Art’s Birthday 2022: Bilder från Nysund / New Sound Images

art, curating, painting, recent work, time-out

Art’s Birthday 2022: Bilder från Nysund / New Sound Images in Gnesta’s Old Watertower

Finally, let’s celebrate! The doors of the Watertower are open; inside, guests are welcomed by an installation of light and ice, glass and water. The green octave paintings – modest in size – are on display along one of the walls. Upon the next three sides of the tower, the pictures transfigure into light projections, opening up to an imaginary summer day.

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the Green Octave, projections by Johannes Ferm Winkler

For myself, this is a process equally wondrous and interesting; from the beginning, years ago, where I take a walk immersed in the light and sounds of the surroundings; next, converting my impressions to a small-sized painting; leading up to this joint venture, where the landscape re-emerges by technical means… or, sprung from the inner nature of human minds. The space floating with light and sound… the landscape transcended.

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On Monday, January 17, the Art’s Birthday network* will support a webradio streaming, where 25+ art spaces around the globe – from Tokyo to Vancouver – will share photo and audio streams in an interactive mesh.

Above: Fold a Hat outside the Watertower, Gnesta 2022; photos by Johanna Dahl and HHW.
Below: Robert Filliou, Rome 1972; photo by Joaquín Romero

filliou

* About Art’s Birthday worldwide: the event was first proposed in 1963 by French artist Robert Filliou, as a public holiday to celebrate the presence of art in our lives. In recent years, the idea has been taken up by a loose network of artists and friends around the world, welcoming new partners working with the ideas of exchange and telecommunications-art. Since 1963, Art’s Birthday has generated parties and gatherings, correspondence and mailart, sound and video art, music composed for telephone lines, radio and (starting in the mid 1990’s) for the Internet – and, following Fillou’s example, the folding of paper hats.

Bilder från Nysund / New Sound Images III

art, curating, recent work, time-out, upcoming

Ljudtornet preparing for Art’s Birthday in the Watertower; testing new projectors, piloted by Johannes Ferm Winkler in the most gracious way. A setup is forming…

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At the same time, in other places: celebrations of Art and of the waters at Nysund are evolving. Sound art, installations and music by Erik Peters, Karin Lindström Kolterud, Tomas Björkdal, Johanna Dahl, Rolf Schuurmans, Patrick Dallard and Julia Adzuki will all flow together here in the next couple of days. Welcome to the Old Watertower in Gnesta on Sunday! Or listen worldwide via Art’s Birthday network on Monday.

IMG_0236(all photos by HHW.)

New Sound Images / Bilder från Nysund I

art, beauty, upcoming

So, once more Ljudtornet / Soundtower will celebrate Art’s Birthday in January in the old Watertower of Gnesta; partly a live performance, partly a webradio event, where some of my works will be rendered into sound art, music and projections. A first gathering and planning already happened, with Tomas Björkdal of Ljudtornet and Johannes Ferm Winkler graciously joining playfulness and professionality. Next step will be taken in a few days… 

Planning session in the Watertower, photo HHW.

the green octave, May 2012

Two series of diary paintings from the Nysund bridge were selected: the Green Octave (2012), and the Pentatonic Scale (2019); all of them sized ca 20 x 41 cms, oil paint on wood panel.

191211x5a pentatonic scale, November 2019; 20 x 40,5 cms each

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The live event New Sound Images / Bilder från Nysund will take place in the old Watertower of Gnesta, on Sunday, January 16th at 14-17.
Map and contacts here:
https://ljudtornet.org/om-about

The web radio streaming – Soundtower on the Bridge – will happen on Art’s Birthday, January 17th 2022 through the Art’s Birthday network:
https://www.artsbirthday.net

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Progress

art, beauty, upcoming


I’ve long ago lost count of how many times I’ve strolled around this little lake. Some of the walks ended in the studio, and were transformed into diary paintings; recordings of light and colour. Last month, I took the same walk – as always, staying a while on the crossing between the two lakes; listening and recording. Afterwards, I opened the I Ching – the Book of Changes. It then gave me the image of Lake over Earth, also known as Gathering Together. This was on point, really, since Ljudtornet/ Soundtower had just invited me to a collaboration for Art’s Birthday in January… Even more heartening, the Book of Changes suggested the gathering would transform into Fire over Earth – signifying Progress.

