QUORA COLLABORATIVE POEMS
Since 2016 this ongoing series of works makes use of the ‘question and answer website’ Quora. On this site users are able to submit questions and invite other users to provide answers. Each work begins with a question that falls ambiguously between poetry and genuine curiosity. Previous questions have included ‘Does the sun know it’s dying?’ ‘How much snow can a tree hold?’ and ‘how does my shadow know where I’m going?’. Once the question is posted a range of users will answer, often with very sincere and well informed opinions. The responses can be thought of as the body of collaborative poems whose ‘title’ is the initial question. Below are several linked examples.
Are leaves like hair for trees?
Is a cardboard box still a box when it’s flat?
What is the distance between blue and green?
Is painting something the same as staining it?
How does my shadow know where I’m going?
How does a river know which way to flow?
People from different regions speak different languages. Do animals do the same?
What are some stories your parents told you about how the world works when you were young?
Was there sight in the universe before the evolution of eyes?
Are there weeds in the Garden of Eden?
How many candles would be on God’s birthday cake?
What came first stars or starfish?
Who was the first person to make trouble?