taipuisi

Taipuisi is a term used in contemporary poetry to describe a set of practices that foreground the materiality of text—how typography, spacing, and page layout participate in meaning alongside the words themselves. The term does not have a single, universally accepted definition and is used mainly in online discussions and among poets in Indonesian-language contexts to denote experimental work that treats the form of the page as an active element of the poem.

Etymology and usage

The word taipuisi appears to blend puisi, the Indonesian word for poetry, with a component suggesting typing or typesetting. This pairing signals an emphasis on the physical presentation of text as part of poetic meaning, not merely the sequential words.

Characteristics

Taipuisi commonly features concise lines, unusual lineation, and deliberate white space. It often experiments with typographic choices such as font variation, alignment, and layout to influence reading, pace, and interpretation. Some taipuisi also integrates digital media, code fragments, or visual elements, creating a hybrid of text and image where form and content interact.

History and reception

The definition and boundaries of taipuisi are informal, with references mainly arising in online communities and among poets who explore text as a visual or typographic medium. It is not widely institutionalized as a formal genre, and opinions on its significance vary, ranging from appreciation of inventive form to critiques of vagueness in categorization.

See also

Poetry, experimental poetry, visual poetry, typography in poetry, digital poetry.