Carl Abrahamsson: Here To Go On

The autumn of 2012 has been intense, to say the least. I worked together with Fredrik Söderberg on preparing new Edda titles for 2013 plus new photo books for TraparT. And wrote more myself, in preparation of more books of my own. In all, it’s been a loving trip in the universe of words and books.

As an extension of this focus, Edda co-arranged (with Martin Palmer, Forum Nidrosae and teks.no) a symposium in Trondheim called Here To Go 2012. We also published the anthology of the same name that was presented at the symposium.

The concept naturally stems from the seminal book Here To Go: Planet R-101, in which Terry Wilson discusses art and magic with Brion Gysin. To say that Gysin’s and Burroughs’ work on upheaving traditional views on writing, painting, magic etc has been important is a severe understatement. To honour their important achievements, we hope to make the Here To Go symposium a more or less regular event.

We began our Norwegian trek with a wonderful Edda evening at Oslo’s most remarkable book store, Cappelens Forslag (a beautiful hole-in-the-wall that feels like the living room of someone you really care for). Fredrik and I talked about our books and ideas together with an attentive and inquisitive crowd.

Me, Didrik Søderlind and Fredrik Söderberg at the amazing Cappelens Forslag bookstore in central Oslo. If you ever go there, don't miss this place!

After a long but beautifully scenic train ride up to Trondheim, we were ready to take part of the Meta Morf-festival, which was a one month long celebration of the intersection between art and technology organised by teks.no. Here To Go was launched this year as an integrated part of the Meta Morf-festival and this made us very proud indeed.

Saturday the 20th of October meant Here To Go-time. It was great meeting up with our participating friends: organiser Martin Palmer, Andrew McKenzie (who had spent time in Trondheim during the previous week, doing one of his legendary ”Simply Superior” workshops), Gary Lachman, Kendell Geers, Karen Nikgol and Jesper Aagaard Petersen.

After Martin Palmer had opened the get-together as such, I began with a talk on the thin line between fact and fiction. I argued that we have now been overwhelmed/overrun by fiction so that fact (so called) is now in a minority stance. This is specifically apparent in the fields of magic or the ”fantastic” – fields in which the fiction of sorcery has now become the sorcery of fiction.

Norwegian-Iranian artist Karen Nikgol continued with an elaboration of mind/no mind as spiritual concepts in the theatrical arts and scenography, giving ample examples from his own opera.

The finest Fortean mind in this Universe: Gary Lachman!

Celebrated American author Gary Lachman went very audiovisual in his talk on Aleister Crowley on film. This was not so much a clinical or chronological analysis of Crowley-references in film history, but rather a very entertaining talk and screening of well selected clips predominantly from ”B”-movies, from the 1920s and onwards.

Jesper Aagaard Petersen, a professor at the University of Trondheim, talked about Megapolisomancy – how the big city as a concept and sentient entity takes part not only in art but also in occultism and many other contemporary phenomena. With Joseph Beuys as a stepping stone, Jesper elegantly wove in Alan Moore, Fritz Lang and Thomas Pynchon, to mention but a few, in his web of dark revelations.

Kendell Geers reclining after a day of talking and listening to a lot of weirdos! His own talk on Marcel Duchamp was highly appreciated.

South African-born artist Kendell Geers delivered a very enthusiastic talk on Marcel Duchamp and magic. A new movement of esoteric duchampiana seemed to be in its birth spasms when Kendell really got going. Especially intriguing were the references to Duchamp’s use of the pentagram, the Acéphale group and the connections between Maya Deren, the Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles and Duchamp’s Magnum Opus, Etant Donnés.

Andrew McKenzie of Simply Superior and The Hafler Trio. His workshop with students in Trondheim left them blissed out and satisfied but they had a hard time explaining how or what had actually happened. You need to experience a workshop yourself in order to figure it out – the first step is to contact Andrew via the Simply Superior website.

International sound guru Andrew McKenzie, who has recently delved into psychological research and methods of experimental therapy more than continuing his audio-based art project The Hafler Trio, talked very convincingly about processes of learning and assimilating habit-breaking methods.

After such massive doses of talks and ideas, the day slowly wound up in a panel discussion in which the particpants conversed with the audience on any and all topics.

After this illuminating day (at least to me!) with its fantastic opportunities of networking, we were all very happy but very tired. A grand Indian dinner brought some of the energy back and the chilly Trondheim evening air was a-buzzing with experimental concepts and intellectual pipedreams of the very best kind – the inspiring kind.

The book, which also contains an essay by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge called Thee Mourning Nudes, was very well received by those present. It has also been well received by our usual network of booksellers (and buyers) so we have high hopes that both the symposium and the anthology will become a recurring phenomenon.

Very special thanks are due Martin Palmer, Espen Gangvik, all the participants, all the party-cipants, plus the Oslo contingent, especially Pil, Didrik Søderlind, Aleksandra, Cappelens Forslag, Galleri Riis, everyone who came and everyone who bought books. It was a joy, so let’s do it again!

And, yes, let’s not forget that the Here To Go 2012 anthology is still readily available at the Edda website.