The Book of Sand / Singular Hands
Outdoor guided tour of the art project Book of Sand / Singular Hands
__________________________________________________________
In May and June 2021, artists Håvard Sagen, Ananda Serné, Matt Bryans and social anthropologist and sociologist Merete Jonvik stayed with us.
They worked on the project "Book of Sand / Singular Hands" which unfolded at 3 artist-run venues in Rogaland during the summer.
Their first stop was with us at Velferden, where they worked with individual approaches to materials and structures they found in the special landscape we have around us at Sandbekk. At the screening, the audience got to see and hear about the sculpture, installation and video art that the artists had been working on over the past month.
After their stay with us, they took their expressions and materials into new contexts at Studio17 at Nytorget in Stavanger, and finally to Studio K at Kverneland. In this way, this project created a unique connection between three historical sites in the county.
Velferden arranged a guided tour of this exciting collaboration on Sunday, June 13, where you could meet the artists and get to know how they integrate the landscape and life at Sandbekk into their artwork.
-----PROGRAM-----
1300: Welcome at Velferden by Maiken and Hansi.
1320: MATT BRYANS, installation by the river.
------We walk up along the river at Sandbekk and into the studios in Kontorbygget to look at Matt's collection of hollowed-out birch tree trunks.
1350: ANANDA SERNÉ, video art in the studios in the Office Building.
------Ananda shows, among other things, a video work with opera singer Bodil Arnesen doing voice exercises in Blåfjellgruvene.
1415: Serving of ice cream and coffee.
1440: HÅVARD SAGEN, installation in Sanddeponiet.
------We walk from Velferden to Knudknuten to see and experience Håvard's installation in the dunes.
ABOUT THE PROJECT'S PARTICIPANTS:
MATT BRYANS comes from London and lives and works at Ålgård. He studied sculpture at Winchester School of Art and Chelsea College of Art and Design.
He draws inspiration from nature and generally works with wood that has been influenced or treated by humans, such as Christmas trees, rifle butts and newspaper.
ANANDA SERNÉ comes from the Netherlands and lives and works in Stavanger. She studied literature and linguistics before completing an MA in visual arts at the Reykjavik Art Academy. Ananda works mainly with video art, sound, language and textiles. Her projects are often informed by conversations and collaborations with others, such as biologists, vocalists or translators.
MERETE JONVIK is a social anthropologist and sociologist. She holds a PhD in cultural sociology from UIS (2015) and now works there as an associate professor at the Department of Media and Social Sciences. Her research areas are sociology of art and sociology of culture. Jonvik has researched participatory strategies in art, and is interested in the actual process of art production.
HÅVARD SAGEN is from Sandnes and lives and works in Stavanger. He graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and the Trondheim Academy of Fine Arts.
In his work he experiments with non-traditional frameworks for art through collaboration and situation-sensitive interventions in landscapes and constructions. He studies the elements that make up the architecture of our imagination.
__________________________________________________________
This project was supported by Rogaland County Council, Stavanger Municipality, the Arts Council of Norway and Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond.
Velferden runs with support from Rogaland County Council, Sokndal Municipality, the Arts Council, the Nordic Culture Fund and other local supporters.