by Lea Wind-Friis
Politiken
April 26, 2024
(A rough Google translation)

Four months after the death of multi-artist Torben Ulrich, his last, enormous book is published. But during a celebration of the book it suddenly becomes clear that he has more to say to us.

While the multi-artist and athlete Torben Ulrich was still alive, he was happy to tell with conviction how highly developed Tibetan masters can control their own moment of death. By intense meditation for seven days, they dissolve the physical body, so that everything corporeal disappears and becomes light, also called a rainbow body.

Only hair and nails remain.

In December 2023, he, Torben Ulrich, died aged 95. And in a way he too was transformed into light, and into sounds and new words.

The slender, long-bearded thinker and tennis player from Hellerup is not done communicating with the world around him, even though he is no longer physically present in the world.

The latest manifestation of life on the part of Torben Ulrich is a gigantic book of his visual works entitled 'Still in Play', which has just come off the press.

In the five years leading up to his death, Torben Ulrich worked on the book together with author Lars Movin, and they just finished.

"It was his last wish to have this book made. And he was with me all the way", says Lars Movin, who has written seven books together with Torben Ulrich.

When there were only a few weeks until he died, Torben Ulrich was still reading through texts from the book and making comments, his wife has since said. And the highly detail-oriented person actually got to the point where he had no more corrections.


He is missing from her

People pour into the elongated rooms with the white light at Galleri Tom Christoffersen in inner Copenhagen, just around the corner from Rundetårn. Soon the guests gather around Molly Martin, Torben Ulrich's widow and business partner.

This Thursday afternoon there is a reception for the release of 'Still in Play' and everyone wants to greet her. In the last many years of Torben Ulrich's life, it rarely happened that the two were not together, and you cannot see her without also seeing him, who is not here.

Molly Martin continues to live in the USA in the couple's shared house, and for almost all of those present, it is the first time they have seen her since Torben Ulrich's death.

Almost at the front of the greeting queue for Molly Martin is the 46-year-old pianist and composer Søren Kjærgaard, who since 2006 has been close and made music with Torben Ulrich. Music played by Søren Kjærgaard on piano and Torben Ulrich on "voice, words, nonsense, downpipes & a bag full of tricks".

Molly Martin talks for a long time with him, who is standing in front of Søren Kjærgaard. The air in the room becomes warm and heavy, and the bar runs out of glasses for water and wine. When it finally becomes the tall musician's turn, sports researcher Søren Riiskjær, another close friend of Torben Ulrich from the old days from the environment at Gerlev Sports College, makes mine slip in front.

Molly Martin catches the situation, throws out her arms and says, "we're doing a double salute". She disappears behind their bodies.

It otherwise seemed unlikely that Torben Ulrich would throw himself into a new major project after the publication of his latest book, 'Boldens Øjne, Værens Ben', which was published on his 90th birthday in 2018.

The book had been about 40 years in the making, and it was finished in a regular final sprint, where Torben Ulrich set aside physical pain to focus on writing, and where, according to him, his wife would like to say: "Now see to getting the crap done" .

In connection with the birthday and the publication of 'Boldens Øjne, Værens Ben' in 2018, the married couple were in Denmark for several weeks. On the last evening in Denmark, he and Molly Martin drank tea with married couple Marianne Barlyng and Michael Kamp from the small publisher Spring, which Torben Ulrich had insisted should publish the book, even though a large Danish publisher had also offered.

When the hosts received an artwork by Torben Ulrich as a gift, a touched Marianne Barlyng suggested making a book of his visual works.

"Molly said, 'it might be,' while Torben said, 'yeah! yeah! yeah!'", says Marianne Barlyng.

"Then they left, and we sat back with our picture and thought: We have to do that".

The result is a print run of around 800 books and thus over 2.5 tonnes of embodiment of Torben Ulrich's visions.


The voice lives

Large pots and clay objects jut out from their podium places in the gallery space towards the street.

As the reception spreads between the podiums, gallerist and host Tom Christoffersen, with a certain weight in his voice, urges people to pay attention to the exhibited works by artist Inger Sift Heeschen. So far so good.

Next to a podium with a jar and a clay mink head with the title 'Mink Dynasty' stands Søren Kjærgaard.

For him, Torben Ulrich was like a mentor, he says, and the reception today feels like a milestone in processing the loss.

"Not a day goes by without me thinking about him. I knew today would come and I've tried to prepare for it, but it's been difficult'.

It turns out that Søren Kjærgaard also has some Torben Ulrich candles in stock, which will eventually be shared with the outside world. In 2017, they started working on a new musical work, for which they also recorded material in 2020. Søren Kjærgaard has many hours of recordings lying around with Torben Ulrich, who recites texts.

Some of it makes the musician dread what it will be like to listen to.

"Parts of it I haven't been able to work on since he passed away. But I have to start again,' he says.

Elsewhere in the room, documentarian Andreas Johnsen moves around with his camera. Several of the guests tease him because most of them have seen him walking around like that many times by now.

For the past ten years, Andreas Johnsen has been following and filming Torben Ulrich, and the footage has now been cut together into a documentary that will be finished during this year. More lights in stock.

The result is a "very personal film", says Andreas Johnsen. It is sad that Torben Ulrich is gone, but, he adds:

"Most of all, I am grateful. I don't lack anything, which I have received in abundance from Torben, not just film-wise, but also person-to-person,' he says.

In a corner, someone has picked up a chair for Jørgen Leth, filmmaker, poet and more. Many stop by to say hello or even take pictures of him, which he is used to and willingly accepts.

"It's a strong publication", he says, referring both to the book 'Still in Play' and the way it came to be.

Jørgen Leth talks about the film 'Motion Picture', which he made in 1970 about Torben Ulrich.

'Motion Picture' was a very important work - for me! We made an unbreakable friendship. I admired him too'.

What is it like to have known a person for so many years who is now no longer here?

"Well, it's strange. But it would be something for Torben Ulrich to think about the extent of life. He could probably make beats out of it", says Jørgen Leth.

At one point, author Lars Movin moves through the company with a chair raised high above his head. When he crawls sideways between two of the jars, a nervous "uuuuh" goes through the assembly before it falls silent. Lars Movin steps up onto the chair and speaks.

"Was Torben ready to leave here? I have no idea, I can't know. But I'm sure there was more he would have liked to have done had he had the opportunity. Much more,' he says.

People listen silently. Some have used one of the ceramic works of art as a mute for a soft hat. Others put canned beer on the podiums.

"Let's celebrate that he was here and that in a certain sense he is still here ... still in play", says Lars Movin.