Taksonomie, taksidermie en diorama : bewaring in die poësie van Johann Lodewyk Marais

Abstract

In hierdie navorsingsverslag word die omgewingsgerigte poësie van Johann Lodewyk Marais ondersoek. Marais se verskuns word onder meer as “groen”, “omgewingsgerig”, “ekopoëties”, “bioregionaal” en “biogeografies” beskryf en kritici is dit eens dat sy oeuvre ‘n sterk bewaringsingesteldheid vertoon. Marais se eiesoortige bydrae tot die bewaringsdiskoers (deur sowel sy verse as kritiese uitsprake) word hier geëvalueer aan die hand van sekere sleutelkonsepte uit die museum- en bewaringswetenskap wat telkens as metafore in sy poësie figureer: taksonomie, taksidermie en diorama. Saamgelees met Halloran se idee van die teks as argivale ruimte of museum, word hierdie konsepte (naamlik taksonomie, taksidermie en diorama) voorgehou as ‘n leesstrategie waarmee die bewaringsgesinde poësie van Marais gedekodeer kan word.

This research report focuses on the environmental poetry of Johann Lodewyk Marais. His poetry has been described as “green”, “environmental”, “ecopoetical”, “bioregional” and “biogeographical” and critics agree that the oeuvre displays a strong element of conservation and even preservation. Marais’s unique contribution towards this discourse of conservation is assessed by utilising certain key concepts from museology, which frequently manifests in his poetry as metaphors: taxonomy, taxidermy and diorama. Halloran’s notion of the text as archival space or museum, read in tandem with these concepts of taxonomy, taxidermy and diorama, is then presented as a reading strategy for decoding Marais’s poetry.