dear friends

dear friends,

this e-letter is to invite you to participate in the project IN BETWEEN - a collective blog art piece. Even if we are all different, living different lives in different countries, we have this feeling of displacement in common. You don't know each other, but I have a friendship with each one of you. Many times I think about you, but there is a physical distance between us. When we are living in the same town, well, there's always things going on, life nowadays is fast... Some of you are mothers, there's work, husbands, boyfriends... and our arts that we all try to pursuit, to improve, to struggle to make our best.

Noemi, we got this idea together: to make a blog to write about the IN BETWEEN of our lives, in a time where we need to make important decisions in our lives. The idea just grew up and I like it a lot. You, that are doing a dance and video piece called 'In transit'. We met recently but we are already friends. I think the feeling of displacement we both feel got us together, also a sense of critic, barking, creating. I am glad we met. We always runned into each other at tech center, without really talking, changing numbers and email addresses every time, without really writing or call... We share pertinent thoughts, we think a lot about our mobile world, we feel cultural contradictions in our bodies. Having yoga with you in a skyscraper in the middle of downtown is an amazing experience, with you I am learning how to stop, slow down. Sometimes we talk in Spanish, not often though, we are already thinking in English... You are from Puerto Rico and you live in transit between Philadelphia and New York, working here, having your shows and your husband there, traveling between 2 Chinatowns, dancing in that line in between...

Jiska, I think you are in London now. When we met in Portugal you were an actress and dancer in my film, then you were my shiatsu masseuse, when I was close to a breakdown, then we became friends. Because of you I decided to study massage as well. You were about to leave to Berlin and you told me you would work there as a masseuse for awhile. I thought that was so wonderful, to need just your hands and body as tools of work, being so free to travel...

Gabriela, I don't know where you are now, are you back from China? maybe you are in Brazil... but I know your root now is Lisbon because of your son and I also know how displaced you feel when you are in Portugal, you're home. You lived most of your life abroad, France, Germany and lately you found your 'home' in your trips to Asia where you go practice tai chi with your master every year. I miss having tai chi classes in the park with you. Last time we met you told me about the idea of staying a few months in Sikkim and write a book. It sounds like a plan. You invited me to go with you and I haven't forgot it...

Celine, we always met between Lisbon and the ocean. I won't forget that week in your place when you let me stay to write my script. It was wonderful and then I got sick... it was so windy at the beach... Last time we talked you were back from Greece where you bought a house and you were coming back from Switzerland as well, your country, where you went to film your video project with your grand-mothers. I hope you are working on that editing, I want to see it. Remember that last day of the workshop, in the park? Yes, you were first my student, then my friend. I always found interesting how you were between 3 languages, the french, your own, english, the language of your husband and portuguese the language of the country you live in, it was nice to see how you shift between them.

Naoko, my Japanese friend in America! You are the youngest of this group of women. I know you are trying to stay longer. You came to America very young, 17, right? Then you were back and forward to Tokyo, you lived some time in Toronto... You too, you have a global soul. Have you found a way to get a visa? any luck with work? We are living in the same city and even though... we should meet more often. You have to show me your new animations.


You are my first 5 guests for this blog. If you like the idea and want to do this, write me an email. I have to send you the passwords so you can have access and post IN BETWEEN. If you have other friends that you think might be interested, let me know. Remember that this is a work in progress and it is supposed to last for 1 year. It would be great if we could get in touch every week or every two weeks...

best,
claudia