Universal loneliness by Lilwaukee

Lilwaukee (real name: Lilith Kempynck, born in 2001 in Antwerp, living, creating and studying in Brussels) contacted publisher Bruno Devos to help make her book of writings initiated in London at the start of 2023.

Universal Loneliness simmers on Lilwaukee’s train of thoughts and feelings that pass by her young and active brain. These sporadic reflections, poems and anecdotes are jotted down, sprinkled throughout the book in both childlike handwriting (imitating her younger self) and with text font.

This is a personal object, that reflects the over-excitement for living and therefore the fear of being bored when dying. Lilwaukee is a young voice of today much like Amanda Lovelace and Coco Capitán, she takes her observations and feelings and puts them into a form of art in an unfiltered manner. Without fear, but still driven by uncertainty manifested in Generation Z, Lilwaukee universally taps into the loneliness that comes with your thoughts and future responsibilities.

Universal Loneliness is a hardback, pocket-size, poetry book with 54-pages and 600 unique covers published in December 2023. This book has 600 hand-stamped clothing tags that are attached to each white linen hardback front cover

"I am a social and talkative creature often leaning on others. I am twenty-two years old and when the teenage years came to an end, a new and overloaded stage of life appeared with high and harsh expectations I had set. Because of my hyper-active brain, a stormy sea of trouble rose up and so during the first years of my twenties, I longed for a path where I could enjoy being alone.

In January 2023 I went to London, without a particular plan other than to disengage and this led me to writing. The pen and paper became a technique for testing myself to be alone for one month and this loneliness triggered me in ways I did not know before: it spurred an intensity in me. When I returned to Belgium I kept hold of the London energy. I made selections of my writing and thought to myself: ‘okay let’s do this, let’s make a book’.

Universal Loneliness can be seen as a pocket book: a personal object that reflects my thoughts on life, my impatience, and the over-excitement for living and therefore fear of dying. Better said: a fear of being bored when you’re dead. This is a trip through my high frequency brain and the way it’s being filtered. It also engages with how to solely be somewhere and breathe, where there is nothing that keeps me busy but myself and to dwell in awareness of my own head space. It is a luxury to be in a state of boredom and it’s fascinating to create your own entertainment.

Essentially, Universal Loneliness a collection of thoughts, poems and anecdotes. Why poetry? There was no plan for it, it just came into being. Because of the way I’m thinking and writing, it naturally falls into poetry; with vulnerable texts. By showing a playful way of living, I sprinkle my thoughts over the pages, reminding the reader of the sweetness of solitude; a game you can play, a game for yourself.

I struggle to read a book chronologically. When I start reading, I make side notes and scribble words that have nothing to do with what I’m reading at that exact moment. Therefore my writing doesn’t ask for chronology and represents my way of thinking: thoughts in fast flashes. Throughout the pages you will discover pink highlights and sprinkles that highlight the joy that comes with loneliness. Hopefully the reader will continue to add their own remarks. Everything I do and write comes from challenges. For example: write without thinking, or speak to a person even if you don’t want to. Out of those challenges, I explore the underworld of my inner-self, that is not easy to have contact with. If I dare, I get permission to engage with that underworld.

My artist name is Lilwaukee. The name dawned on me when I was challenging myself to memorise all the countries/states by heart. During this frenzy, there was a US state called Wisconsin, and zooming in: Milwaukee. How well the sound of that town agreed with me! The -wauu and the -eeee, like a real rollercoaster ride. Everyone calls me ‘Lil’, hence the merging. It has become an imaginary promised land and the name is an inner-child activation, back when nothing had to make sense. The handwriting in my book is also an imitation of my younger self. To keep her alive."

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