Ardea Alba Egreta
Written by Andrea Halaby

Visually interpreted by ARTJEDI1

Ardea Alba Egreta

-to my father

Three nine-millimeter bullets

pierce his body. 

Dig black holes in the vital organs.

They burn his clothes.

The Blood on the asphalt

is a dry lagoon.

A white heron perches

in the red-pomegranate circle.

Ardea Alba on the mainland:

searches for earthworms, insects

other birds' new born, 

smells the blood 

until it finds food.

Three shots

the echo of lead

orbits inside

my ears.

I do not breathe. 

I do not look at his body on the stretcher.

I do not touch his cold hands.

I do not speak. I do not walk.

The still heron

silently

watches the prey  

uses its beak as a weapon.

They removed his tie.

They have left his 

shiny

black

shoes.

It flies with its neck retracted

unlike storks, cranes, and spoonbills.

I wave a white flag

at half-mast

I call upon the heron

I chase away its flight.

Let it find food

on another sidewalk.

POESIA DE PROTESTA is an exhibition featuring 10 Spanish poems written by Hispanic women. The texts all express a form of protest – political, economic, sexual, or social. Each poem has been interpreted by a visual artist, with curation by Cuban historian and art professor Gladys Garrote.
POESÍA DE PROTESTA es una exposición que presenta 10 poemas en español escritos por mujeres hispanas. Todos los textos expresan una forma de protesta, ya sea política, económica, sexual o social. Cada poema ha sido interpretado por un artista visual, con la curaduría de la historiadora del arte cubana Gladys Garrote.

The Visual element of this collaboration is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged piece by ARTJEDI1. It combines a visually stunning AI-extended photograph from "An Echo Of Chaos" - Waterscapes by ARTJEDI1. The piece explores the idea of a fleeting moment being artificially replicated and the complexity of human emotions in response to a terrible, unspoken event.

Complementing the visual component is a haunting sound collage, meticulously crafted by ARTJEDI1 to resonate with the narrator's emotional state. It mirrors the turmoil and confusion experienced by the narrator, who is grappling with the aftermath of a tragic event. The unsettling audio serves to amplify the sense of unease permeating the piece, drawing listeners into the narrator's emotional journey.

ARTJEDI1’s careful and considerate  collaboration with AI is a powerful exploration of the intersection between technology and human emotion. By using AI to manipulate a photograph that the artist captured in 2010 and creating an evocative sound collage, she raises important questions about the nature of memory, authenticity, and the ways in which we process and come to terms with the unspeakable. This provocative work invites viewers and listeners to reflect on their own experiences and consider the complex relationship between reality and artifice in the digital age.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE (PDF) can viewed and purchased here

ARTJEDI1 a.k.a Béa Kayani is a British contemporary artist and activist who applies a combination of Fine Art painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and now AI, with a delicate interplay of abstract and the figurative. 

Andrea Halaby is an award-winning Spanish author and children’s books collaborator. 

The Installation View
The installation will be showcased at Spike Island Studios April 28-30th, 2023.