🐈 🌰 Julian of Norwich reading night
November 29th (Friday), 202419.30-22.30 at The Church of St. Peter and St. Sigfrid
📍 Dag Hammarskjölds väg 14 - 11527 Stockholm, Sweden
introduction by Judith Kiros
music by Siri Anna Flensburg, Tilde Edlund and Áron Birtalan
Read a medieval mystic as it has never been read before! This event invites you to spend the evening, reading, listening, and drifting to the writings of the medieval English mystic and anchoress, Julian of Norwich. Her key work, the Revelations of Divine Love was written over a span of 20 years, following a series of visions she received on the 8th of May 1373 - and is now considered the first work in the English language written by a woman. Julian is also famous for committing to live the rest of her life as an anchoress - a religious ascetic who takes vows to remain permanently locked in their cell.
Julian's writings exemplify the very best Christian spiritual literature. With vivid and playful visionary language, Revelations… is a poetic powerhouse, attempting to reconcile the existence of sin and suffering with the mercy and providence of God. Through a contemplation of sound, space, and collective participation, you are invited to encounter this famously mysterious person in a new way: we will speak her words and hear them spoken, and maybe try catching some small revelations ourselves.
The evening’s read will be introduced by poet Judith Kiros and soundtracked by Siri Anna Flensburg, Tilde Edlund and Áron Birtalan, who’s been hosting nights like this since 2023. The program is hosted as a part of the Gatherings to Disappear symposium and is hosted in partnership with the Church of St. Peter and St. Sigfried, home of the Anglican Church in Stockholm. The symposium team would like to extend their deepest thanks to Rev. Nick Howe and the church’s community for welcoming us into what will undoubtedly be a special night.
❈ Our invitation*
- Bring something to recline on on from home
- Turn off or put away your phone
- Be comfortable! Remove shoes and uncomfortable clothing
- Join the reading if you want to
- Come and go as you like
- Relax, sleep if you wish
*wording adapted from Lumen Projects' guidlelines
Judith Kiros is a poet based in Stockholm. Her latest poetry collection, det röda är det gränslösa, speaks with and through Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love to consider isolation and community, sickness and devastation. Since its publication, Kiros’ book has received the Svenska Dagbladets litteraturpris in 2023, and the Sveriges Radios lyrikpris in 2024.
Siri Anna Flensburg is a singer and composer working in the realm of contemporary Scandinavian folk music. Before finishing her bachelor's at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, her background -whilst growing up in Copenhagen- was within classical church music. She freely lets old archival recordings and dusty psalm books integrate into dark ambient synthesisers and electric field recordings.
Áron Birtalan is an artist, musician, and student of theology, whose work explores languages of intimacy between angel, creature, and computer. Working with relationships and sense perception as artistic materials, they host guided games, mystical practices, musical releases, unruly thoughts, and hybrid publications. They are currently a PhD Candidate in artistic practice at SKH Dance.
>> more about Gatherings to Disappear symposium