The stag as a symbol of power and mythological creature, and its proximity to the hunting and military culture of the crown and nobility in the Sörmland landscapes, has been the starting point for artist Mariana Silva Varela’s collaboration with students at Gnesta Waldorf School during the spring. Deep in the castle’s basement, the exhibition Parforce now opens with a large, new textile work by the artist, flanked by the students’ medieval gold embroideries. For the opening, the artist has invited the composer Alexandra Nilsson, who has written a new sound work for trumpet and electronics, Per Forza, which is based on hunting fanfare and the hunt for deer conducted in the fields around Nynäs.
After the opening, the exhibition can be seen during Nynäs Castle’s regular opening hours 22 June – 18 August: Wednesday-Sunday 11am-4pm.
Program Saturday 8 June
12.00 bus from Gnesta station
12.30 bus from Vagnhärad travel center
13.00 Opening and artist talk with Mariana Silva Varela with music by Alexandra Nilsson
13.30-15.30 The wild hunt by Art Lab Gnesta/Konstverkstan
13.00-16.00 Embroidery workshop with Sörmland’s museum
14.30-15.00 View of the castle
16.00 bus to Vagnhärad and Gnesta
Workshop: The Wild Hunt
Mysterious horned creatures have been sighted in the forest around Nynäs castle. Who are they and what do they want? Join us on a playful adventure where we turn conventions inside out and create our own story. Together with Art Lab Gnestas Konstverkstan, we build horns and explore the game rules of the hunt.
Workshop: Art sewing/embroidery with Sörmland’s museum
Try sewing gold embroidery under the guidance of home craft consultant Fia Lindblom. We use Japanese gold, a special gold-wrapped thread originally used in gold embroidery and kimono-making, inspired by Mariana Silva Varela’s artwork.
About the artists
Mariana Silva Varela (born 1973) is educated in pedagogy, rhetoric and scientific theory at Södertörn University and has a higher textile education from Handarbetets Vänner School. With a background as a historian in the history of migration, she works artistically with textiles, staging and light in relation to anthropology and folklore.
Alexandra Nilsson / SOLOVKINA is a composer, sound artist and musician, whose work spans sound art, electroacoustic and stage music. She moves in the borderland between acoustic and electronic sound worlds where she is interested in the transformation and transcendence of materials. With a background as a trumpet player in jazz and folklore, rhythm and improvisation are important aspects of her work.
Nynäs castle keeps the farm shop and the exhibitions Hållbara hus and Barnens Nynäs open from 13:00 to 16:00. Viewing of the castle takes place at 2:30 p.m. Read more about Nynäs Castle
All activities during the day have free entry.
Tänka med jorden (Think with the Earth/Dirt) is an artistic collaborative project between Sörmland’s museum, Art Lab Gnesta and Nynäs castle/Sörmland’s Naturbruk with the support of the Culture Council and Region Sörmland. The project is based on Nynäs castle, its more than 800-year history, the surrounding landscape and the 3,822-hectare nature reserve. The park invites you to reflect on the role of humans as part of nature. An experimental place where artists, young people and the public can meet in questions about how we live in, use and protect our surrounding landscape.