visual poet: Laura Kerr
   interviewer: Elisabeth Sweet

//chat process for (–local): Laura Kerr sends past artwork to Elisabeth Sweet; work prompts question from ES; LK answers with artwork description;

LK: The Seine River (2022)
Levels, Lines and Flows

ES: Rivers witness the rise, fall, and transformation of civilizations – of people – along its shores. What can we learn about the concept of “importance” from a river?

LK: This visual poem, with its graph-like form, traces years of recording the restless rise and fall of the Seine River in St. Boniface—As a child, I admired its tranquil waters, yet every spring, hidden currents whispered of unseen perils, a slow, surging breath that could sweep all away.

These lines and levels echo the river’s silent witness to shifting civilizations—of mud and stone, dreams carried by the current. It challenges us to see “importance” in the quiet, persistent forces that shape our world, both seen and unseen.

LK: Prairie Space (2022)
attachment in earth tones

ES: Does a sense of belonging make a place home?

LK: “Prairie Space Attachment in Earth Tones,” is deeply personal. The minimalist design and earth tones reflect the prairies’ simplicity and vastness, places that hold special significance for me. ‘Does a sense of belonging make a place home?’ For me, it’s the emotional connection to the land and memories that truly define home. This piece reflects how the landscapes of my past continue to shape my sense of belonging.

LK: Computational Gimli (2022)
a poem
of separation

ES: Distance motivates the evaluation of proximity, separation invites unity. What technologies help bridge these natural gaps?

LK: The glitch aesthetics in “Computational Gimli: A Poem of Separation” serve as a metaphor for the imperfect nature of our digital connections, symbolizing how technology both disrupts and unites us. These glitches highlight the gaps and separations we experience, while also reflecting moments of “frozen” technology – when connections are paused or disrupted. The glitch becomes a symbol of both the fragility and potential of technology, capturing the complexities of bridging distance through imperfect digital means.

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Laura Kerr (@LauraKerrArt) is a Canadian Artist + Visual Poet. She is a recipient of Queen Elizabeth Il Diamond Jubilee Medal for her contributions in Art. instead of relying on a singular style, Kerr’s work gains recognition through her threading of place + space with & between a wide range of mediums including painting & AI.

Elisabeth Sweet is a poet exploring patterns of randomness between the self and the other. her work has exhibited in group shows in New York City, Paris, and Tallinn. in Berlin, Sweet hosted an exhibition of the poem PIE which she wrote about a relationship in the form of a recipe. for the exhibition, she invited two local bakers to translate PIE into cake, and everyone ate the art. read PIE on Electric Artefacts and follow Sweet at @speciesofvalue on Instagram and X/Twitter.