Lisa Robertson reading Weeds: For the Natufians
Talks and readings
, 18:00

Lisa Robertson, Weeds: For the Natufians

This recorded reading is an audio file that will be launched on Monday 29. June, 18:00, and will also be available later, on Vimeo, Youtube, Facebook and on the programme page for the series.

Lisa Robertson is a Canadian poet, essayist and novelist who lives in France. Her most recent books are The Baudelaire Fractal, and 3 Summers, both from Coach House Books. She teaches and lectures frequently in contemporary arts communities, most recently at the Royal College in London, and in the Masters of Artistic Research programme at KABK in The Hague. This recorded text, Weeds: For the Natufians, documents the archaeological excavation of the Natufian culture in the Levant by the British archaeologist Dorothy Garrod, in the 1930s. In the context of Simone Fattal’s exhibition, it tells the story of a very long duration of telluric making and formal invention, often by women, deploying all of the documentary variation and inconsistency within the research as structural rhythm and sonic plenitude.

On the talks and reading series
In response to a limitation in our live program capabilities in 2020, Bergen Kunsthall has produced a new series of recorded talks and readings with local and international artists and writers, developing a dialogue surrounding our exhibition program and exploring practices of local artists which we will be presenting to wider online audiences.

This new series utilises the input of artists and writers to initiate dialogues in connection with our current exhibition program and expands upon themes socially and politically relevant within their own studio practices. Artists invited in the series include Annette Kierulf, Kobie Nel, Elsebet Rahlff and Maia Urstad with three readings provided by Lisa Robertson, Elvia Wilk and Rebecca Tamás.

In her recorded audio piece, ‘Weeds: For the Natufians’, Lisa Robertson documents the archaeological excavation of the Natufian culture in the Levant by the British archaeologist Dorothy Garrod, in the 1930s. In the context of Simone Fattal’s recent exhibition ‘Fix Your Gaze Upon Saturn’s Rings’, it tells the story of a very long duration of telluric making and formal invention, often by women, deploying all of the documentary variation and inconsistency within the research as structural rhythm and sonic plenitude.

Elvia Wilk talks about roleplay and the politics of the art world in relation to Adelita Husni-Bey’s exhibition “Maktspill”, and then reads some sections from her novel, Oval. Her novel, set in a fictional version of Berlin, deals with questions of social performativity, the corporatization and depolitization of art, and the relationship between the creative class and urban landscapes.

Reading from her first full length collection of poetry, ‘WITCH’, Rebecca Tamás reacts to the work of Bergen-based artist Kobie Nel and elaborates on the notion of gossip as feminist strategy within her own writing. Tamás’ is the editor, with Sarah Shin, of ‘Spells: Occult Poetry for the 21st Century’, published by Ignota Books. She is a former winner of the Manchester Poetry Prize, and the recipient of a Fenton Arts Trust Early Career Residency. Rebecca currently works as a Lecturer in Creative Writing at York St John University, where she co-convenes The York Centre for Writing Poetry Series.

All talks and readings will be made available here after publishing

Part of Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. Re-Imagine Europe is initiated by Sonic Acts (NL) and coordinated by Paradiso (NL) in collaboration with Elevate Festival (AT), Lighthouse (UK), INA GRM (FR), Kontejner (HR), Landmark / Bergen Kunsthall (NO), A4 (SK), Disruption Network Lab (DE) and Ràdio Web MACBA (ES)

Release dates and times:

Mon 28 Jun 18.00
Lisa Robertson, Weeds: For the Natufians

Wed 1 Jul 18.00
Elvia Wilk, Reading from Oval

Sat 4 Jul 18.00
Maia Urstad in conversation with Karen Werner

Mon 6 Jul 18.00
Kobie Nel in conversation with Julie Lillelien Porter

Wed 8 Jul 18.00
Rebecca Tamás, Reading from Witch

Sat 11 Jul 18.00
Annette Kierulf in conversation with Axel Wieder

Mon 13 Jul 18.00
Elsebeth Rahlff in conversation with Eva Rowson

In this first installment of the summer talks & readings series, the Canadian writer Lisa Robertson presents an audio recording of her reading her text “Weeds: For the Natufians” in the context of exhibition by Simone Fattal “Fix Your Gaze On Saturn’s Rings”