mass produce his title with professional illustrations by Stephen Downey. It's free to view here. Applied cartoon art with pedagogical aim? Yes and no.
Andy, like British comics artist Darryl Cunningham, are not objective commentators using a populist form for purposes of prescriptive social instruction. They are writing and drawing from their own experience, using the cartoon art they grew up with and know well. An artform they enjoy and understand.
I attended readings and launch of Litmus Publishing's sequences and pathogens at Keats' House.
Poetry passed the litmus test. Good humour between poets and biomedical scientists did shine through mutual exchange. I couldn't help but imagine late poet and scientist James Harvey beaming upon this whole endeavour.
& Dorothy Lehane & Elinor Cleghorn does it better.
& James Wilkes knows about different ways of knowing.
& Dr Peter Goodfellow announced "I will never be a poet: I can not make words dance..."
But he did. He voiced a footballer's skill - dribbling tectonic plates of literature and science within rules of game. There was no referee to blow whistle. No shouts of "foul" when Dr Goodfellow referenced those-who-shall-not-be-named among some progressive arts modernists - LARKIN & BETJEMAN. Dr Goodfellow broke a taboo and scored an unexpected goal for team poetry.
And it was not an own goal for team science either. It moved the evening. A first waltz between potential lovers - live five star jossed giants standing on shoulders of dead ones.
Dance bands Angular Momentum Ltd & Lottery/Arts Council of England orchestrated support.
GlaxoSmithKline, alas, this dance did decline.
