I declare my existence to be free of state and economic boundaries, and I pay respect only to those who come together to burn the veils blinding us. Those who accept the moment of exchange and know that that in itself is a product, those who understand that excess is imbalance and do not submit to the extremes instilled by this society, those who as a guiding principle in their daily interactions practice exchange, and lead life as a work of art, the worldthreaders who accept no flag nor citizenship because the world is our home, each day our canvas, the freaks who relate to this and know that there needs to be a better way, because this reality, this society, this system, is not an option. I declare my existence an art performance and each one of my movements a product of this performance. As a living, breathing, and constantly changing work of art, I demand a dignified existence.
To clarify: I declare my totality to be a never-ending art performance project, titled “Neverstop”, and only to Neverstop practices shall I abide.
Inspired by the Roerich Pact, an international treaty dedicated to the protection of cultural values, I ask that it be recognized that the defense of my existence as a cultural work be more important than any military defense, as well as than any government, private or public institution and practice. Each one of my words and actions is the product of this life performance and therefore free of any nation or market’s interest. The collected symbols, encounters, actions and events are the living language of my performance and to be considered its products, therefore art by their own standing. The name of each and every one of my actions is Neverstop, the sum of all its parts a universal legacy, neutral and independent of combatant forces.
Pax Cultura: There is no greater value to you than my freedom and continued existence forever protected and unimpeded. There is no greater value to me than your freedom and continued existence forever protected and unimpeded. For this reason I invite you to join me. There is no greater value to our society than unity through art. This is Neverstop.
*November, 2012, New York City. I share this here as a reminder of my name, my purpose and my essence, and as an invitation for you to join me.
To many cultures, the number 33 has high symbolic value, often connected to death and rebirth. To me, 33 marks the conclusion of 5 years of reconstruction.For the past 2 years I’ve been sharing with you the process of this project I call my own Book of the Dead, a study on grief and transmutation (based on my own ancestral rituals, as well as Tibetan and Egyptian teachings), a conversation on becoming new selves and rebuilding after long periods of dormancy and loss.
It is a book accompanied by its own soundtrack under the same title, created along with Brandon Davis , Marie Mark Andersen and Gene Times and mixed by my better half, Dr.Hansen.It is a book with a preface by Beats Academic Oliver Harris, director of the European Beat Studies Network, and translated to German by Klaudia Ruschkowski.
It is a book released thanks to the encouragement of Phil Shoenfelt and Ralf Friel, and is printed in Germany via Moloko Print (Molokoplusrecords.de).To conclude my 33rd year, 10 days short of my birthday, I introduce you to my new poetry book, my Book of the Dead, “Would you like to come home?I will host a listening party at Red Door in the near future for those interested, but let me know if you would like to reserve a signed copy of the book or a set, as I only have a limited amount here in Copenhagen. Get your signed copy at www.reddoormagazine.com/shop or through Moloko.
the”Nature & Culture – International Poetry Film Festival” I’ve been directing through the Poetic Phonotheque in collaboration with Kulturhuset Islands Brygge here in Copenhagen, is happening this Sunday, November 21 and 28. A digital version of the festival will be available from November 20 to the 30th at http://www.poeticphonotheque.com
First of all, allow me to introduce you to the publication of “Nature & Culture” International Poetry Film Festival, created as a collaboration between Kulturhuset Islands Brygge and Poetic Phonotheque with the support of Københavns Kommune.
Cover art and poster art by @leo.e.flores Interior design and illustrations by @fetch_grafik Art by @rita.howis
Essays, environmental poems and all the 128 films participating in the festival are part of this publication, printed locally on recycled paper and awaiting you this Sunday at the festival.
Last but not least, the reception it is already receiving. I am happy to share that Politiken, one of the main newspapers in Denmark, has included the festival in its 5 recommendations of poetic things to do this weekend. (see? poetry is blooming most recklessly. I love it!)
Here’s an interview I gave to Bryggebladet this week which shares my story, my connection to poetry, why I started the Poetic Phonotheque and most importantly, what this collaboration with Kulturhuset Islands Brygge represents, for poetry in a local and international level, and for our community, having access to these projects and events without paywalls nor disruptions.
Bryggebladet, Nov 18 2021
The team effort to make this festival a reality has been a wonderful thing to experience. I am grateful to Kulturhuset Islands Brygge for opening the doors to my concepts, ideas and projects, even though they might sound a bit “niche” in comparison to the common entertainment found all around us. I am especially grateful to Morten, Mads, Henrietta and Solveig for their countless hours of work, as well as to Rikke for the design and illustrations of the book and to Leo Flores for the beautiful posters that adorn the book and give identity to this festival.
