lyrix – Bundeswettbewerb für junge Lyrik

25.01.2017

lyrix is a national competition for young poetry. Each month, youths from 10 to 20 years of age can submit their poems based on a specific theme online. Via the lyrix website, one contemporary poem as well as a museum exhibit serve as inspiration for their writing. In January, the competition will take place in the exhibition spaces of Frankfurter Kunstverein, under guidance of Frankfurt poet Martin Piekar.

For their poems, the participants will seek inspiration from Eric van Hove’s sculpture “D9T (Rachel’s Tribute)”. From all submissions, 5 monthly winners will be selected. From all 60 monthly winners, 12 yearly winners will be selected and invited to a trip to Berlin.

The sculpture D9T (Rachel‘s Tribute) is a replica of a C18 ACERT engine of the caterpillar bulldozer D9T. With 474 hp the caterpillar D9 is one of the heaviest ond most powerful products by Caterpillar lnc. Eric von Hove refers to the D9T, the newest version of the engine, which has been produced since 2004. Despite being primarily deployed on construction sites, various D9 bulldozers were used in war zones, not only to free battlefields from debris or mines and to clear damaged infrastructures, but also to level enemy fighters and alleged terrorist families in their houses. Hence the machine was also used for military actions in Israeli settlements and the Vietnam War. Eric van Hove dedicates this work to American activist Rachel Corrie, who was hit and mortally wounded in Gaza in 2003, when trying to thwart the destruction of a Palestinian house by a D9 Caterpillar named ‘Teddy Bear’ deployed by Israeli forces.

Participation is free.
What’s lyrix…