For the ninth session of our series on poetry and sound, curator and co-host Pia Chakraverti-Würthwein is excited to invite the handbreastheart-kollektiv for a night unlike any other.

The first fires brought light to the dark, warmth to the cold. Fire nourishes. We gathered under the stars to remember our ancestors and give thanks to the dark Mother from whom we are born. Fire burns. This same fire became an instrument of power and control. Used to destroy the archives of ancient wisdom that is the body, that is the land. We were burned to bend our will to the Father. Fire nourishes and fire burns. We, daughters of the flame, have mastered both. We burn with the heat of passion. We burn with clarity of purpose. We rise from the ashes to remember our power, to remember who we are. Love.

The handbreastheart-kollektiv, originating from Nicole Pearson’s play hand, breast, heart, explores collective grief and colonial entanglements through interdisciplinary work in public space. The collective builds connections across divides, uncovering shared histories of exclusion and erasure. Through walks, interventions, and counter-narratives, they transform unspoken trauma into mourning and joy. Composed of Ghasal Falaki, Nicole Pearson, and Nina Berfelde, the collective makes an art of remembrance, resistance, and radical care.

Pia Chakraverti-Würthwein is a curator and writer based in Berlin. She previously worked at Esther Schipper as an Artist Liaison, and before that was a freelance curator on projects with Fondazione Prada, Slavs and Tatars, and SAVVY Contemporary, among others.