Welcome to the exhibition Fleeting Horizons by VÄZN opening on Saturday, May 3rd at 2:00 PM!

 

The exhibition Fleeting Horizons invites us to meditate on the movement of water, not only in the oceans and rivers, but also the water in the clouds, glaciers and that which is temporarily stored in all living animals, fungi, bacteria and plants. Through its slow movement, an enormous amount of micro-life and particles are transferred between bodies – something that can also be traced through chemicals and microplastics that we find in, among other things, breast milk.

 

The exhibition asks the question whether water can be considered in other ways than a resource that we as humans can regulate, extract, consume and capitalize. Can we instead see ourselves as temporary reservoirs of water, and in this way find more consideration and community in water, as an original body that we all share?

 

Outdoors at Okulus, in the work “Horizon” you can discover a larger number of reservoirs of water. They are located between the trees – as if to highlight the invisible water that is found in all living things (including trees). The hanging sculpture “Ultramarine” represents the six electrons of the oxygen atom that bind to hydrogen to form water.

 

Inside the gallery, the video installation “Hypersea” is on display. While a voice reflects on the properties of water from a human perspective, the snail shell Yoldia Portlandia speaks for the ocean. The title “Hypersea” refers to evolutionary scientists Mark and Dianna McMenamin’s description of the interconnected system of all life on Earth as an extended ocean: The ocean is not only our origin, we are variations of the ocean.

 

 

VÄZN is an exploratory art project by Anna Pettersson and Daniel Pettersson, based in a wetland area in Södra Närke in Örebro County, Sweden. By adopting non-human perspectives, they hope to find new ways to understand nature’s processes and our place in it. Previously, they have taken on the role of wetland animals.

 

VÄZN works with a wide range of artistic techniques and presentation forms, weaving together poetry, visual elements and movement in a playful and intuitive exploration of the interaction between language, body and landscape. Through their practice, they want to explore the encounter between nature and culture in a posthumanist perspective.

All photos by Daniel Pettersson

 

The opening will be outdoors at Okulus, where the main part of the exhibition is located. A new film by VÄZN made for the project will also be shown indoors in the gallery.

 

The exhibition runs until June 8 and can be experienced outdoors outside all hours. The gallery and café are open every Saturday and Sunday from 12-4pm. For visits outside opening hours or guided tours, please send an email to kontakt@harpefosshotell.no

 

The exhibition has received generous support from Konstnärscentrum Mitt and  Konstnärsnemden/The Swedish Arts Grants Comittee.