Kunsthall Trondheim’s fall programme ends with an exhibition period that will present a selection of works that in different ways uses text and poetical language. The exhibition’s main piece is a work in three parts by the Swedish writer Lotta Lotass. Redwood (2008-9), Hemvist (2009) and Kraftverk (2009-10) are originally interactive productions for the Internet, which were published as an on going series during a couple of years. In the exhibition we will show a film version compiled from all three works and with the accompanying texts read by four voices.
All three works build on the artist’s collection of postcards. In the first, Redwood, we meet images of the enormous redwood trees, the men working in the forests and their histories. The postcards from early 20th century is a kind of documentary photography, showing the life and work of the time, and still — with their hand coloured and stained surfaces — they linger on the border between reality and a more dreamlike state which add meaning outside of the documentary content. Also the texts oscillate between and combines the factual and the not quite real, even if some texts in detail describes the tools and the process of conquering the huge trees. The same duality is found in the two other parts of the work: Hemvist, images of mental hospitals, as well as Kraftverk are depictions of the overwhelming and uncanny, and of our society’s wish to contain and make useful. They also tell a story about how the use of the postcard has changed over the years, and in this way highlights an part of media history that is often neglected.
The Swedish artist Peter Thörneby, presents two works: Italics (2011) and the wall installation Inverse Night Sky (2009). In a conversation with poet Martin Högström (published in the magazine OEI #59) Peter Thörneby describes Italics as ”a sculptural object that connects to the poetry book. It resembles a small stage, where words and phrases react with each other. Or like a square, a public place where different things happen: someone is attacked, someone else is being courted.” He also says that he was searching for ”a way to work with text that wasn’t so related to writing”, and a text that occurs in ”a kind of simultaneity, which resembles the way you read an image”.
Lotta Lotass was born in Borsheden, Västerdalarna in 1964. She lives and works in Gothenburg. Since 2009 she is a member of the Swedish Academy. Lotass’ work was published in 2009 by Göteborgs Poesifestival and by the artist herself (Voices: Viktoria Folkesson, Pär Luttropp, Lars Väringer and Sabina Ögren). Peter Thörneby was born in Stockholm in 1973 where he lives and works. He was the designer of Kunsthall Trondheim’s first logotype.
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On the night of the opening we present a poetry programme with readings by Peter Thörneby, Kristin Berget and Kaisa Aglen. The event is a collaboration with Norsk Forfattersentrum Midt-Norge, and finishes off a day of poetry in Trondheim.
Earlier in the day you are welcome to Trondheim Public Library for a lecture on contemporary poetry with Trond Haugen (National Library) and readings by Ingrid Storholmen and Terje Dragseth.
Kristin Berget (1975) published her first poetry collection Loosing Louise in 2007. It was followed by Der Ganze Weg, in 2011 and Hennes Ansikt in 2013. She is considered to be one of Norway’s most recognized poets. Berget writes painterly about complicated topics as language, identity and gender. Kaisa Aglen (1985) had her debut as a writer in 2012 with Kvar i kroppen sit ingenting, which was a fragmented and delicate exploration of intimacy and absence. The book was well received, and Aglen is considered being one of the most exciting poets of her generation.