Diverse Deeds: Tuesday, December 1: Caroline Bergvall + Erín Moure + Roshi
Café Oto, 18-22 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL.
doors open at 7.30; start at 8.00; end by 10.00; entry £6 (£4 concessions).
This new series of poetry and music performance events continues with three fascinating and innovative artists, who each blend distinctive international elements into new and exciting forms.
Caroline Bergvall is one of Britain’s leading experimental poets, with a large international reputation. Her work blends written, spoken and graphic language and different languages – blends performance, art installation, electronic media and written text – blends challenge, information and pleasure. This is poetry really at the point where it mutates into the defining art form for the electronic information age – exciting, stimulating and astonishing. “One of the most influential experimental spoken-word artists internationally” (US Publishers Weekly).
Caroline Bergvall describes herself as “Writer & artist. French Norwegian, based in London”. Her most recent performance in London was as part of the Serpentine Gallery Poetry Marathon in October, and she has performed or taken parts in events this year in Los Angeles, New York, Providence Rhode Island, Vienna and Ely. She is at present one of the UK’s AHRC Fellows in the Creative and Performing Arts.
Erín Moure is a Canadian poet visiting Britain this autumn on a programme introducing two new books, Expeditions of a Chimaera (with Oana Avasilichioaei) and My Beloved Wager (essays from a writing practice). As a professional translator, her poetry is often a language
Erín Moure was recently described as one of the 10 best English-language poets in Canada by the CBC’s Barbara Carey, who also refers to her as “one of our best – and most audacious – at expanding the possibilities of language.” She is a powerful and clear performer of her work, and Diverse Deeds is privileged to host one of her few readings on this visit.
Roshi is an exponent of “stunningly beautiful Welsh-Iranian torch song electronica“ says Mixmag. Born in Wales to Iranian parents, Roshi Nasehi is a singer-writer who presents her own evocative songs alongside sometimes quite radical interpretations of the Iranian songs she was brought up listening to. Her songs reflect her origins, influences and experiences in a personal and unique way accompanied by unusual piano or keyboard arrangements – they are reflective, melodic and quirky – her voice airy and tender but possessed of an inner power. When she interprets Iranian song it is in a personal style bringing a contemporary twist combined with an authentic understanding of context and language.
Roshi, with her band, or alone at the keyboard is a regular and welcome live performer especially in London, developing a loyal following. She has had a new CD out in October, The Sky and The Caspian Sea (with Pars Radio, her band), of both original and traditional Iranian songs. She has performed on Radio 3’s The Verb poetry show, and at Diverse Deeds’ predecessor, Sundays at the Oto.
Wednesday, December 16: Angela Gardner + the voice of Harry Godwin + Mendoza + Nat Raha + Rebecca Rosier
This event links the visiting Australian poet and artist Angela Gardner with readings and performances from a group of young and innovative London poets. More information will follow nearer the date.
Angela Gardner is an Australian poet with a prize-winning reputation in her own country (2006 Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize and 2004 Bauhinia/Idiom 23 Prize). Harry Godwin, Mendoza, Nat Raha and Rebecca Rosier are all poets in their early 20s now (or until recently) based in London and are part of the exciting innovative poetry scene based around small-scale and internet publishing, with strong elements of performance in how they present their poetry.
Diverse Deeds is a series of poetry and music events, each featuring two or three poets and a musician or two. The emphasis is on contemporary innovative poetry, and music at least inflected by improvisation. Diverse Deeds succeeds last year’s successful afternoon Sundays at the Oto events, but now with an evening scheduling. There will be information available on the night (and beforehand online) on all the performers.
For further information:
otherroom.org 