‘If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite.’ ~ William Blake

dub: a copy of.
spectrum: the entire range.

dub spectrum is a DIY ethos mainly focusing on writing and lens-based media. Conceptually, I combine photography, haiku and walking in nature to explore its potential as a poetical form. The form orientates from the interconnection between the haiku’s structure (considering juxtaposition and references to nature) and compositional techniques in landscape photography (in particular, balance, leading lines and the rule of thirds). Visually, I draw from a similar creative philosophy, emphasising an aesthetic of mystery through negative space, found in the work of ancient Chinese painters (such as Ma Yuan and Guo Xi) and Zen Buddhist paintings. I grew up in the Teign Valley on Dartmoor and have developed a curiosity towards the symbolism of the river: how it’s evolved in a personal sense over the years (a place we used to swim as kids, party as teenagers and find quietude as an adult) as well as how it appears as a universal metaphor in other cultures (e.g. Taoism and yin-yang). The overall aim is for each poem to originate from a spontaneous, embodied experience (the walk) so is therefore rooted in a specific place and time while simultaneously existing outside of it.

My work also draws from Jungian ideas of myths, fairy tales and the numinous, infused with the despair of punk and existentialism, and how this can be expressed in a modern context through poetry and fiction. I write poems and stories under the pseudonym, Percival Alexander. A synopsis of my debut novel, Adrift in Amnesia, can be found here (with links to its serialisation); info about my first book of poetry, The Cycle Diaries, can be found here.

unityofkana(at)gmail.com