Urban space representations in Cinelândia by Leila Danziger: an intermedial study on poetry and the city

Abstract

Contemporary Brazilian poetry has proven itself to be conducive to exploring dialogues between different forms of artistic expression, especially regarding the intersection of the verbal and the visual. This article, therefore, investigates the inter-medial relationships between poetry and photography in the book Cinelândia (2021), by Rio de Janeiro-based poet and visual artist Leila Danziger. To this end, grounded in intermediality studies (Rajewsky, 2003; 2020), this analysis aims to discuss how the dialogue between text and image contributes to the construction of meanings about urban space in Danziger's poetry. Based on the critical analyses and the proposed theoretical discussion, we conclude that, in Cinelândia, photography plays an essential role, not only as a visual record but also as a critical element, tensioning the processes of memory, monumentality, and the city's everyday life. Furthermore, interactions between media broaden perceptions of urban space, highlighting the complex relationships between history, culture, and everyday life. The proposed reflections indicate that Danziger uses photography to de-automatize the way we view urban space by recording the interaction between individuals and the city. In this way, Cinelândia has constructed a poetics that frequently dissolves boundaries between media, resulting in an innovative and aesthetic approach that highlights the interplay between poetry and image.