Monthly Archives: June 2016

Contiguous Notes

2016

Exhibition together with Asako Shiroki at Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum Berlin

The exhibition Contiguous notes handles languages of abstraction, as a parallel to techniques for handling material. In Contiguous notes the sculptural works of Asako Shiroki will meet with the typographic interest of Liv Strand. One series of graphic prints takes a close-up view on the spaces within letters themselves, diving into text. The near-sighted view suggests for letters to have a surface scored and marked, and for them to imprint the paper they take position on with their substance, as weight. Another series consists of singularly printed typographical text-posters, completed to make the paper direct itself towards all ends, as one sculpture would. Liv Strand has written the texts for the posters to operate along similar lines as how sculptures convey their message. Some three dimensional objects will be on display together with the posters.

Both artists take a close interest in how the sensitivity of the work activate the senses of the viewer.

The assemblage of materials in Asako Shiroki’s installations include strings and glass to complete their sensations. The way the materials are combined make the parts seemingly interchangeable, as they propose to make up their own alphabet with ever-changing possibilities. Asako Shiroki’s art works often makes a seemingly temporary compound where the components fit into a perfect incision. If one end is set loose all the other sections threaten to break free.

Contiguous notes: by repetition, by utterances, by the silence and where each note of the composition of a work is placed.

The exhibition was opened by Sakato Masaru, Stellvertretender Generalsekretär at the Japanisch-Deutsches Zentrum Berlin. Dr. Alexander Hofmann, curator of the Japanische Kunst Museum für Asiatische Kunst, held an introduction to the art works.
Taiko Saito played the marimbaphone.

Viformation

2016

Written by Marcus Doverud and Liv Strand
136 pages
isbn: 978-91-637-6675-6

‘Viformation’ (We-formation) is a book in the Swedish language. It is a collection of texts about what it is to become a we. Our we happens by doing and discussing together. The texts handle how co-existence and making things together is possible. A question that concern us all. To write as a ‘we’ asserts general issues also embracing a larger group. The book has several formats of text, via the writing we explore complex and playful ways of observing, expanding and using we-s. The book ‘Viformation’ is written by Marcus Doverud and Liv Strand over the years 2013-16.

By the book ‘Viformation’ years of collaborative work is brought together, reflecting the specifics of this working configuration. What emerges when a bundle of persons insist on making a subjectivity, acting as one? Doverud and Strand have met by their respectively artistic practices in writing the book along with shared interests in philosophy, poetry and media specificity.

Graphic design by Sara Kaaman. Thanks to our generous test readers Katja Aglert, Axel Andersson, Eva Arnqvist, Tina Carlsson, Johanna Gustafsson Fürst, Ana-Maria Hadji-Culea, Malin Sunesson and Lisa Torell. Great thanks to residencies we had at Flutgraben e.V. in Berlin and PAF, Performing Arts Forum in St Erme, France.

Produced with the support of Längmanska Stiftelsen

Thanks also to the art initiatives and journals where we have shared texts along the writing process, in print or as reading performances; Koreografisk Journal, Sunday Run_up in Stockholm, Studio Bar #4 (Sthlm) and Verkstad konsthall, in Norrköping.

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Vad innebär det att göra någonting tillsammans och hur formas ett vi? I förhållande till ett tilltagande klimat av konkurrens och individcentrering vill vi tala om viformation. Tillsammans med koreograf Marcus Doverud skrevs en bok om hur samvaro och det gemensamma är möjligt. En fråga som rör oss alla, tillsammans. Att skriva som ett vi innebär ett generellt hävdande som omfattar fler.

Boken Viformation tar vägen genom diskuterande, utredande och poetiska texter. Vi-görandet får både vara något komplext och lättigenkännligt. I Viformation sammanförs år av kollektivt arbete och reflekterar denna arbetsforms väsen. Vad är det som uppstår när en gemensamhet pockar på en egen subjektsform? Doverud och Strand har utifrån sina respektive konstnärliga praktiker mötts i skrivandet av boken genom ett delat intresse för filosofi, poesi och mediespecificitet, här i bokform.

Viformation distribueras via vanliga webb-bokhandlar samt på Malmö Konstmuseums bokhandel, Rönnells Antikvariat, Aspudden bokhandel, Konstig.