HISTORY

Renga is a historic form of communal poetry governed by a strict set of rules that bind the participating poets and their actions. It is a game of both chance and wit that developed in Japan during the Heian (794-1185) and Muromachi (1333-1573) periods. At the core of this communal writing is the vital principle of ‘disjunctive linking’ requiring any two contributions to make an intelligible whole and preventing three from the same.

Renga is not a model of consensus around a single vision. Instead it provides a frame for the culture of a group to grow dynamically over time. Each participant works with finite resources to make a physical addition to the project. Responding to the particulars of its making, renga enables a reflective dialogue through radical action. Unified by time and material “RENGA: regeneration” is a model for creative and collective action in the environment.

Since 1991 Chris Taylor has conducted several renga projects translating the media and structure from the poetry of words to physical construction.

Documentation of the 1999 Renga workshop at UT Design.

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