Research Catalogue

A cross disciplinary artistic research project that departs from, and investigates several encounters and alignments between Contemporary Art and Archaeology. Its primary goal is to create a broad selection of autonomous and collaborative artistic, poetic and scientific expressions and responses to Prehistoric Art and its contemporary images. It will seek to stimulate a deeper understanding of contemporary and prehistoric artistic expression and the contemporary and prehistoric human condition. The participating artists and archaeologists will create autonomous projects, but also interact with each other in workshops, seminars and collaborative artistic projects. The secondary goal of Matter, Gesture and Soul is to establish an international cross disciplinary research network at the University of Bergen and strengthen the expertise in cross disciplinary artistic and scientific work with artistic research as the driving force. The project is financed by DIKU and UiB and supported by Global Challenges (UiB)

50 A3 drawings black and coloured markers, including: 3 A3 collages on paper with newspaper cutouts and printed photos. 12 A4 drawings on paper with coloured markers, glued on A3 paper + 1 A3 with black ballpoint pen and markers, glued on A3 paper. 13 A3 drawings on paper with black marker, and red, pale blue, gold, pink and orange markers +1 A3 two-sided. 17 A3 drawings on paper with coloured markers. 1 drawing on sketchbook cover with red nail polish. 1 text drawing on sketchbook cover inside. 1 drawing on sketchbook cover back inside with black, orange and gold markers. 22 A4 drawings with ballpoint pen. 62 pocket sketchbook black marker and ballpoint pen drawings. Some of the above is preparatory work for 4 large prints and 13 paintings. The 12 A4 glued on A3 are preparatory work for a collage on panel. I made the art between 2023-2024, from the perspective of the observer. Most of the research material came out of crime and fraud reports. I started writing the blog afterwards, since the summer of 2024. I adopted the visual vocabulary of the graphic novel, which I partly studied and read a lot about, looking at different graphic artists' work, when I was attending classes at the University of Malmo, Sweden, in 2012, to familiarise myself with elements of game design. Much of this work is, amongst other, about children: how they love, amongst other. I wanted to emphasise that element, by intentionally applying stylistic elements from children's drawings, in a naive and loose architectural composition, using heavily the black marker and stick figures. Adopting this visual approach, I also wanted to evoke a comically sharp, but intimate twist, as commentary, in the British tradition of political satire, to the otherwise dark subject matter. Finally, this artistic style refers to the populist character of actors. The text is written like trip-hop songs: two of the pseudonyms I gave are the artistic names of musicians of colour from the British band "Massive Attack", formed in Bristol. I use heavily popular culture signifiers, names of fictional characters from film, television, music and painting, as reference to actual individuals. Parts of the analysis is inspired by Saul Kripke's interpretation of Wittgenstein's example of mathematical calculation. I used plenty of popular and less popular literary and philosophical references, for the visual art and in the writing. Saul Aaron Kripke was the inventor of the possible worlds philosophical hypothesis, which was seminal for philosophers working in the area of contemporary analytic metaphysics, including the theory of counterparts and the theory of names. He died in 2022. Lauren Berlant was a cultural theorist and gender studies scholar. She died in 2021. The exposition is underpinned by an underlying Marxist interpretation that, in my view, is relevant not just to economists and political philosophers, but also to people working in different sectors of our modern economies of advanced capitalism, such as banking and cybersecurity. In the style of art, as painting, I was inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat's drawings and paintings, which are laden with input from popular media sources, like jazz music and television, recorded in an automatic and naive drawing manner, turned into abstracted paintings. For Nikos ('Ramadan', 'Mr X'), Filip ('Philip'), and Brandon ('Magna') - August, September, and October 2024. For "Daddy G" ('Isaac'), 'Eric' ("Her Man"), 'Prudence' ("'Rachel''s Beau", or "Her Man's alter-ego"), Julien ('Moussa') and 'Gaetan'- December 2024, January 2025, May and June 2025. Three men of colour and five white men. Who were also targeted, directly and indirectly. Who are not politicians, but are doing something political, so they must take care of what they do. See also exposition "The Loot", under 'Art and Activism Exposed as Research Blog'.

In this autoethnographic arts-based research, I return to the gift of music in my life and use it as the ultimate form of expression. I explore the process of navigating my own transgenerational trauma through composing and working with musicians from different musical and cultural backgrounds. Something like home explores the effect of finding common ground of love and compassion between my family members, especially those who have been navigating the traumas of war. I collected stories, memories, and impressions from my family’s childhood, and composed music that is inspired by them. In the first sections I discuss some concepts related to the transmittion of war trauma , and Bowen’s family system theory. Moreover, I relate to reasearches and projects that have been concerned with trauma art therapy and dealing with cultural trauma through music. As well as showing examples of composers who have been working with similar processes. In this project, I unfold my compositional process, and I present some possibilities of dealing with harmonizing traditional Arabic music, using partials from the harmonic series. I also share my process of collaborating with a lyric writer and a videographer who have helped me to bring the stories to life. Throughout the process I discovered that engaging with the stories unlocked new artistic outcomes and some unexpected artistic practices, expressions and results. Another important outcome of this project was the need for coming up with approaches that were used for transcultural music making and engaging the musicians with the stories but making sure to leave space for their own artistic identities to come across and shine. In the near future, I am hoping to use this project as a basis of my doctoral research project which will focus on memory expression through music by working with the diverse citizines of the finnish community.

