“The Orchid Cage” is a 10-part generative poem inspired by Herbert W. Franke’s sci-fi novel of the same name, written and visualized by Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and artist Sasha Stiles and her AI-powered alter ego, Technelegy. Through intimate collaboration with her co-author, Stiles used elements from an English translation of Franke’s book, including text and cover imagery, as seeds of machinic imagination – resulting in a literary work that honors and tests Franke’s assertion that “computer poetry is undoubtedly the most difficult task of the computer in art.” Each stanza is digitally rendered in a style influenced by Franke’s Oscillogram (1954-58) series, and is part of Stiles’ REPETAE series exploring repetition as a fundamental poetic technique.

VII. You must choose the present. There is no other choice. There is no decision. The present is beautiful but keeps disappearing. The present is a gift. You must try to hold on to it before it's gone forever.

Released on the occasion of the Tribute to Herbert W. Franke, and minted as a 10-part collection, 1 stanza per piece. There are a total of 20 editions of the complete poem cycle (plus 1 AP).

www.tribute-hwf.com www.sashastiles.com #TributeHerbertWFranke #REPETAE