Tune in to Trafika Europe Radio right now to listen to an interview I gave, talking about my album “Would you like to come home?”, my collaboration with Gene Atlas, Brandon Davis and Marie Mark Andersen and the releases with Ralf Friel’s Moloko. Later tonight, Bowery Poetry Speaks presents the Red Transmissions Podcast interview with beat poet Claus Høxbroe. Enjoy your Sunday. Let it be filled with poetry. Let it bring you back to life.
The accompanying book with the same title will be released this fall and I cannot wait to share it with you.
But in the meantime, do enjoy this in-depth interview, and give your support by getting your album on Bandcamp. You can also listen to the tracks here:
Nature & Culture – International Poetry Film Festival takes over Copenhagen
Sept 10, 2021 – Copenhagen – Performing arts and activism often go hand in hand, used as tools to deliver messages in need of their voices being represented. In this case, it isn’t a voice or a minority, but an entire planet that needs to be spoken for by those inhabiting it… the main threading line being poetry in interdisciplinary media. That is the concept behind “Nature & Culture – International Poetry Film Festival”, an idea that began during early spring as a collaboration between Kulturhuset Islands Brygge and Red Door Gallery’s project The Poetic Phonotheque, which since the beginning of the lockdown had been collecting the voices of poets from all over the world. Agreeing on the importance of centring the theme around conversations about climate, nature and environment, the open call was launched during the summer to bring together a diverse selection of voices from all over the world.
The festival received almost 300 films, from over 50 locations, such as Egypt, Kosovo, Argentina, Iraq, Taiwan, Australia, as well as many from Scandinavia. The official selection, made by lecturer Solveig Willum and artist Christina Jonsson, is divided into the genres of Poetry Film, Animation, Short Film, Experimental, and Documentary, and will be screened at Kulturhuset Islands Brygge on Sunday, November 21 and on Sunday, November 28, from 13 to 20 CET.
In order to provide an all-encompassing experience for the attending audience, the event includes an exhibition titled “Colors for Climate” by international artist Rita Howis, as well as a collaboration with Xtinction Rebellion who will do a talk on each day of the festival. A series of posters were designed for the festival by Argentinian artist Leonardo Flores, which have been printed locally in recycled paper, as well as a book that documents all the participants of the project, illustrated by Danish artist Rikke Winkler Nilsson.
A number of the filmmakers will arrive to Copenhagen to talk about their productions as part of the program. The general public is invited to follow Kulturhuset Islands Brygge’s website and social media, and to save the date of the festival, which will be screened virtually and onsite at:
Media inquiries can be sent to: Elizabeth Torres (Director of Festival)- poetiskefonotek@gmail.com See the collection: www.poeticphonotheque.com
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A CULTURAL HOUSE IN TUNE WITH THE CITY With approximately 350 cultural events a year, including theater, concerts, dance, communal dinners, comedy and everything in between, there is an experience for everyone at Kulturhuset Islands Brygge.
This ninth of June, “Would you like to come home?” will be released by Moloko Plus Records. It is the first of two releases under the same name, the other being a poetry album, to come out under Moloko print.
This week, I received my copies of the CD, a feeling of dopamine very specifically connected to the satisfaction of releasing a piece of work and knowing it no longer belongs to you, but to the world.
The album consists of 13 pieces, created in collaboration with musicians Jevgeniy Turovskiy in Berlin, and Marie Mark Andersen / Brandon Davis in Spain. As I mentioned in previous posts of my Patreon blog, where I share exclusive content and the creative process of each of my projects, the album was visualized in the form of a spiral in a dream, when trying to figure out how to represent the content of the poetry book, a “book of the dead” written in cut-up technique during a series of trance-like sessions of poetry to bring together the fragmented pieces of a heart clouded by grief through the symbolic adaptation of bardos for our current world.
Innerfold of the CD – Illustrations from the book “Would you like to come home?”
The process felt like digging in with bare hands through the mud to pull out coal from within, not with the intention of sharpening it and turning it into diamonds as is often the practice, but of transmuting it into a free collection of particles that can now return to the universe and take new forms. What I mean is, grief, sorrow, rage, anger, despair… all these emotions coagulate so deeply within us they weigh us down and make us heavy and unable to swim through life at our full potential. And so with this body of work I hope to help ease the process of healing, both through the encoded poetry that guides passage, as well as with music that accompanies the process and can be seen as a trip of its own.
