Successful defence of Marc Matter's dissertation 'Sonic Poetry: Technological Practices as Creative Methods'

18 July 2025

Photo: PoetryDA

On June 11, 2025, Marc Matter defended his German studies dissertation Sonic Poetry: Technological Practices as Creative Methods.

This is the first dissertation to be completed within the scope of our project. It was supervised by Prof. Claudia Benthien, with Prof. Jesper Olsson from Uppsala University (Sweden) acting as second supervisor. Prof. Julia Nantke from the Institute of German Studies served on the dissertation committee as well (see photo). We would like to extend our warm congratulations to Marc for the successful completion of his doctorate.

From 2021 to 2024, Marc was a research assistant, together with Clara Cosima Wolff, in Sub-Project 1, “Audioliterary Poetry between Performance and Mediatization,” led by Dr. Henrik Wehmeier.

His study examines how “sonic poetry”– a contemporary form that has evolved from the genre of sound poetry – utilizes modern technologies to create experimental spoken-word art. What began in the 1950s with tape recorders has since evolved into a transdisciplinary practice that incorporates elements of poetry, music, performance, and media art, and that is heavily influenced by digital tools. The study explores the reciprocal relationship between humans and machines, as well as the creative potential of poetically engaging with technological methods – an approach that can lead to unexpected results and often emphasizes the liberating and playful aspects of technology.

In the first part, Marc develops central terms and concepts for the description and investigation of sonic poetry for the first time. In the second part, he gives a comprehensive overview of the technologies and artistic processes used. In doing so, he is able to productively draw on his own expertise as a sound artist. In the third part, Marc examines four exemplary works by Alessandro Bosetti, Dagmara Kraus, Jörg Piringer, and Anja Utler, respectively.

The study will be published by De Gruyter in winter 2025/26 as part of our book series Poetry in the Digital Age.