Breaking Lines: Futurism and the Origins of Experimental Poetry

The Estorick Collection starts 2025 by exploring the revolutionary world of experimental poetry.

This exhibition explore the beginnings of Futurist poetry, with a particular focus on forms that reflected the movement’s desire to “redouble the expressive force of words” by emphasising the visual and sonic dimensions of language.

This contextualising display complements another exhibition focusing on the work of Dom Sylvester Houédard (1924– 1992), widely recognised as one of the masters of concrete poetry. A Benedictine monk and noted theologian, Houédard wrote extensively on new approaches to creativity, spirituality and philosophy, and collaborated with figures such as Gustav Metzger, Yoko Ono and John Cage.