Writing “is an attempt to face and confront the possibility of the language in which you write.” (Yoko Tawada). My bilingual background was the starting point of my exploration of the visual and auditory comparisons between English and Norwegian. Code-switching can control the reading pace and inspire the discovery of new connections between words. However, this creates a second layer of understanding, running the risk of alienation and dismissal for some readers. The effect of this technique encourages unique and personal meanings to be crafted.
Finding the balance between languages is key to my practice. Visual poetry invites a concurrent reading of visual and auditory cues, materiality and context, and relies less on linguistic meaning; thus, creating a space for different languages to be presented and shared. Through visual poetry and the medium of the book, I explore the interplay between words, languages and imagery, and find understanding within the untranslatable.
My books are often multimedia using handwriting, drawing, copying, letterpress and risograph printing. They explore memory and reminiscence through photography, language and layering, often in the context of nature and space. Within the books, my inner urge to connect and communicate is interfered with by the merging of languages. During the process of making, my ideas progressively evolve as they journey between sketches on paper, digital exploration, editing and printed versions.
I design, create and print books for Mellom Press, which I established as a devoted platform to multilingual visual poetry. “Mellom”, meaning “between” in Norwegian, represents the core value of the press, code-switching between languages. Mellom Press publishes small publications and artists’ books, exploring poetry, language and communication through fusing and layering of images and words. In addition, Mellom Press hosts group exhibitions online to share our passion for languages with a wider audience. The exhibitions feature new voices from different countries and backgrounds along with recognised international visual poets.
The Mellom Press online exhibitions have been successful in making the press known and a sought-after platform by renowned international poets. I was awarded the Bookartbookshop Publishing and Curation Award 2020 for my work on Mellom Press and a Norwegian scholarship for my writing. Other publications, exhibitions and performances include Rich Mix, BUoY Arts Centre Tokyo, 3:am magazine, The Poetry Café London, Poem Atlas, Stanley Picker Gallery, Litteraturtidsskriftet Lasso and Bøygen. My two poetry pamphlets Melodilaust tone fall (2019) and E∩N (2018) explore code-switching between English and Norwegian. Though I enjoy connecting, sharing, inspiring and being inspired online, creating and making new books to put on the shelf is my main love.
BOOKS
2020: My Friend the Girl from the Circus published by Mellom Press, London, UK.
2019: Melodilaust tone fall published by Sampson Low and The European Poetry Festival as a part of The Sampson Low European Poets Series, London, UK.
2018: E∩N published by Sampson Low and Writers’ Centre Kingston as a part of Sampson Low Poetry Pamphlet Series, London, UK.
POETRY PERFORMANCES
2023: Performance, International Woman’s Poetry Day, Ryozan Park Lounge, Sugamo, 25th March.
2023: Performance, Music Meets Whiz Cafe with ToPoJo, Whiz Cafe, Tokyo, 14th January.
2023: Performance, Collaboration with Corey Wakeling, JapanUK Poetry Exchange Tokyo, BUoY Tokyo, 7th January.
2022: Performance, Collaboration with Yanita Georgieva, Iklectik Artlab, London SE1 7LG, 2nd July.
2022: Performance, City Trees – Collaboration with Aasne Linnestå, St John on Bethnal Green, 16th June.
2022: Performance, The Materials of Literature, Town House Building, Kingston Upon Thames, 21st Feb.
2021: Poetry, Norwegian poetry collaborations, OPEN Ealing, 23rd June.
2021: Poetry, The European Camarade 2021, St John on Bethnal Green, 3rd July.
2021: Poetry, The Origin, Stanley Picker Gallery, Kingston Upon Thames, 11th June.
2021: Poetry, Poem Burt on the Thames: An Outdoor Walking Event, Kingston Upon Thames, 11th June.
2020: Reading from Multilingual side effect and E∩N, Celebrating Sampson Low – Writers’ Centre Kingston, Kingston Upon Thames, UK, 3rd December.
