In Devotio Moderna, Sylvia Plath’s Tulips both undermines and structures the work. Fleming deconstructs the poem and creates new combinations with the words – primarily “flesh,” “stone” and “light” are crucial terms – that transform the poem and place it at the service of Fleming’s audiovisual vision. The poetry can be heard, seen and felt in Devotio Moderna, which becomes a highly physical, tangible experience that is amplified layer by layer. The title of the film refers to a religious practice in which collective prayer is exchanged for a gentle, inner prayer.
“Despite the fact that the poem is about illness and is expressed in dark language… fundamentally… Devotio Moderna is about light. Luminosity.” (Shellie Fleming)
