The first seven International Festivals of Text-Sound
Composition were held in Stockholm. In 1975 and 1976 it was held at the National
Poetry Society in London, and then back to Sweden for the Tenth festival in
1977. The Eleventh festival was held in Toronto in 1978, and the Twelve and last
festival was in New York. There also has been two 'commemorative' Text-Ljud
festivals in Sweden held by Fylkingen in 1984 and 1993.
The history of the International Festival of Text-Sound Composition is covered in some detail in Teddy Hultberg's Swedish essay in the anthology collection, FYLKINGEN (Stockholm: Utgiven På Fylkingen förlag, 1994).
Venues for sound poetry performance since the ending of
the 'official' annual festivals have continued to survive since the eighties.
Public interest in the work as well as opportunities for the itinerate sound
poet, appear to come in waves as has been symptomatic of the development of the
art form all along.
Besides the
occasional sporadic regional or international festivals, current practitioners
find themselves being invited to festivals and concerts were sound poetry is one
of the many forms of expression of a particular art being focused on such as
computer music, experimental poetry, visual art, sound sculpture, story-telling,
jazz. and performance art, to name a few. Though it may be the case that the
defining activities which established text-sound and sound poetry back in the
sixties have blurred into the background so that it no longer has a clear
definition, it still remains an active and creative way
of working.
