Category Archives: Conceptual Works

Appearances, Conceptual Works, Experimental, Form, Misc, out in the Public Domain

Anonymous influence (2008-2009)

November 10, 2008 admin

arrangement with: left-over material from the Swedish Design Award’s scene decoration at Berns (site specific)

Exhibited at: skeppsholmen june 2008- winter 2009

curator: Gabriela Lopez, Svensk Form

Winter 2009

Late Fall 2008

Fall 2008

Visitors as well as locals might be curious about this (cryph-) temporary monument. Could it be made by some American minimalist? or is it some strange remaining from a workshop?

Display started in June 2008.

A popular Skeppsholmen motive, it might be famous, better to have a shot of it. Summer 2008

Appearances, Conceptual Works, Discussions, Exhibits, Installation, Recent Works

«ПУШКИНСКАЯ-10» 2006

January 5, 2007 admin

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

Conceptual Works, Graphic, Misc, Recent Works, Works

What turns the Wheels? (2006)

June 28, 2006 admin

6 paper sheets 150cmx270cm, ballpoint pen drawings, wood, wire, turnings.

Wirsbo konsthall

Modern man must descend the spiral of his own absurdity to the lowest point; only then can he look beyond it. It is obviously impossible to get around it, jump over it, or simply avoid it. Václav Havel

Spirals of thought
This piece was created in relation to the exhibition space. Eventhough the questions I asked in making the work had clear formal relations to the exhibition space (history, floor etc.) I found myself repeating the questions I had asked. What is a spiral? What is motion? How tiny is my life compared to the living in everything?
The spiral movement of the pen was energized with my questions. Self sustaining motion for moving energy and thoughts in the easiest form, what connects? The small drawings were in a middle position where I found them acting both as an overview and a closeup for something that holds the emptiness beweeen us together, vital energy, massive and activating. Among some spin-off effects one interesting line with this piece was for me addressing meanings in economy in relation to internal time (micro-macro).

Closeup view on one of the thousands small drawings

Info sheet at the exhibition (Swe) >>>>>>>>

Press (SWE):
“Nystanet tycks samla upp golvets slumpmässigt tillkomna mönster och få det att slå ut, att blotta tidens gång med poetisk uttryckskraft. Motsatta processer krockar. Att samla upp och att sprida ut återkommer i installationens andra del som består av fem lakansbreda våder med penntecknade härvor, klotter- snurror som små nebulosor i ett universum.

De kan ses som beståndsdelar i oändliga gåtfullt fungerande sammanhang, våra kroppar eller själva stjärnhimlen, som alltid är i rörelse för att förvandlas,
gå under och återfödas. Det döda materialet får liv: historia fångas upp, minnen dras fram och förvandlas till kunskap.”
Kristina Mezei, VLT

Conceptual Works, Installation, Misc, Recent Works, Works

Peak Performance (2006) Västerås

January 30, 2006 admin

Installation with: Children paintings, sound, light and video.

Västerås Konstmuseum, 2006

Platon’s cave inverted
In the autumn of 1999 I recorded the sound from a grasshopper in the countryside of Malmö. The sound appealed to me in the various meanings of manipulation of the nature, artificial or natural. Then some weeks after I contacted a day nursery because I wanted to have the children’s paintings as an opposite element to the low pressure sodium light. This sodium light produces a special phenomena in that it only has a peak in the spectrum of 589.0nm – 589.6nm producing a monochrome environment. The strobes acted as a link between the paintings, light and the sound in that it shows the colours of the paintings when the strobes are active in the space. I wanted to keep the age of the children quite low as an indexical element of their positive interests in colour and composition. The setup is arranged so that a layered inner room exists within the space.

Schematically the installation is a layered structure:
1) Audio recordings of grasshoppers
2) Colour paintings and participation of Target group (children or other group)
3) Low pressure sodium lights (could also be visible outside the gallery at night as well)
4) Strobes activating the space and the linkage between the elements
5) Interaction with audience during the exhibit (moving in the space, setting the flashes on with motion detectors)
6) Information about the procedure of the piece with documentation video connected to installation

The children’s paintings and performance – video documentation
This movie shows a small discussion we had with the children before they went up to the space and started create different kinds of insects and grasshoppers. This was to assure that everyone of them understood their part in the process for the final piece. We talked about why I came up with this idea on grasshoppers and their special sound they make. We noticed that not everyone hear the sound from them and we also listened to the sound for remembering the high frequency and for grasping personal memories.

In addition to the installation a video was showing our discussion we had with the children and their participation and paintings.

Slide show
Images from the preparation where the children paints in the installation slide show >>>>>>
photos by Anna Lindén, Västerås Konstmuseum

text available at the installation (Swe) pdf >>>>>>>>>

Thanks to:
Hammarbyskolan, Students and Teachers

Audio, Conceptual Works, Installation, Misc, Works

Peak Performance (2002) Umeå

November 20, 2002 admin

Installation with:
Children’s paintings,
the sound from a grasshopper,
low pressure sodium light and
IC controlled strobes (revised element for this exhibit).
Constructed walls (for inner room)

Gallery 60 Umeå, 2002

Reflections:
In the autumn of 1999 I recorded the sound from a grasshopper in the countryside of Malmö. The sound appealed to me in the various meanings of destroyed or undestroyed and artificial or natural. The children’s paintings became an opposite element to the low pressure sodium light that only has a peak in the spectrum of 589.0nm – 589.6nm producing a monochrome environment. I wanted to keep the age of the children quite low as an indexical element of their positive interests in colour and composition. The strobes acted as a link between the paintings, light and the sound.

Umeå 2002, Documentation movie from the show

will be available soon from youtube

Introduction text avaliable at the exhibit, pdf >>>>>>>>

Girl in action, painting grashoppers or insects