My home studio in Denmark, where I made the album since lockdown didn’t allow for use of our music bunker.
The album was created during the lockdown in these three cities following the concept of the spiral and assigning emotions / sounds / stories and imagery to each composer based on the bardos, so that their interpretation could flow and then it would be them directing the spaces where the poems of each song should be. From what they tell me, each of the musicians involved also took this as an opportunity of personal search and the approach to non-traditional practices for channeling music.
Even Dr. Hansen, who mixed and mastered the album at STC studios in Copenhagen, made sure that this 24hr long session took place under a full moon, (the first super moon of 2021), an experience that brought very personal and emotional moments and visions of release to my heart. An added cool factor is that STC studios is also the place where Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson and Ebe Oke recorded their Dokument #2, but there are many other great musicians and friends who’ve brought their music to life in this temple of sound.
Mastering “Would you like to come home?” at STC studios on a full moon of 2021
This body of work honors the memory of two beloved, complicated, beautiful creatures I once had the fortune of sharing my life with and who chose to go almost simultaneously in July 5 years ago, each in a different continent, both of equal stronghold in my story. Henrik “Heinzz” Malm, my late husband, a musician from Denmark… and David Vanegas, “Hechicero” (The Magician), a Colombian-American musician and shaman whose birthday is the 9th of June, the reason why my two releases of music as Madam Neverstop have come out on that date. So you see, there was indeed a big process of release and transmutation to be done in order to be ready for this new world as one entity.
STC studios, KBH Denmark
My gratitude goes to Dr. Hansen, Ralf Friel, Oliver Harris, Phil Shoenfelt, Jevgeniy Turovskiy, Brandon Davis and Marie Mark Andersen for their help in manifesting this album, and big thanks to Koda Kultur for their support, which allows for independent artists like me to focus on the music.
Back cover of albumWould you like to come home? Track 12 of the album, by Madam Neverstop.
P.S: Promotional material for this includes postcards from the photography session with Zarko Ivetic done in Marielyst (where the book was written). Patreons of 6 eu and up will soon be receiving a signed postcard.
Human rights violations by Colombian government pile up amidst national strike.
Answering the calls for organized peaceful protests against the “tributary reform” announced by Colombian President Ivan Duque, (a series of tax increases on goods and services, as well as an income tax increase on members of the middle and working classes), union workers, students, families, activists, government opposition and members of the general population gathered in various cities since the 28th of April exercising their democratic right to assemble and protest. As people gathered in the streets to show peaceful expressions of discontent, members of Duque’s government and the media began calling the people “terrorist vandals” and “organized criminals” with the president announcing on a televised speech that the actions of “destruction of property and messages of hate” would not be acceptable.
1708 cases of police violence have been documented, with 222 cases of physical violence by the police, 312 violent interventions by the public force, 10 cases of sexual violence by the police, 831 arbitrary arrests, 22 victims of aggression to their eyes and 110 cases of fireweapons shot by the police (numbers documented on Grita platform by @tembloresong from April 28 6am to May 5 of 2021). Of the 37 fatalities by the police, 19 year old Santiago Andrés Murillo passed away from a projectile weapon wound to his thorax in Bogotá, with witnesses stating it came from a police officer; 86 year old Jesus Florez died of inhalation of gasses in Risaralda on the 30th of April, and in Medellin Jefferson Alexis Marin died of a gunshot wound to the head.
In addition to the cancellation of the reform, the list of requests drafted by community leaders of the strike includes the removal of Health Law 010 and a strengthening of covid vaccinations, a basic rent or at least a monthly minimal salary law, subsidies and defense for national production, established rights for employees including the right to food, no discrimination due to gender, sexual preference or ethnic bg and a cease to glyphosate fumigations (glyphosate’s distribution has been banned in many cities of the US and studies have linked it to cancer).
The United Nations’s spokeperson of the comission for Human rights in Colombia Juliette de Rivero confirmed that members of the commission have been physically assaulted and threatened in Cali while they investigated violations of human rights to the protestors.
Ex-president Alvaro Uribe, member of the right-winged party Democratic Center and currently under investigation for the False Positives scandal under his mandate, had his tweets blocked for encouraging false information and violence due to posting in support of the current armed response of the Colombian military.
