Forelesning

Åpent Forum: Ida Falck Øien and Toril Johannessen

For the talk “Not from this market!” Ida Falck Øien from HAIKw/ and Toril Johannessen will interview each other about their collaboration as designers and artists. Starting with a sneak peak of HAIK’s upcoming clothing collection “Interpretations” (HAIKw/ SS17), which material basis is fabrics from Johannessen’s project “Unlearning Optical Illusions”, they will backtrack the process of their collaboration from the current status as wearable garments to the beginning; an essay in Johannessen’s book Unseeing. They will discuss issues relating to collaboration across disciplines and markets, ownership and taste in art and design.

“Unlearning Optical Illusions” brings together two different image cultures and their histories: Research on geometric optical illusions and cultural variations on perception, and a variant of wax batique known as Wax Print, African print or Dutch Wax Print. Based on these particular parts of perceptual psychology and textile history, the project calls attention to how we use our eyes – what we actually see – and links this to culture and cultural identity. Johannessen’s project consists of three parts so far: A book, a photo and text installation, and a textile installation with her designs printed by Ghanaian wax print manufacturer GTP.

HAiKw/ approaches Johannessen’s existing work with anthropological methods and have conducted interviews with people hailing from various parts of the world about the fabrics. They ask simple questions: Can you describe what you see? Can you give it your own name? that provide complex answers that, gathered and collated, provide an interpretation of Johannessen’s work. HAiKw/ enables Johannessens work to move out of the gallery space and into everyday life and back again. Fabrics become clothes – clothes become applied art.

Ida Falck Øien (Norway, 1979). BA in fashion from Oslo National Academy of Arts in 2007, MA in Fine Arts from Bergen National Academy of Arts and Design in 2005. Øien started the collaborative platform HAiKw/ in 2012 with designers Siv Støldal and Harald Lunde Helgesen. They invite people from various fields of work to join in and make clothing collections and other output. HAiKw/ has exhibited at Rod Bianco (2016), Format (2015), Trondheim Center for the Arts (2014), Rogaland Kunstsenter (2013).

Toril Johannessen (Norway, 1978). MA in Fine Arts from Bergen National Academy of Arts and Design in 2008. Johannessen’s practice engages in scientific topics and sheds light on the metaphors and creative elements inherent to the various methods of knowledge production. Her work has been exhibited at Trondheim Kunstmuseum (2016); Istanbul Biennial (2013); dOCUMENTA(13) (2012); Biennale Bénin (2012). Current exhibitions: NORSK NATUR at Museum of Contemporary Art, Oslo, and Unlearning Optical Illusions at Kabuso, Hardanger og Voss Museum.