Stein i rom, Rom i stein
(translated: Rock in Space, Space in the Rock)

Where: Kunstbanken, Hamar, Norway
19–27 Sep 2019
DKS

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A bodily experience through Knut Wold's work

Stein i rom, Rom i stein is a project initiated by Kunstbanken in Hamar as part of Galleri Fallera. The workshop performance was developed and performed by Annette Brandanger.

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During the exhibition by Knut Wold, a renowned Norwegian sculptor known for his work with natural materials, a movement project was proposed. How to create a project that allows the audience to experience the work through their body? I was invited to create a project for 7th grade pupils, where they would get the chance to explore, investigate and experience the work by Knut Wold through their body and senses.

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Wold's solo exhibition shaped the context directly. He had brought large rocks into the space, alongside wood structures stacked to form an inviting landscape to climb. In an area set slightly apart from the main hall was a square laid entirely in peat, its smell strong and unmistakable in the room. Peat, deprived of oxygen, can preserve what's buried in it for centuries.

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It was this contrast, solid rock beside fragile, scented peat, that my work grew from. Developing the piece meant immersing myself in the qualities of these surfaces: navigating how to work in contact with them, allowing play against the stone's weight, but also respecting the material enough to know when to refrain from touching it at all.

The project ran for 7 days, 3 sessions per day, 70 minutes per session.

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METHOD: I have chosen a framework which allows both the performer and the teacher to be present at once, as one character. There is a seamless exchange between performance, tasks and storytelling, creating a curious landscape for the visitors. This workshop has no clear definition between the performer and the pedagogue.

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The pupils are invited to explore and experience the work from within themselves. Through active play and investigation, the pupils get the opportunity to interact with the sculptures, creating their own understanding and sense of the material they meet. At the same time there is a clear expectation to be present and to experience. There is time to be still, opportunity to trigger force, the option of playing with limits and gaining an understanding of the body control they own.

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"When discovering abstract art, the physical exploration may be seen as a very important part of the process towards: how to understand art, how to learn art and how to discover art."
 

Annette Brandanger, 2019