Camarade
The Camarade series explores collaboration exclusively between poets, taking the form of events which pair writers to produce and premiere new collaborative poems or artworks, to be performed live. It has been the flagship Enemies project event, with multiple pairs at each reading, sharing their work in short bursts, drawing in large audiences, inculcating an open, communal and engaging aesthetic.
The first Camarade took place in 2011 and has since been commissioned by festivals and galleries, as well as forming the primary collaborative model for all the various international Enemies projects and tours. While this format is used throughout each individual Enemies project, the examples below are the standalone Camarade events. As of the end of 2015, there had been 60 Camarade events.
Camarade 61 at Apiary Studios - January Saturday 16th 2016
The Honeymoon bar in Apiary Studios: A stand alone Camarade poetry event in London to mark the beginning of 2016, the 61st event of it's type curated by the Enemies project, it featured: Lavinia Singer & Ella Frears, John Canfield & Joe Turrent, Simone Gilson & Claudia Juhre, Liddy Gilbert & James Caley, Maren Nygard & Eley Williams, Sarah Kelly & Iris Colomb, Prudence Chamberlain & SJ Fowler, Molly Bergin & Megan Haycock, Olga Kolesnikova & Richard Scott, Susie Campbell & Mike West, Keely Laufer & Emma Mackilligin, Julia Lewis & Annabel Banks, Clover Peake & Giovanna Coppola.
Enemies of the North : a Liverpool Camarade - Feb 18th 2015
The Enemies project traveled to Liverpool for a special Camarade event featuring 16 poets in partnership with the Wolf magazine and Edge Hill University. Some of the northwest’s most exciting vanguardists presented brand new collaborations in pairs, written for the night. It was an extraordinary evening of poetry, full of energy and warmth. The event also served as the launch for the collaborative book 1000 Proverbs.
Steve Van Hagen & Michael Egan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZrHb573Mg
Andrew Oldham & Lindsey Holland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pscQB_8JNY
Elio Lomas & Luke Thurogood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9WEvvu0dE8
Scott Thurston & Steve Boyland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5V6ImYwqqU
Robert Sheppard & the European Union of Imaginary Authors Liverpool Camarade - Robert Sheppard & the European Union of Imaginary Authors
James Byrne & Sandeep Parmar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD6MnII1fAc
Joanne Ashcroft & Patricia Farrell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yIQx3zSHpE
Tom Jenks & I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3eF4bV8Mrw
Camarade at the Interrobang Bookfair - November 22nd 2014
A deliightful time was had curating a wee Camarade, 7 pairs, 14 poets, for Nick Murray's Interrobang Bookfair, at the Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon, London,
Prudence Chamberlain & Eley Williams Camarade poetry at Interrobang bookfair - Prudence Chamberlain & Eley Williams
Jon Stone & Harry Wooler Camarade poetry at Interrobang bookfair - Jon Stone & Harry Wooler
Cali Dux & Simon Pomery Camarade poetry at Interrobang bookfair - Simon Pomery & Cali Dux
Zelda Chappel & Holly Corfield Carr Camarade poetry at Interrobang bookfair - Zelda Chappel & Holly Corfield Carr
Gary Budden & Kit Caless Camarade poetry at Interrobang bookfair - Gary Budden & Kit Caless
Kirsty Irving & Harry Man Camarade poetry at Interrobang bookfair - Kirsty Irving & Harry Man
Enemies of the South: a Bristol Camarade - April 27th 2013 at the Arnolfini
The most Southern edition of the Camarade series took place as part of the Arnolfini's remarkable 4 days festival programme, curated by Jamie Eastman, which featured many of the most innovative avant garde poets and lingual artists working today. It was a unique event, allowing our programme to travel beyond London, commissioned for the Bristol Poetry festival. You can read further about the day here and more info on 4 days here http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/series/4-days & more on the Enemies event specifically here http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/maintenant-camarade.
Enemies of the North: Manchester Camarade
March 30th 2013 Manchester, at the Cornerhouse www.cornerhouse.org/
Enemies of the North was a special Camarade event, a day of original collaborations in poetry, sonic art and visual art, and also a powerful evening of collaboration, celebrating the resurgent north west avant garde poetry and art scene with its energy, intensity and unpretentious affability, as well as evidencing the true width of poetic practice that defines the work coming out of the UK poetry scene at the moment. 13 performances and the launch of 3 collaborative Enemies publications marked an evening that saw poets from London, Manchester, Liverpool, the Midlands, North Wales and beyond showcase the true national character of the Enemies idea.
