Research Catalogue

This research is rooted in nihilism, exploring how the contrast between materiality and spirituality leads to an uncomfortable way of percieving existence. What does it mean to be unable to believe in "what's beyond"? What role does the body play in such an issue? The starting point is a deeply philosophical debate. Through art and numerous attempts it tries to unravel itself.

In today’s age of information overload, it is all too easy to become constantly overstimulated. As both a composer and an improviser, I have found a new source of inspiration by exploring minimalism—especially Holy Minimalism—using simple materials, embracing a slower creative process, and diving into the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The introspective elements, structure and usage of space and silence in this music guided me towards a journey that has helped me reconnect with music in a profound way. Drawing from the composers of the ECM Record Label's New Series who specifically connect a certain image and sound, this thesis examines selected works by Arvo Pärt, whose Tabula Rasa was the starting point for the New Series. This research is to unpack the ideas behind these compositions, explore the thought processes involved, and discuss the underlying philosophies with external concepts that I find highly inspiring, all in search of fresh perspectives. As more artists turn toward simplicity, I believe that looking at this music and the philosophies behind it through both an improvisers and a composers lens can open up exciting new pathways for inspiration.

In this exposition I invite you to reflect on a part of my artistic research: the screen capture. The aim is to reconsider this little-explored practice by artistically transforming original images through a double variations in post-production. In this artistic research I also use experimental software and unconventional methods to carry out images from videogames. At the same time these methods engage with the European regulations about copyright and American fair use policies. While the extraction of images from three-dimensional, copyright-protected spaces is often restricted, it can sometimes be permitted when used creatively.

The current research builds on exhibitions hosted by the Sámi Centre for Contemporary Art in Karasjok in 2023. These exhibitions featured Indigenous Sámi artists, involving both curators and non-Indigenous art managers and facilitators. Some projects showcased solo exhibitions by Sámi artists, while others adopted the format of exhibitions based on the RidduDuottar Museum Collection in Karasjok. The study aims to uncover the primary methods of facilitation and the application of love and care in creating spaces for interaction between artists, artworks, and audiences at the Sámi Centre for Contemporary Art. First, the cases are presented, followed by an analysis applying two keywords – facilitation and love. The research method employed is arts-based research. The data consist of visual data in the form of photo documentation and text-based data in the form of notes. The data are approached through reflexive analysis. The analysis of these cases delves into the concept of love, containing sub-concepts such as care, compassion, and empathy. The findings yield key recommendations that facilitators of artistic gatherings can implement in art galleries presenting Indigenous Sámi art.

In this exposition, I discuss encounters of culture that occurred in art-based action research (ABAR) with Sámi reindeer herder families in the Finnish regions of Sápmi (the Sámi homeland). Five Sámi reindeer herder families joined an ABAR -project to enhance and stabilise the Sámi reindeer herders' position in the majority society. The research project relates to the Department of Art Education's development of art-based action research, the theory of community-based art education and the concept of 'new genre Arctic art' at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland. It is a long-term research project that emphasises participatory and co-research methods. As a researcher, I am in an insider-outsider position, as I live in the same region and share my daily life with a reindeer herder. We started the action by exploring the daily life of the reindeer herders through the Photovoice method. We gathered their photographs in an exhibition called Boazoeallin, a Davvi Sámi (Northern Sámi) word for Reindeer Life. The exhibition inspired the families to continue their visually informative work, and we designed the photographs in a book, also called Boazoeallin. The art-based collaboration with reindeer herders and the Boazoeallin exhibition and book contribute to the 'new genre Arctic art' that embraces participatory contemporary art, emphasising crucial matters of the multicultural Arctic. The Sámi people's history and culture form a destined constitution and obligation for ethical research conducted in Sápmi. The reindeer herders are unfamiliar with contemporary art, which challenged and changed the art education activities. The exposition reflects the challenges for an ethical, participatory, and democratic research approach in ABAR. In the research action, I have sought to frame the terms for which community-based art education best can serve communities of Indigenous cultures, the multicultural northern community, the Arctic, and global interests.

The artistic research project "(un)Romantic / Improvising Interpretation" 2021-2024 was led by vocalist/composer Live Maria Roggen and pianist/composer Ingfrid Breie Nyhus at the Norwegian Academy of Music, funded by the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme. The explorations have concerned creative interpretation and aesthetical language, through improvising together as a duo: What can an interpretation be or become? Where does a story live? What is Romantic and what is unRomantic? Where does the ‘new’ begin and where does the ‘old’ go?