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Approaching the lakes

Yesterday, I took that walk around the lake once more. Sun was low even in midday, on this day between a full moon and the winter solstice. I met a friend from long ago. A chilly northern wind swept over the lakes. No birds were to be seen…

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Nysund bridge

…but another day – back in the 1950’s – a man went out here to collect bird sounds with his tape recorder. When playing the tape afterwards, he heard not only birdsong, but also awkward sounds like distant human voices. He believed these strange recordings to be messages from the deceased, and committed the rest of his life to explore them. The man lived right beyond this bridge, and must have crossed it many times. His name was Friedrich Jürgenson.

Here and now, I just rejoice in being. In the upcoming Art’s Birthday celebration, some of the Nysund diary paintings will be transformed into sound art and light projections by my Ljudtornet colleagues – I’m deeply honoured, and very happy.

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For the Enrichment of Society III

art, curating, recent work

So, this is the second one of KonstFunk exhibitions x2. We’re happy to present eighteen woven tapestries by Adrian Nehard – on display at Södertälje City Hall until April 20th. This body of work relates to The Songs of Maldoror (written by the self-appointed comte/count Lautréamont and originally published in 1868); reviving their poetic imagery in contemporary colours and textures, by the use of rags, pearls, paint, and embroidery.

“Songs of Maldoror” tapestries by Adrian Nehard
at Södertälje City Hall, March 2020;
photos by Christofer Martinson

The exhibition is curated – largely by my colleague Eva-Karin Planman – to form an open labyrinth, hovering around a flowform water sculpture by Nigel Wells. On Friday March 13th, Adrian Nehard met practising alchymist and artist Lisa Jeannin in an ad-lib Artist Talk.

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Lisa Jeannin with Tarot card in front of tapestries;
photo Christofer Martinson

The audience followed closely, as Adrian and Lisa walked and talked their way along an evolving path of strange and complex representations. For a full hour, we were carried away by Adrian’s set of flying carpets – ending up in a French-Swedish reading of a passage from the Songs of Maldoror.

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Lisa Jeannin and Adrian Nehard performing their Artist Talk;
photos by HHW.

Thank you, Lisa, for joining! Thank you, Adrian, for sharing your outstanding work!

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Lisa Jeannin, Helena Hildur W, Eva-Karin Planman;
photo by Christofer Martinson

for the Enrichment of Society II

art, curating

Last week, I and my co-curators Eva-Karin Planman and Sabine Recht set up two exhibitions as a part of the KonstFunk project in Södertälje. In Luna, the municipal culture center, we gathered works by some 30 creators to form a group show – the first one of KonstFunk exhibitions x2

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…presenting a range of techniques and expressions; from textile craft to art remakes, to icons, self portraits and paintings emerging out of colour itself…

What is the meaning of creativity?

An absurd question, of course. Somebody enjoys playing with colour and materials – glossy, sticky, tufted – with no fixed intention about the final result. Another expresses a deeply personal experience; a feeling, an impression, a dream. A third person designs a “thing of beauty” to enhance everyday life… Purposes and situations differ. Disparate needs cannot easily be compared or evaluated towards each other.

The meaning of creativity can also be subject to change. What determines labels such as “therapy”, “craft”, “hobby” or “art”? Who has the mandate to categorize?

To master a language takes training and trying, again and again; art makes no exception. It needs a framework of meaningful understanding to mature into richness.

Broadening one’s technical abilities builds self-reliance and sparks ideas. Copying existing artworks is a common method for improving artistic awareness, skill and insight. Although copying does not boost ego, one’s personality will (most probably) come through in many gracious ways.

Whoever takes their work – or playing – deeply serious, also deserves an equally serious reception. Being creative together, we will all contribute to the enrichment of society…

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Also, during this same week, a solo show by artist Adrian Nehard was prepared in the City Hall – featuring eighteen woven, embroidered and (partly) painted tapestries.

More to come…

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