arrangement with: painted textile, nylon wire
exhibited at: Engelsbergs Skulpturpark, summer 2016, Ängelsberg
Category Archives: Installation
Message to 759 – the aesthetics of secrecy (2013)
installation with: video projection, radio transmission with recorded audio, shortwave radio, loudspeaker, various objects, photography
exhibited at: Galleri K, Västerås
Concrete privacy in the public space
The work Legoland uses radio as its medium, also the work focuses on various aspects of numbers and communication methods within clandestine operations such as number stations or secret intelligence services the name is taken from the nickname of MI6 building in London. The audio material for the performance has been collected from various radio receivers around Europe, North America, and Asia.
Broadcasting secret messages into air is a peculiar activity, since it’s indeed shared in a public space. Hence everyone could in practice tune in the actual frequency and listen to it. However, there is only one kind of listener that could decrypt the message (for i.e. special number stations) due to a simple but efficient and unbreakable method using only a paper and a pen.
video still, footage from short-wave radio spectrum analysis. Actual broadcasting spy station is in the middle position and beginning of its broadcast.
photograph
The benefits of still using radio today has the advantage of the impossibility to trace the listener in contrast to the use of computers where everything has traces of IP numbers, logs and hard-drives. Radio waves are difficult to stop and in every moment of time waves are passing borders and through people. The history of these broadcasts are to be traced back to the beginning of the radio medium itself making them the first public broadcast ever transmitted. The transmissions are unregistered and hence illegal to the FCC. Even though these type of transmissions had its peak in the cold war, they can still be heard. Some has changed its behavior to digital mode (which still is made up of numbers).
video still, a typical vintage spy recording device, Nagra SN
Power and secrecy
For the work Legoland there are aesthetic issues in the documentary material, an utterly concrete world of privacy. High strangeness and very few answers, though the material has a powerful character. Questions unfold. Power and secrecy. Why do power need secrets? The work
installation detail with shortwave radio on right
Gallery info sheet during exhibit (pdf, Swedish) >>>>>>>>>>>>
Video excerpt #1
notice that audio has two divided audio channels (mono left/right) this was used in the installation sending one mono channel to the small short-wave radio at the table and the other mono channel was sent to a loudspeaker on the wall
Click here to download Video excerpt #1
Video excerpt #2
notice that audio has two divided audio channels (mono left/right) this was used in the installation sending one mono channel to the small short-wave radio at the table and the other mono channel was sent to a loudspeaker on the wall
Best in Show (2007) Norrby, Sala
four channel sound installation, photography and video + event
Norrby church (Sala)
exhibition project “Sjätte Sinnet” (Sixth Sense), Swedish Church
Untitled, photograph Digital I-Print placed in the organ
a Hidden Third Person
For this project I was interested to investigate the symbolism of the dove/pigeon used in the jewish/christian tradition. In many ways the dove can represent the silence and femine aspects of the Holy Spirit. The mother or something that balances the male/female duality. Its not hard to link the symbol to similar gods as the holy Maria and i.e. Isis
The dove as peaceful holy, fluffy inter- or hyper existence comes almost to its ubiquitous hiddenness.
Stereo mix down version (from 4 channels) of installation audio:
Pigeons released at the opening
If you breed a dove and it borns at one location it will always go back to this location. Is this the same with religion? If you are born into one religio cultural situation how easy is it to not return to its ethics and thinking?
Still frame from Video, Tibor Barcza and some of his awards.
In searching for breeders I found Tibor Barcza, living in Elsöv (Skåne). He breeds a special dove called Jacobin Pigeons and he has continued with this hobby for over 30 years. Tibor is a serious breeder and the difference between his hobby or as a profession is somewhat hard to distinguish.
Installation detail, inside the organ
Installation detail, inside the organ
text available at the location, pdf >>>>>>>>
Project overall overview and setup of parameters scanned first 3 pages from the catalog >>>>>>>>>
«ПУШКИНСКАЯ-10» 2006
This entry is for Russian Users only!
“.. Инсталляция Томаса Нигрена «Изменяя движение. Rearranged movement»
Государственный центр современного искусства представляет инсталляцию шведского художника Томаса Нигрена «Изменяя движение. Rearranged movement» в рамках проекта «Field Studies/Полевые исследования: современное искусство из Финляндии и Скандинавии».
Томас Нигрен исследует взаимосвязь психологического восприятия движения и реального перемещения в пространстве. Проходя одной и той же дорогой каждый день, мы обычно выбираем самый короткий путь. Но что мы при этом теряем?
Photo: Marian Goulyaeva Gullimar
Томас Нигрен закончил Royal University College of Fine Art (Стокгольм), член EMS (Electronic Music Society, Швеция), участник фестиваля современного искусства New Perspectives (2002, Швеция) и многочисленных групповых и персональных выставок.
При поддержке Федерального агентства по культуре и кинематографии РФ, Арт Центра Пушкинская 10, Информационного бюро Совета Министров Северных стран в Санкт-Петербурге, Nordic Culture Fund, Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art, Sleipnir. ..”
«ПУШКИНСКАЯ-10» 2006
Entrance / Ingång (2006)
Wall construction of hay, clay, chalk and spruce pales
20 x 2,4 m
Realised for Wij Trädgårdar, Ockelbo, Project: “Konst och Trädgård”
Play
This piece started off from a series of curved wall sketches. The specific curved form was producing the effect of a closed space but open to the surroundings. The issue of hiding and the hiding-place as a start of childrens play and imaginations were important considerations but also the idea of entrance of a mental passage in time and memory. The form also materialised the philosophical cause and effect and the mystical arrow of time.
Memory
The smell from the hay, the temporary construction (with its material) and the inner space which opened up towards the peasant landscape made me think of memories and activities that belonged to my childhood. After a period a ruin-alike shape takes form (and the hay-smell has slightly changed).
Early July: Exhibition visitors are walking into the field
photo: Yngve Gunnarsson.
Late July: After a period the ruin-alike shape takes form, photo: Arbetarbladet
Activity
Remanings from grass and some hay was left on the ground when a circle was cutout with an old fashioned scythe to enhance the effects of some activity that had been interrupted. The form open as a scene of events was suitable for creating engagement into a sudden in-the-moment activity from the public i.e. a role play or story telling. The distant placement of the wall was nessesary to make the observer go out in the field and to mentaly produce some expectations.
Press (SWE):
“Vinden har delvis raserat Tomas Nygrens vitkalkade mur av höbalar ute på fältet, men samtidigt har ruinkänslan vuxit. Verkets titel “Ingång” syftar på den smala passage som öppnar sig i höet när man kommer nära. Det finns beräkning i den rörelse besökaren måste göra för att ta sig in mellan balarna; plötsligt är man på andra sidan och muren är borta. Kanske vill konstnären visa att den enda ingång som finns leder till dig själv. Det hänger på dig vad du gör. ” Niels Hebert, Arbetarbladet
Map over the area >>>>>>>>>
Entrance imageEarly June: Front View
Early June: Front View
Early June: Rear View
Early June: Entrance/Door View
Early June: Myself in work with a scythe