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Telemark Art Museum

From the Soil

From the Soil
Sidsel Bonde,

How is the state of the soil we surround ourselves with, and what kind of relationship do we have with it? This group exhibition presents contemporary art that explores themes of food production, sustainability, and growth—the very essence of Rjukan and Notodden’s world heritage history.

The exhibition features photography, film, sculpture, ceramics, and installations by:

Sidsel Bonde (Denmark), Veslemøy Lilleengen (Norway), Toril Redalen (Norway), Åsa Sonjasdotter (Sweden), Justin Wiggan (United Kingdom), and Verena Winkelman (Norway).

The exhibition is part of the art festival Kunst i spire (Art In Spire).

Corn Ears, Salad Studies, and Singing Earth

Åsa Sonjasdotter is focused on bringing attention to ancient crops rather than today’s monocultural agriculture and genetic technology. Her film Cultivating Abundance (2022) deals with archival research and plant breeding, with connections to racial biology.

The relationship between humans, cultural heritage, and landscape is a theme in several of Sidsel Bonde‘s works. She explores relationships, traditions, and rituals that have disappeared with the mechanization, rationalization, and industrialization of agriculture.

Toril RedFoto Frode Larsen Nasjonalmuseet, Årsutstillingen 2023
Verena Winklemann, fra Field-serien.

In the photo series “Field,” Verena Winkelmann explores themes from organic farming. Over several years and seasons, Winkelman has photographed the fields near her home. There is something sensual about the images, with the surfaces of the vegetables evoking bodily associations.

In Toril Redalen‘s work, materials are central. She is concerned with where materials come from and how they take up space. The works in the exhibition examine the role of lettuce in the history of ceramic art, as well as lettuce’s existence as a plant, food, and as soil.

Veslemøy Lilleengen works with a wide range of materials and techniques, primarily within textiles, performance, and various forms of traditional craftsmanship. For the exhibition, Lilleengen has extracted earth pigments from soil samples collected in Telemark. She uses these in artworks inspired by, among other things, the district’s rosemaling tradition.

The British sound artist Justin Wiggan‘s works often have a health-promoting aspect. He has collaborated with the healthcare sector on several occasions to create various multisensory works. In the exhibition, Wiggan presents an entirely new interactive sound installation, where key books on organic farming decompose back into the earth, while the soil communicates with the audience.

An Industrial Adventure

Just over 100 years ago, Notodden and Rjukan were the stage for a modern industrial adventure. The world was facing significant challenges in producing enough food for a rapidly growing population.

All around the globe, people began experimenting with the industrial production of fertilizer. A chance meeting between engineer Sam Eyde and the talented professor Kristian Birkeland in 1903 was what it took. Utilizing nitrogen from the air to produce mineral fertilizer laid the foundation for establishing Norsk Hydro in 1905.

This new fertilizer product made it possible to develop two new communities: Notodden and Rjukan. The first factories for the production of mineral fertilizer were located in Notodden. The production was incredibly energy-intensive, and Rjukan was home to the large Rjukan waterfall. Therefore, it wasn’t long before new power stations and factories were built.

In 2015, the industrial history of Rjukan and Notodden was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The industrial history of Rjukan and Notodden is part of what the UN considers to be of unique value that must be preserved for future generations.

Bilde av Notodden fra lufta
Notodden. Foto: NIA
Foto: Bjørn-Owe Holmberg/NIA

Art Festival

The exhibition is planned as part of the Art Festival “Kunst i Spire,” which will be held for the first time from September 21st to 25th, 2024, in Notodden.

The theme of the festival will be how the local World Heritage history can serve as a force of influence and inspiration in professional art, and how contemporary art can inspire greater knowledge about world heritage.

“Kunst i Spire” has emerged through collaboration between the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Telemark County Municipality, and the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum/Telemark Art Museum.