As a part of the Art Committee at the new Ekeberg Sculpture Park in Oslo, I suggested that we should invite James Turrell to propose a site specific art work for us, and he has made a beautiful combined art work in an old water tank; a combination of two light works, a Ganzfeld and a Skyspace situated under a pond. You will not find this combination any place in the world. And because of this collaboration with him in Oslo, I was lucky to get the opportunity to visit his still ongoing masterpiece, The Roden Crater situated far out in the Arizona desert. To be in the crater was a huge, massive and subtle experience at the same time.
Good architecture of architects who know how to form space and light, like the works of Louis Kahn and for instance the convent La Tourette by Le Corbusier, where I stayed a couple of nights together with my architect husband when we were students, can give me the same physical experience, and can even influence me more than art.
With music it is the same. I go to lots of concerts and music festivals, and use different music as mind openers; a help to solve problems or to get energy. But I always get back to works by Steve Reich. His minimalistic, repetitive compositions flows like mantras, small changes in system and rhythm creating new rooms. I am fascinated by how the immaterial like light and sound, can make physic visions of rooms and space.
What in your opinion defines a work of art? And moreover, what could be the features that mark the contemporariness of an artwork?
An art work must tickle my curiosity. That does not mean that I need to like it, or even understand it, but it must show me some kind of opening into it´s own world, hopefully different from my world. Of course, I can immediately be knocked out by the beauty of impressively well done art works, but every art work’s challenge is to keep it live beyond its first impression, to go on living further in the audience’s mind.
The contemporariness of an art work does not mean that it has to be from today, but how it strikes your mind compared to where you are in your life. Recently, the perception of coloured light from Joseph Albers’ exhibited paintings stroke me really hard. I have always looked at his work as a part of my early training and thought I had left them behind. I discovered details in Velazques’ paintings that I nonchalantly passed when I was younger, because a month ago my youngest daughter showed them to me in a new way. The contemporariness of an art work has the ability of stretching the mind further, independent of its date of creation. The comprehension of contemporariness is therefore, in many ways, very personal.
Unfortunately, in our society today there are almost no arenas for going deep into profound art discussions, the importance of art, how art can be a way of thinking instead of just being recognised as investment objects, and artists being appreciated as important contributors to several areas in our society. Instead art and artists are being treated like ephemeral pop stars that people shallowly rate up and down, easily helped by several arts critics, though, keeping that narrow system well in shape.
Is there any particular way you would describe your identity as an artist but also as a human being in dynamically changing, unstable times? In particular, does your cultural substratum/identity form your aesthetics?
Yes, of course I am a result of my cultural background. I have always kept the inspiration I got from my old scientist friends from my parents work; to keep a childish open minded curiosity for life. I still cling to that. My interests of physical topics in nature like the sun’s position, speed, light and reflections, sound and acoustics among others, can often influence my different art projects.
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
I appreciate that I have crafts skills, I easily use tools and know different techniques, which makes it easy to communicate with other technicians, engineers, architects etc. about how to produce and turn my ideas to fruition.
But, being good with techniques, the ease of making things, can also be a barrier. Looking back to when I started at the Art Academy, one of my most important and formative challenges was when one of my professors denied me access to the workshop, and instead forced me to sit still at my table, thinking.
I have never experienced such an empty mind, no ideas popped up. If I could not make things, I did not know what to do. I was scared to death, felt completely like a moron. I thought I had no future at that of any other art academy. But the professor had confidence in me, it took me at least half a year, maybe a year even, to tear down the protecting «cleverness barrier», and to dear to confront my self with that being an artist is all about becoming conscious and aware.
As a response, trigged by a certain situation, space, people, smell or sound etc, I can start thinking about what to do and how to do it.
I try to approach every project with an open mind, with no pre-thoughts. Therefore, often when I am invited to art competitions or art commissions accompanied by particular wishes, I do not agree with their choices of the particular site. I am never afraid of arguing for what I think will be a better solution for a site specific art project. Sometimes they listen, sometimes not.
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