In this episode, Emer McGarry and Tara Bergin begin a conversation about the practice of ekphrasis – a rhetorical device and form of writing originating from the Greek word for ‘description.’ Bergin and McGarry discuss the ancient and modern usages of this technique and its generative power to transform existing visual artworks into a striking new literary works.

Tara reads her ekphrastic poem Object Theory – a literary deconstruction of Marie Foley’s sculpture, Portrait – itself, an assemblage of found objects: metal, porcelain and wood.

In this episode of The Model podcast, Emer McGarry and Tara Bergin continue their conversation on the literary technique of ekphrasis, with a discussion ranging from mid-twentieth century American poets, Frank O’Hara, Elizabeth Bishop and Sylvia Plath to contemporary songwriters and modern interpreters of traditional music, such as Bob Dylan, The White Stripes and White Raven.

Also in this podcast, artist Suzanne Walsh reads her poem Between the Lights, a piece inspired by the esoteric works of the poet, painter, politician and mystic, George William Russell (Ӕ).