Application of Audiovisual Effects to the Poetry Collection "Tajaeed al-Ma’a" (Water Wrinkles) by Mahdi Al Quraishi

Adapted from recent changes, developments, and advancements in the contemporary Arabic qasida composing, which has evolved into a different spirit through its inclination to arts such as storytelling and novel writing, it has shifted from reading to audiovisual texts. Poets are trying to contemplate the integration of contemporary qasidas in their poetry via visual arts such as theater and cinema. Inspired by the audiovisual effects inspired from the fine arts, these poets represent different types of interpretations in contemporary poetry more than ever. These new effects have opened up a different window before critics’ eyes to better explore the mental state of the poet through cinematic imagery, text-related sounds, and the representation of open and closed cadres. Contemporary Iraqi poet Mehdi Al Quraishi tries to portray the war in his homeland with his self-consciousness and, by producing audiovisual effects in his poetry collection "Tajaeed al-Ma’a" (Water Wrinkles), illustrating the bitter reality of the war in Iraq. This paper employed a descriptive-analytical method, attempting to determine and explain the audiovisual effects in Al Quraishi’s poetry. The findings show that Mehdi al-Qurishi has used audiovisual effects to transform the story from a reading text to a non-reading text. Al-Quraishi's insistence on dim, non-transparent light reflects the poet's hurt emotions and turmoil in his homeland. Using the sounds of nature, he has been able to devise an aural background suitable for visual imagery and poetic imagery.