A note on : Printing, live, with Ane Thon Knutsen at ROM gallery, Oslo

“A unique live letterpress printing event by Ane Thon Knutsen and SJ Fowler at ROM Gallery, Oslo, Norway, on February 17th 2024.

With no text pre-written, Knutsen and Fowler created the poem in situ, using first a generator which displayed Norwegian words which are understandable phonetically in English (with both participants and audience choosing the words by chance) and then writing poems live, turning phrases from English into Norwegian, with special attention to composite words and what is found lost in immediate translation. As each phrase or line was decided upon it was then printed by Knutsen on strips of paper using a typeface designed by Stefan Ellmer.

These strips of poems were then hammered into the gallery wall in an order of sorts by Fowler. Over two hours the poem took shape, in Norwegian, mostly understandable out loud in English.” My first poem in Norwegian! I’m quite proud.

Thanks to Helena Bjørnevik Ottesen and Gjertrud Steinsvåg at ROM for their hospitality and support.