Individual residencies / Olot
CARMEN BERASATEGUI VERÁSTEGUI
From Monday, 23 November 2020 to Monday, 30 November 2020
Bio
Carmen is a passionate professional in the cultural sector born at the Basque Country and living in Barcelona. With extensive experience in the management of publishing projects and arts events. She has worked for the prestigious Hay Festival of Literature & The Arts in its international editions and for Revela’T Festival in Catalonia. Currently she is editor for Trampa ediciones and she runs NUDO, festival de poesía desatada, in Barcelona.
In recent years she has participated as an artist/poet in exhibitions and festivals, both nationally and worldwide. She likes writing and working with collage, photography and video.
Carmen is a member of the Association of Women in Visual Arts (MAV), the Societat Barcelonina de Collage and the Photobook Club in Barcelona.
In 2019 she published her first poetry book ‘Donde planean los pájaros’ (Piezas azules) and she is writing her second one.
Project
Home is a haven from all kinds of storms. And in a time when everyone was confined to their homes, sheltered from the virus and fear, I have lost the home of my childhood. That loss has been my inspiration and starting point for this writing project.
My aim during my stay at Faber is to research (about origin, identity, home, family belonging), to work on new poems and shape the structure of my new book, ‘Nido’ (nest).
The Faber residence in Olot, promoted by the Institut Ramon Llull and the Olot City Council, has given me the opportunity to develop a creative work that, otherwise, it would have been very difficult for me to carry out. The residency offers you a room at the Hotel Riu Fluvià, with all the imagined comforts, and a half-board regime. In addition, the apartment for residents, with its kitchen, living room, terrace and the invaluable help of Pepa and Gavina, are spaces and resources that encourage and stimulate work and concentration.
The hotel has an excellent location, in the middle of nature - you can take beautiful walks without stealing too much of your daily time - but a stone's throw from the town, which makes it very comfortable for everything.
In my experience lived here for a week, the mental and emotional state in which one immerses within a few hours of arriving are the ideal ones for introspection. I was immediately comfortable with wonderful views of the mountains and fields of La Garrotxa, and a large desk to work at. I don't have to worry about anything. I repeat: I don't have to worry about anything. This is a feat for a person who has two jobs, two children and an artistic activity that he carries out by stealing hours of sleep. Just write. Write all the time. And also have time to write well, that is, documenting myself, reading other things, reflecting, walking ... all the activities that can be carried out at
I have felt in glory. Motivation, inspiration and concentration.
The satisfaction with the experience and the result is immense. Here all my thanks.
