Artist’s Statement
Alone-Edgar Allan Poe: A Visual Poem
By Ezra Aydın
I chose this particular poem for my project because Alone is a poem that I’ve held close to my heart ever since I first read it. I knew that I’d be successful at visualising my interpretation of the poem since I understood the perspective of the artist. Every single time I read this poem, I got a driving feeling with an element of mystery which made me know that I just had to explore the meanings behind these emotions that this poem made me feel and visualise them. And until I did this, I knew that I couldn’t rest.
My initial goal and what I proceeded to do in this project was to create something that was completely mine from the visual aspect but my feelings and Poe’s were shared. I added my own symbolism to the unfiltered emotions he felt, which he interpreted in his own unique symbols.
The first thing I did was to read as many analyses as I could in the given time so that I would push myself into understanding more about what Poe meant in his specific lines and words. Because, much like poetry, no scene in cinema is ever put into place without meaning. Doing this helped me understand his exact emotions along with the real meanings behind the symbolism he uses and I was able to find new fitting visuals to them. While I put a part of myself into this project, I constantly had Poe’s intended message in mind. Which wasn’t difficult for me to remember since his feelings and mine weren’t so different.
While I established the symbolism with my imagery, I also paid great attention to where the subject fell on the frame so that the viewer could share my solitude.
Ezra Aydin 