2020: ‘Odette England – Photography as Material‘, round table discussion with Nicoleta Papaxenophontos and Boglarka Eliz Varga, UAL Graduate Showcase.
2020: ‘Min venn jenta frå sirkuset‘, video poem, Versopolis’ Festival of Hope.
2020: ‘Min venn jenta frå sirkuset‘, video poem, European Poetry Festival -Video Poem Series.
2019: ‘nice, nice, nice, nice’ experiment in code-switching, Nordic Poetry Festival at the Museum of Futures, London, UK, 17th October.
2019: melodilaust tone fall, Norwegian Poetry Focus – The European Poetry Festival at The Rose Theater, Kingston Upon Thames, UK, 4th April.
2018: ‘Multilingual side effect’, multilingual poem, Bablesprech Eurovision Poetry at the Torriano Meeting House, London, UK, 23rd November.
2018: ‘Are You Sleeping with Your Assistant?‘ collaboration with Yvonne Litschel, The European Camarade – The European Poetry Festival Burgess Centre, Manchester, UK, 13th April.
2018: ‘Bølgene-waves‘, collaboration with Hannah Summers, The University Camarade at the Rich Mix, London, UK, 11th February.
2018: E∩N, The writers’ Centre Kingston – A Literary Event About Loving at The Rose Theater, Kingston Upon Thames, UK, 11th January.
2014: Selected poetry, Fanzine and reading, Trafo x3 Poetry workshop, Kristiansand, Norway, 27th-30th June.
2013: ‘Alice’, performance competition, Forfatterfight, Oslo, Norway, 11th December.
MAGAZINES/PUBLICATIONS/REVIEWS
2023: ‘Saku Sakura’ (visual poems) in SCRYPTH SIXTH QUARTER, February.
2020: ‘Melodilaust tone fall‘ by Derek Beaulieu. Review of Melodilaust tone fall. In Live Encounters Books, October.
2020: ‘A Series of Thoughts During Lockdown‘ (poems), in Live Encounters Poetry & Writing, June.
2020: ‘How to Make Sense’ by Freya Jackson. Review of Melodilaust tone fall. In Modern Poetry in Translations, April.
2020: ‘Min venn jenta frå sirkuset‘ (video poem) in European Poetry Festival, 3:am magazine and Versopolis’ Festival of Hope.
2019: ‘Alt eg seier er sant’ (poem) in Litteraturtidsskriftet Lasso, #3/4 , Norway.
2019: Visual poem in Literratura.
2018: ‘Diphthongs‘ (visual poetry) in 3:am magazine.
2017: ‘Trygge omgjevnader’ (poem) in Litteraturtidsskriftet Lasso, #3, Norway.
2016: ‘Kropp mot kropp’ (poem) in Filologen Litteraturtidsskrift, #3-4, Norway.
2014: ‘Konfetti i skogen’ (poem) in Bøygen Litteraturtidsskrift, #3-4, Norway.
2014: ‘Stader eg har sove’ (prose) in Et Al, Forfatterstudiet i Bø, Norway.
2014: Poetry and a short story, Part one, Part two,Deichman Litteraturblogg.
2014: Selected poetry, Trafo x3 Poetry workshop, Kristiansand, Norway.
ANTHOLOGIES & CATALOGUES
2023: ‘Why Do I Act Like a Child When I Talk to my Dad’ in Living with other people, Corrupted Poetry, UK.
2022: ‘Knitting Patterns’ in Trickhouse Press Annual, UK.
2021: ‘Performing Photo-Poetry’ in Photo Poetry SURFACES 2021, Hesterglock Press, UK.
2020: ‘My Friend the Girl from the Circus’ in Temporary Spaces – An anthology of visual poetry, Pamenar Press, London, UK.
2016: ‘Seat number 16A’ (short story) in Ripple, Kingston University Press, Kingston Upon Thames, UK.
