Helialá – A Gathering of Poems

POETRY BOOK LAUNCH. In English, with readings in English an Damiá.

Helialá — A Gathering of Poems is a collection of thirteen new poems, presented in their original languages of composition with translations into the Queer, constructed language Damiá. The poems respond to the thematic impulse of Queer Utopias, and the printed publication represents the fourth chapter from the durational ‘constellation artwork’ With Forests in Our Mouths (2024–25) by Queer performance collective ONCE WE WERE ISLANDS.  A brand-new short film featuring all thirteen poems recorded in Damiá alongside cyanotype imagery will also be shown. Printed copies of Helialá will be available to take home, free of charge to attendees.

Queer performance collective ONCE WE WERE ISLANDS make multidisciplinary performance works, often using the Queer constructed language Damiá as an artistic tool. In 2023, they left Berlin for a new home at the edge of the forest in North Karelia, Finland. The poets featured in Helialá are: Stefani J Alvarez, Jacob Louis Beany, Moss Berke, Dion Zavea (Esther Boles), Micol Curatolo, Alton Melvar M Dapanas, Kit Gee, Sky Jing Lee, Anna T, TEINIART, and Jack Young.

With Forests in Our Mouths is a multi-chapter constellation artwork supported in 2024/25 by the Kone Foundation, and part of the ‘Metsän puolella’ community of arts and research projects.