Some of the consequences of the current turmoil include the devaluing of the Colombian peso due to financial instability (with an already weak economy and current unemployment at approx. 17%), the endangering of the general population due to the current spread of the pandemic, and a hospital system already on the verge of collapse.
EU spokesman Peter Stano said it was a priority to stop the escalation of violence “and to avoid any disproportionate use of force by security forces.” US State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter underlined the right of all people to protest peacefully: “Violence and vandalism is an abuse of that right. At the same time, we urge the utmost restraint by public forces to prevent additional loss of life,” she said. Amnesty International called Tuesday for an “end to repression of protests and the militarization of cities.”
The hashtags #soscolombia (S.O.S Colombia) and #nosestanmatando (they’re killing us) as well as #elparosigue (the national strike continues) are being used by the Colombian population in the country and abroad to bring attention to the hundreds of videos and witness accounts of police brutality, violence and militarization, claiming for international intervention to a country once again ravaged by violence.
The national strike continues.
Written by Elizabeth Torres (Madam Neverstop) Edited on the 6th of May to reflect the updated numbers of the 5th of May.
Photos by Miller Almario Gamba for Red Door Magazine.
Those being the main platform of all of my networking / documentation work at the moment, since the pandemic removed the performance aspect completely (and the rest of the creations revolve in the artistic field rather than the cultural organizing).
My constant search for good content curated around subjects and topics of both relevance and interest, brings both an insane amount of work, and an insane amount of satisfaction. From intimate conversations with personalities I would otherwise never get the chance to interact with, to the linking of like-minded minds and the birthing of collaborations and new projects through the collective efforts of others in a similar “game” as me. Or what do you call this… existence.
So, for now, three updates:
1. Red Door Magazine issue #26 is now available in printed format for the collectors, and it looks incredibly beautiful. I learn more and more about the formatting and publishing process through each issue, and in this one specifically celebrate the collaboration with Martin Andersen, a Danish illustrator who said yes to combining his skills with the poetry submitted for what I imagine as a collectible book of illustrations and poetry in the future.
Then there’s the collaboration with Argentinean illustrator Leonardo Flores, who filled the rest of the magazine with incredible illustrations, such as the ones accompanying the article by climatologist Jason Box:
And of course, the featured artist, David Van Gough, who provided exclusive new art from his upcoming show for this issue, and whose fans actually took a good amount of the magazines home upon his announcement of the publication being available: https://reddoormagazine.com/product/red-door-magazine-26-the-resilience-issue/
The magazine can be acquired here, and I recommend checking out the previous issues, as there’s still some available of 25 and 24, and they’re equally visually enticing.
2. Red Transmissions Podcast: Episode #35 is now available for listening via the website reddoormagazine.com/podcast or through your favorite podcast providers, such as iHeartRadio, Pocketcast, ApplePlay, Spotify, etc. This issue introduces a most excellent character named Andrew Singer…
Poet, translator, educator, cultural organizer, and director of Trafika Europe Research, the project of international documentation of literary activity in Europe through a radio station, podcasts, publications and events. This is also the episode in which we officially announce our partnership, meaning the Red Transmissions Podcast episodes relating literature of relevance to the organization will be also streamed on their radio station, as well as provide a platform for the promotion of music, spoken word, experimental poetry and other material relating literature in Europe. I am excited and looking forward to seeing what this looks like.
3. A Galleryhappening has just taken place at the new location of Red Door, finally. Which makes me happy, because this year under pandemic lockdown has made me miss not just performing but also organizing events at Red Door that involve various performative elements, and you know, poetry in every aspect. But now, for 24 hrs on the 25th of March, Red Door served as the incubator, from where artist Andreea Vlad celebrated her 33rd birthday by drawing a portrait of herself every hour. You can read more about this on the gallery’s website.
Those are the immediate updates, but in a NEVERSTOP lifestyle, there’s always something cooking. If you enjoy these initiatives and would like to give your support, please join me on PATREON.
I will be spending the weekend at the studio with Doktor Hansen, mastering my upcoming album “Would you like to come home?” and I cannot wait to share this with you.
