A Year in Haiku

Jane Murphy lived in Northern California for 30 years before moving to Montreal in 2015. On New Year’s Day, 2017, she began a haiku poetry project, which she sustained throughout the entire year.

During her everyday walks, mostly with her dog Farley, she took iPhone photos of moments that inspired her and then returned home to write a haiku poem. She posted each of these photo/poem combinations on Facebook, sharing with her friends and the larger Facebook public. This daily practice moved Jane closer to nature, to the four seasons, and to her neighborhood in Montreal. It also sustained her through the life events that took place that year, including the death of her father and moving her mother (with advanced dementia) from Florida in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

Jane learned she was a happier person with this daily practice; it became a refuge from the unrest in the world around her. Focusing her attention on a spontaneous moment, she then delighted in the practice of honing her words so they fit into the haiku framework (5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third).

In this exhibit, she shares a select number of these poems and photos as prints and in bound books, and the entire year as a continuous slide presentation. Please feel welcome to stop by and experience this poetry/photo exhibit. Jane’s hope is that it may inspire you to create or sustain your own practice of seeking refuge; maybe you will even try your hand at haiku.

Vernissage event : Wednesday, 28 November from 17 – 20h.

Gallery hours:

Tuesday: 12 – 19h

Wednesday: 12 – 20h

Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 12 – 19h

Sunday: 13 – 18h