June 18 – August 28, 2016
Opening June 18 at 12-16
kl 13 – Inauguration and performance Gideonsson/Londré
kl 14 – Performance Ingela Ihrman
With Hanna Husberg, Ingela Ihrman, Mikael Lindahl, Gideonsson/Londré, Kati Roover and Art Lab Gnesta in cooperation with all 8 grade students at Freja School in Gnesta.
Swamp, marsh, the bottomless mire … Wetlands often symbolize resistance, the impenetrable, treacherous but also the seductive. Together with artists, biologists and educators Art Lab Gnesta have explored the mythological, biological and political dimensions of the wetlands. Now we present the exhibition Swamp Biennial with a series of art works that relates to the wetland.
The term wetland describes land where water is close to, in or slightly above the ground, but also vegetation-covered waters. They are neither firm ground nor wet lake, but somewhere in between. They are messy, wet and unreliable. For someone who only occasionally visits the forest, it is difficult to see the wetlands ongoing work to decompose, filter and create new life. But the last century Sörmland has lost about 90% of its wetlands since they have been drained and ditched out in favor of other land uses.
We are already well aware of what impact the past hundreds of years of industrial, human activity has had on the planet. In the project Swamp Storytelling Art Lab Gnesta bring together a scientific reality with an artistic understanding of the wetland. If we see it as both a symbol of the prevailing climate policy, necessary transformation processes and life’s cradle: what then will await us in the damp mud, among deep roots and disintegration?
The exhibition presents newly produced art works side by side with older works that relate in different ways to the characteristics and potential of the swamp. During the summer we’ll arrange open discussions and workshops for everyone to join us in taking another step closer to our shared wetlands.
Welcome to step down in the wet, foaming and unexpected swamp with us!
The exhibition is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, June 18 to August 28 at 12-16 with the exception of midsummer June 24 to 26 when we have closed.
PROGRAM
June 18 at 12-16 – Opening with performance of Gideonsson/Londré and Ingela Ihrman, and the release of the journal Fält #7.
June 19 at 11 – Plein Air in the Swamp together with Naturskyddsföreningen Daga-Gnesta and Earth CoLab, India.
July 2 – Swamp Camp visiting Karlstad.
August 13 at 11-15 – Experimental textile plant dyeing workshop in the swamp with Lina Sofia Lundin.
Aug. 20 – Swamp Camp presentation in Karlstad.
August 27 – Finissage and final seminar.
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Swamp Storytelling combine the working the fields for scientific research and artistic production on current environmental issues and is run as a collaboration between Art Lab Gnesta,the Indian research network Earth CoLab and the Swedish Institute.
(PS. A biennial is an exhibition that recurs every other year. DS.)