In the fall of 2020 my poetry book The Ways of the Firefly was released by Moloko Print in German and English, and from this book, a poem was chosen to build a collaboration project with composer Jevgeniy Turovskiy where we combined multimedia aspects of creation to deliver this poem in a more encompassing way. The result? a short film that includes music, spoken word, film and animation. The film has now been screened in various festivals around the world, and I am delighted to finally share with you today:
One thing is to kickstart the year, and another one is to let it kickstart you. I am not sure which of the two is happening yet. Little is certain these days, now that we’re approaching our one-year anniversary of being in the middle of a pandemic. I try to stay on my toes. To keep nostalgia and worry at bay, not because I’m in a competition of productivity (I find those e-newsletters and posts about staying productive in a pandemic quite dismissive of the trauma and confusion we all need to cope with, each in a different way) but more because the way my brain is wired, little else keeps me at ease than that world of creativity, where I am the ruler and shaman, and reality is not as strong nor aggressive…a place where by healing I can hope to heal, and where I slowly submerge myself until I know very little of the current reality.
I am sure I am not the only artist hiding away from the news flush through creative endeavours. Whereas a sort of paralysis first was the main subject of discussion in most of the (now fully virtual) circles I am a part of, now, slowly, as we adjust our eyes to the scenery, the documentation begins to flow naturally. Documentation, yes, because no matter how within ourselves we are, well, artists are just reflections of the world around them. Surreal, distorted versions, sure. How else would one attract the attention of an already busy brain?
What has not been happening, though, is the part of feedback and release that usually helps us feed our own machinery to make it a more democratic, reciprocal process. There’s no live shows and by default no audiences, which means no purchases of our products and no exposure to new audiences. There’s also a lack of support to independent artists and to projects that do not fill the mold of “how do you envision life after pandemic” or “art as a new covid-friendly possibility”, and for many of us who do not live off of grants and private sponsorship, the challenges have multiplied because our shops are closed during lockdown, and we’re not able to work and provide the funds for our art as we would.
Nostalgia – From my series Lexicon of Uncertainty
All of this is to say, if you are encouraged by the work of the artists around you, please let them know this by sending words of support, or buying prints and art, or sharing / reposting their work. In my case, there are various ways in which you can show your support: -The free alternative is, of course, share my website and the website of Red Door, so people can learn about the projects I manage. -You can join me on Patreon from 3usd a month. From 6usd and up you will receive a thank you Red Door shirt, and depending on your interests, other tiers provide prints, magazines, and even freelance support to your project. -You can visit the Red Door shop and acquire books, prints or original art from myself or other artists.
By doing so you can ensure that Red Door Magazine, the Poetic Phonotheque, the Red Transmissions podcast and all my other activities continue functioning seamlessly, providing free access to information and entertainment, as well as the documentation of the network all around us.
In spite of the stagnant vibe, I mentioned I’m staying busy, so let me give you an update:
The finishing touches are being added to my upcoming book “Would you like to come home?”, a bilingual poetry edition in English and German, translated by Klaudia Ruschowski, which will be released in Germany by Moloko Print this spring.
I am also working on an album! It is in connection to this book, and I have recruited the help of two amazing musicians, Brandon Davis and Jevgeneiy Turovskiy, because there ain’t no distance when it’s time for music. I will keep you updated on this process.
Red Door remains closed due to the lockdown, so I am using it as my very private atelier for the moment, until I am allowed to reopen. In the meantime, I have refilled the stock with a beautiful collection of miniature books, handmade notebooks with typewritten poems on the covers, signed prints, and original art.
The Poetic Phonotheque keeps growing and it is waiting for your poem. Add your voice by sending an MP3 to reddoorny@gmail.com or visit the phonotheque here.
I have interviewed a wonderful character in the world of translation: Michael Favala Goldman, who spoke from Massachusetts about his poetry and his experience in the world of literary translation from the Danish language to English. There is a trilogy coming out in January of the work of Tove Ditlevsen in the United States, which includes his translations of “Gift” (Dependency) and I invite you to learn all about it on this episode of theRed Transmissions:
And if you’re in need of some warming up into the year, visit Red Door Magazine for this very steamy issue #25th, the DEVIANT issue, which features photography by Alejandra Guerrero aka Corporate Vampire, and the art of Ervin Van Muriel, along with poetry from various continents on the subject of Deviance. If you’d like to acquire a collectors copy, visit the Red Door shop or send me an email.
Issue #26 is still on the works, with the theme RESILIENCE, and the due date for content submission is January 25th, so send your poems, articles, art, or other media to reddoorny@gmail.com
Yeah, that should conclude this first communication. To sum it up, I am well, I would love it if you joined me in Patreon, the music and the poetry keep on guiding me, and I hope that you remain strong and hopeful, but not naive, through these current times.
Elizabeth Torres 