Featuring SJ Fowler & Chris McCabe / Richard Barrett & Nathan Thompson / Sarah Crewe & Jo Langton / Steven Waling & Matt Dalby / Adam Steiner / Zoe Skoulding / James Byrne & Sandeep Parmar / SJ Fowler & Marcus Slease / Daniele Pantano & David Kelly / Alec Newman & Ryan Van Winkle / Tom Jenks & Chris McCabe & Ben Morris
Gilles de Rais (by David Kelly and SJ Fowler) & the Estates of Westeros (by Ben Morris and SJ Fowler), two books in boxes, were published by Like This press http://www.likethispress.co.uk/ as well as Elephanche (by Marcus Slease and SJ Fowler), a book of poemplays, waspublished by Department presshttp://www.departmentzine.blogspot.co.uk/
Camarade Camarade IV – February 9th 2013 at the Rich Mix arts centre
A huge Camarade with a few hundred people in attendance and inspiring performances all round.. I’m very happy the Enemies under Jerwood Charitable Foundation project could begin in such an atmosphere of pluralism and ingenuity, and that everyone is so enthusiastic about the project.
Camarade III - July 7th 2012 at the Rich Mix Arts Centre
The third instalment of the Camarade series featured original poetry read by collaborating pairs of European poets. Featuring Iain Sinclair & Tom Chivers / Allen Fisher & Philip Terry / Jeff Hilson & Robert Shepherd / Chris McCabe & Tom Jenks / Tim Atkins & Harry Gilonis / Simon Barraclough & Isobel Dixon / Emma Bennett & Holly Pester
Enemies: a celebration of contemporary avant-garde poetry - March 31st 2012 at the Rich Mix Arts Centre
a unique celebration of European avant-garde poetry, bringing Sound & Visual poets together from all over the continent in collaborative performances and a ambitious free artfair for a wholly original night of cutting edge contemporary poetry. Free facsimiles of concrete and visual poetry will be available from stalls manned by the poets and artists, available for exchanging and collecting completely free, while performances from the world of both poetry and music intersperse the evening.
a presentation by the Hungarian Visual Poet Marton Koppany,
sound poetry & installations from:
David Berridge & Nick-e Melville
Hannah Silva & Holly Pester
Ben Morris & Fiona Kennedy & Jon Marshall
Tamarin Norwood & Julia Calver & Patrick Coyle
Ollie Evans & Lucy Beynon & Lisa Jeschke
Poets contributing to the artfair include … Tim Atkins, Simon Barraclough, Richard Barrett, Emma Bennett, Ben Borek, Harry Burke, Anna Cavic, Sarah Chapman, Wayne Clements, Sophie Collins, Swithun Cooper, Becky Cremin, Sarah Crewe, Amy Cutler, Matt Dalby, Philip Davenport, James Davies, Nia Davies, Livia Dragomir, Stephen Emmerson, Amy Evans, Ollie Evans, Irum Fazal, Charlotte Geater, Giles Goodland, Kelina Gotman, Tim Harries, Nathan Hamilton, Lucy Harvest Clarke, Jeff Hilson, Mark Jackson, Peter Jaeger, Tom Jenks, Nathan Jones, Marek Kazmierski, Sarah Kelly, Robert Kiely, Marton Koppany, Alex Kell, David Kelly, Joe Kennedy, Gabriele Labanauskaite, Agnes Lehoczky, Fabian MacPherson, matt martin, Nick-e Melville, Ben Morris, Stephen Nelson, Ryan Ormonde, Holly Pester, Claire Potter, Nat Raha, Daniel Rourke, Beatrice Schulz, Anna Selby, Jon Shaw, Andy Spragg, Marcus Slease, Linus Slug, Jon Stone, Philip Terry, Juha Virtanen, James Wilkes, Paul Williams, Jennifer Wong, Michael Zand and many more.
Camarade II - February 11th 2012 at the Rich Mix Arts Centre
For the first Enemies project event of 2012, 11 pairs of Britain’s most vital poets read original collaborations written specifically, in partnership, for this evening. Featuring Sean Bonney & Keston Sutherland / Chris McCabe & Tom Jenks / Sophie Collins & Sam Riviere / Colin Herd & Patrick Coyle / Maria Fusco & Andrea Brady / Richard Barrett & Nathan Jones / James Davies & Stephen Emmerson / Philip Terry & Jeff Hilson / Tim Atkins & Carrie Etter / Katerina Kashchavtseva & Lucy Harvest Clarke / Peter Jaeger & Marcus Slease
Camarade - October 15th 2011 at the Rich Mix Arts Centre
The very first Camarade event, pioneering the format which would become the primary model of the Enemies project. It featured poets from across Europe joining those in London, with Ilya Kaminsky, Anna Auzina, Karlis Verdins, Igor Isakovski, Lidija Dimkovska / Tom Chivers & Simon Barraclough / Tom Jenks & Chris McCabe / Patrick Coyle & Holly Pester / Sam Riviere & Jack Underwood / Sandeep Parmar & James Byrne / James Wilkes & Ghazal Mosadeq / Emily Critchley & Tamarin Norwood / Sean Bonney & Jeff Hilson / Marcus Slease & Tim Atkins