Atemkristall - symposium and concert | Romanian Cultural Institute
Arts
Literary Arts
‘Poetry: that can mean an Atemwende, a breathturn. Who knows perhaps poetry travels this route – also the route of art – for the sake of such a breathturn?’ – Paul Celan, 1960 In 1965, the Goethe Institute in Paris hosted the exhibition Atemkristall (Breathcrystal), comprising a collection of 21 poems by the Romanian-born German-language poet Paul Celan, mirrored by eight etchings by his partner, the French graphic artist Gisèle Lestrange. The poems were later published as the first of five cycles making up the volume Atemwende (Breathturn), about which Celan made the above statement. As a polyglot, he felt this Breathturn to be the precise moment at which language opens up to a multiplicity of meanings; the point at which it breaks down and is reformulated into new words. To write without citation, not referencing the grand narratives that have gone before, and to ‘let only your own words speak’ on their own merits. It is the play of one language to another, adjusted by a touch of equivalence, being transported from one idea to another through material exchange. This perpetuum mobile of language, the visual arts and word play is brought about by a systematic interaction between walking, memory, and current events, whereby the poem creates an equivalent experience, which can be revisited and explored multiple times. In 2020, the Beyond Other Horizons exhibition at the Palace of Culture, Iasi, Romania, showcased 84 artists from Romania and the UK, responding to Celan’s poetry, to celebrate 100 years since his birth. Curated by Peter Harrap, Anna McNay and Florin Ungureanu, in partnership with the Iasi Palace of Culture, Iasi ‘George Enescu’ National University of the Arts, and UCL SSEES, it focused on the themes of Walking, Language and Otherness. Works on paper exploring Walking, Language and Otherness remain the touchstone of our Atemkristall exhibition, but with the added interplay of visual equivalence, as originally conceived by Celan and Lestrange in their exhibition of the same name. In addition, there will be three vitrine displays: one featuring archival material relating to Celan and Lestrange; one with specially selected small paintings by Peter Harrap, responding to poems by Katy Holbird; and one with a collaborative work by poet Harriet Tarlo and artist Judith Tucker, who tragically died in an accident in November 2023. Paul Celan was born in Czernowitz, Romania, now Ukraine, in 1920. Gisèle Lestrange was born in Paris, France, in 1927. Peter Harrap, artist and curator, PhD(c) Iasi, George Enescu University, Hon UCL, SSEES Anna McNay, independent writer, editor and curator Florin Ungureanu, artist and curator, Iasi Palace of Culture, Romania This exhibition is supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute, the British Council Romania, the Warburg Institute, UCL London, and National University of the Arts ‘George Enescu’ Iasi, Romania. The exhibition will tour to the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and Berlin. Events on Thursday 20 March, starting at the Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London, SW1X 8PH and continuing at the Blyth Gallery, Level 5, Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ: Symposium: Romanian Cultural Institute, 11.45am-3.30pm Concert: Romanian Cultural Institute, 4.00-5.00pm Private view: Blyth Gallery, 6.45-8.30pm The symposium is supported by the Warburg Institute, UCL London, and National University of the Arts ‘George Enescu’ Iasi, Romania. Following a welcome by by Aura Woodward, Head of ICR London, there will be seven short lectures and a panel discussion on the intersection of poetry and art in the work of Celan and Lestrange and in the work of contemporary artists. Speakers include Peter Harrap, Anna McNay, Florin Ungureanu, Andreea Scridon, Marius von Brasch, Bianca Boros, Harriet Tarlo, Susie Hamilton, Barbara Howey, Alex McIntyre and Fiona Robinson. See below for full schedule. The concert features music by the Romanian pianist Cristiana Achim and is organised in collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute, London. See below for programme. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Celan 105 Atemkristall Symposium, Romanian Cultural Institute, London 11.45am Arrival 12.00pm Welcome by Aura Woodward, Head of ICR London 12.15pm Peter Harrap, British-Romanian, artist and curator, Introduction to Atemkristall, a visual arts and poetry collaboration between Gisèle Lestrange and Paul Celan 12.30pm Anna McNay, British, writer and curator, 'It must be hard to love a poet': Gisèle Lestrange's relationship with Paul Celan 12.45pm Florin Ungureanu, Romanian-British, curator and artist, Encountering Paul Celan in the paintings of Anselm Kiefer 1.00pm Andreea Scridon, Romanian, Ekphrasis Poetry and Translating the Self in Poetry 1.15pm Marius von Brasch, German-British, artist, Silence, Turn, and Crystal: On Making Wordless Poems 1.30pm Bianca Boros, Romanian, artist, Experimental Painting as Visual Poetry 1.45pm Harriet Tarlo & Judy Tucker, British, poet & artist, Collaboration and Cross-Fertilisation between People, Poetry, Fine Art and the More-than-Human world 2.00pm Coffee/tea break /BYO snacks 2.30-3.30pm Panel discussion: Visual Poetics or Metaphorical Imagery? chaired by Anna McNay with Susie Hamilton, Peter Harrap, Barbara Howey, Alex McIntyre, Fiona Robinson 4.00-5.00pm Concert by Cristiana Achim, pianist RCM Cristiana Achim - Little Cloud Passing By (3’) Maurice Ravel - Jeux d’eau (6’) Enrique Granados - Goyescas : El Amor y la Muerte (14’) Dinu Lipatti - Early Compositions Suite (7’) Cristiana Achim - Song from Maramureș (3’) George Enescu - The Romanian Rhapsody no 1 (10’) 6.45-8.30pm Private View 6.45pm opening remarks HE Laura Popescu to open the exhibition
or Aura Woodward/ Peter Harrap/ Anna McNay/ Florin Ungureanu followed by networking in the gallery space
Information Source: eventbrite