Sammendrag: Denne oppgaven utforsker hvordan estetiske intensjoner kan utvikles og formidles gjennom interaktiv liveprosessering i et moderne jazzensemble. Prosjektet NEKSUS tar utgangspunkt i fem komposisjoner som gjennom en tredelt prosess utvikles fra tradisjonelle jazzkomposisjoner til mer eksperimentelle lydlandskap. Gjennom fasene dekonstruksjon, estetisk intensjon og bandsamspill, undersøkes hvordan elektronisk prosessering kan fungere som et kreativt bindeledd mellom musikerne, og hvordan dette påvirker samspill og improvisasjon. Ved å etablere spesifikke estetiske rammeverk for hver komposisjon, legges det til rette for nye interaksjonsformer i ensemblet. Oppgaven dokumenterer denne utviklingsprosessen i detalj og reflekterer over hvordan teknologiske verktøy kan integreres som en naturlig del av det improvisatoriske uttrykket. Forskningsprosjektet viser at liveprosessering kan fungere som en neksus – et knutepunkt for musikalsk samhandling – som åpner for nye estetiske muligheter i spenningsfeltet mellom komposisjon, improvisasjon og teknologi. Samtidig belyses utfordringer knyttet til teknologisk implementering i livesammenheng, og hvordan disse kan overkommes gjennom grundig forberedelse og estetisk bevisstgjøring. Abstract: This thesis explores how aesthetic intentions can be developed and expressed through interactive live processing in a contemporary jazz ensemble. The project NEKSUS examines five compositions that, through a three-phase process, evolve from traditional jazz compositions to more experimental soundscapes. Through the phases of deconstruction, aesthetic intention, and ensemble interaction, the research investigates how electronic processing can function as a creative connection between musicians, and how this affects interplay and improvisation. By establishing specific aesthetic frameworks for each composition, new forms of interaction within the ensemble are facilitated. The thesis documents this development process in detail and reflects on how technological tools can be integrated as a natural part of the improvisational expression. The research project demonstrates that live processing can function as a nexus – a point of connection for musical interaction – that opens up new aesthetic possibilities in the intersection between composition, improvisation, and technology. Simultaneously, it highlights challenges related to technological implementation in live settings, and how these can be overcome through thorough preparation and aesthetic awareness.

NORSK: I dette kunstneriske utviklingsarbeidet undersøker jeg hvordan norsk folkemusikk kan integreres i mitt etablerte musikalske sound. Gjennom lytting, refleksjon og skapende praksis har jeg latt tradisjonsmusikkens estetikk og uttrykk påvirke mitt eget formspråk. Arbeidet har resultert i albumet "Relasjonsorkester", der jeg utforsker møtepunktene mellom tradisjon og samtid i tre utvalgte låter: "Hei, hallo", "Tankerom" og "Langsiktig sparing". Prosessen har vist at respektfull lytting, tilegning av teoretisk kunnskap og bevisste kunstneriske valg er avgjørende for å forankre nye uttrykk i en levende tradisjon. Oppgaven reflekterer over hvordan tradisjonen kan bli en del av egen kunstnerisk identitet, uten å måtte bli en tradisjonsbærer i klassisk forstand. ENGLISH: This artistic research project explores how Norwegian folk music can be integrated into my established musical sound. Through listening, reflection, and creative practice, I have allowed the aesthetics and expression of folk tradition to influence my own musical language. The project resulted in the album "Relasjonsorkester", where I explore the intersections between tradition and contemporary music through three selected songs: “Hei, hallo”, “Tankerom”, and “Langsiktig sparing”. The process demonstrates that respectful listening, acquisition of theoretical knowledge, and conscious artistic choices are essential for grounding new expressions within a living tradition. The thesis reflects on how tradition can become a part of one’s artistic identity without necessarily becoming a traditional bearer in the conventional sense.

Gjennom denne masteroppgaven utforsker jeg muligheter for å skape en tonalitetsfølelse innenfor dissonante rammer. Prosjektet er et kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid der jeg utforsker temaet gjennom komposisjon innenfor rammene av Olivier Messiaens Modes of limited transposition. Samtidig vil jeg forsøke å definere tonale sentre innenfor disse for å skape et tonalt uttrykk. Arbeidet skal resultere i et album og refleksjoner tilknyttet komposisjonsprosessen.