2015: Untitled poetry and prose in Bø 14/15, p.167-183, Forfatterstudiet i Bø, Bø i Telemark, Norway.
2015: ‘Eigentleg søv eg ikkje saman med andre’ (Prose) in 31012015, Opening of Kristiansand Litteraturhus, Kristiansand, Norway.
2014: Untitled poetry and prose in Antilogikk, Danvik Folkehøgskule, Drammen, Norway.
2013: ‘Alice’, in Forfatterfight 1, Oslo, Norway.
EXHIBITIONS
2021: ‘SURFACES‘, group exhibition, Bristol Photo Festival, June-Decmber 2021.
2020: ‘Mellom Press’, group exhibition, UAL Graduate Showcase, October.
2020: ‘Anagrams’, group exhibition, Future-facing by Poem Atlas, 15th August-5th September.
2020: ‘ho(ei)me’, group exhibition, Home – multilingual visual poetry exhibition by Mellom Press, 16th July-9th August.
2020: The Circus and Mellom Press, group exhibition, MA Visual Art Summer Show, July.
2020: ‘Untitled’, Ben Judd The Origin – Week 2, Stanley Picker Gallery, June.
2020: ‘The Circus – A Series of Work’, Turn the Page – an online artist book exhibit, May.
2020: ‘Between Hills and Mountains’, Trånslatiøns – an online exhibition by Mellom Press, 11th May-7th June.
2020: ‘Day? Year: March’, Islet Zone – an online exhibition by Poem Atlas, 10th-30th April.
2020: ‘My Friend the Girl from the Circus‘, group exhibition, Temporary Spaces – a visual poetry exhibition at the Poetry Society, London, UK, 20th January-22nd February.
2019: ‘Cover Uncover’, group exhibition, MA Visual Arts Summer Show, Camberwell College, London, UK, 11th-17th July.
2018: Språkleg utvikling (Linguistic Development), solo exhibition, Studio K, Norway, 18th-20th December.
2018: ‘3D poem’, ‘Faces’, ‘Potato’, ‘Runes’, group exhibition, NorskArt – ANSA, London, UK, 22nd-23rd March.
2018: ‘3D poem‘, group exhibition, Scribbling and Scrawling, at the Museum of Futures, London, UK, 22nd February-21st March.
2016: Three poems, exhibition, NorskArt – ANSA, London, UK, 3rd-4th March.
AWARDS
2020: Bookartbookshop Award, Publishing & Curation – Camberwell College
2016: 1st Prize for Effort and Commitment, Creative Writing – Kingston University
2012: Drømmestipendet (Scholarship of Dreams), Creative Writing – Norsk kulturskoleråd, Norway
EDUCATION
2020: University of the Arts London, Camberwell College, London, UK, MA Visual Arts: Book Arts.
2018: Kingston University, Kingston Upon Thames, UK, BA (Hons) Creative Writing with Psychology.
2015: Høgskolen i Telemark, Bø i Telemark, Norway, Forfatterstudiet i Bø (Creative Writing).
2014: Danvik Folkehøgskole, Drammen, Norway, Forfatterlinja (Creative Writing).
COLLECTIONS & BOOKSHOPS
The National Poetry Library: My Friend from the Circus (2020) and How to Make Decisions (2019).
UAL Art Collection: Mellom Press Manifesto (2020), My Friend the Girl from the Circus (2020) and Uncover (2019).
Bookartbookshop, 17 Pitfield Street, N1 6HB, https://www.bookartbookshop.com/.
BOOK FAIRS
2020-21: BABF Bergen Art Book Fair, Bergen, Norway, November 2020-May 2021.
2019: BABF: Bergen Art Book Fair, Bergen, Norway, 14-17 November.
2019: Turn the Page, Norwich, UK, 17-18 May.
2019: BABE: Bristol Artist Book Event, Bristol, UK, 30-31 March.
