EKHO A Poem in Three Parts

A profoundly playful poem in three parts, developed from an art installation, that considers the ‘echo/ekhō’ as a social and historical phenomenon

From Ekhō, the nymph of Greek mythology whose voice was stolen by the gods, through to the advent of the Amazon Echo smart speaker, the echo has been described as a condition of voicelessness, unfulfilled desire, loss and entrapment. These poems reconsider echoing as a poetic practice and as an orienting device that tunes the world into itself.

Ekhō is a book that combines Ancient Greek mythology with big tech to produce a philosophical, political and psychological exploration of love, capital, voicelessness and rage. A poem in three parts, through poetic narrative, this work considers the ‘echo’ as a social and historical phenomenon. From Echo, the nymph of Greek mythology whose voice was stolen by the gods, through to the advent of the Amazon Echo smart speaker, the echo has been described as a condition of voicelessness, unfulfilled desire, loss and entrapment. These poems reconsider echoing as a poetic practice, and as an orienting device that tunes the world into itself.

ROSLYN ORLANDO is an artist, writer and gardener based in Melbourne on Wurundjeri Country. Her writing and artistic works explore relationships between language, history and technology. She studied journalism at the University of Sydney, and Arts Politics at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.