Here’s an activity you’ve never heard of. It’s a combination of several activities I really enjoy doing. Let me show you how it works:
1. Take a photo of an interesting scene. Or go through photos you already have and pick one that’s pretty, or unique, or even tragic! It can be of people, places, or events. It doesn’t have to be a prize-winning photo but it should be a picture that has some meaning for you. A color photo is preferable.
2. Write a detailed description of the elements of the photo. Notice the shades of color, the textures, the position of one element in relation to another, sizes and shapes, facial expressions, the over-all look of the photograph.
3. From your description pick out certain themes. For example, if it’s a landscape, your themes might be cloud formations, or pine trees, or river stones. Focus on the different aspects of the picture that are more outstanding than the rest.
4. Then start your search for graphics that depict these different themes. Google “cloud formations,” for instance, and go to images. Start cutting and pasting the images you like. Do the same search-cut-paste for the different themes you have already picked. You’ll soon have a collection of images relating to your original photograph.
5. From your collection of images, start a collage of those images that most depict the “spirit” of the original. Use text boxes for easier movement on the page.
6. If you’ve never written a haiku, start now. The traditional Japanese haiku is a form of poetry about nature, made up of three lines: five syllables in the first line; seven syllables in the second line; five syllables again in the third line. Haikus are now written in different languages about a variety of different topics, but most follow the same three-line sequence. Let your collage inspire you to write a haiku.
7. Voila! You’ve created your first “haikullage.” It’s a combination of photography, creative writing, research, art, and poetry.
Following are my personal attempts
TDescription:
red brick background, wooden cross with a high varnished gloss, latticed gold crown with three spires, a long-sleeved, purple, velvet robe embossed with gold flowers and vines, a small pink flower on the statues wrist, a lei of white flowers attached to the cross, polished brass on the edge of the cross, brown, square wooden pedestal fitted with a gold medallion on the side, black and white tiles under the pedestal, tortured expression on the Christ figure
Themes:
Christ on the cross, wooden pedestals, velvet robe, brick background
Son of Man is born
Blessings in a drop of blood
From His crown of thorns.
Haiku
Description:
round boxwood plants on green grass, garden overlooking the sea, blue bench in the center of the garden, wooden fence at the cliff’s edge, round concrete balls placed at intervals on top of the fence, blue sea in the back ground, near-by island, green lantern with red lid in the foreground, wispy white clouds, small red flowers on a plant near the bench,
Themes: blue wooden bench, boxwood hedges, garden overlooking the sea, sunny day, island in the sea, wooden fence, garden lanterns
Haiku:
Blue bench on a hill
Echoes of a silent hum
When the wind grows still
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TDescription:
3-tiered red and white pagoda with steps up to second level, surrounded by small balcony, third level seems only decorative; 3 small evergreen trees to the right of the pagoda large tree resembling an oak in the middle of evergreens; garden has some low bushes and tall blades of grass growing at what appears to be regular intervals; man made pond in the foreground surrounded by large rocks in front and whitish rocks behind; little boy with a blue pail is bent over the pond surface either trying to catch fish or trying to spot something in the water; what he’s wearing is unclear. Cement arch under stone bridge over pond
Themes: Chinese pagoda, quiet pond, misty sky, river stones, catching fish, blue pail, evergreen trees, fish in water
Haiku:
A pond full of fish,
A rod, a pail, and sunshine
A little boy’s wish.
Description:
man in leather jacket, dark pants, white shirt, blue vest; man standing on neutral colored gravel or sand or a mixture of both; striated red rock back ground appears to be part of a cliff structure; very sunny day, man casts a shadow on the ground
Themes: man standing alone in front of rock cliff; leather jacket; arid atmosphere, obvious line markings on background red rocks, different shades of terra cotta, shadow on the ground, small stones or gravel
Haiku:
Ancient hills of fire
Where sandman casts his shadow
On a deathless pyre.
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Haiku
Two boys on the shore
Big waves breaking on the rocks
Tidepool at the core
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