Atelier Nord, Oslo
14.11 – 15.12.2019
8-channel Site-specific sound installation based on audio recordings of minuscule movements in an 200 year old maple.
Text from Atelier Nord:
At Atelier Nord Treverk enters its thirteenth iteration. When the maple tree in Atelier Nord’s backyard was trimmed during the summer of 2019 with the intent to stop rot from spreading, Blattmann decided to keep the parts of the tree that were removed. Blattmann has made several audio recordings of the tree in Atelier Nord’s backyard in the last year – of clicking, scraping and knocking sounds caused by torsion within the trunk, changes in moisture levels inside the tree and insects living under the bark. These recordings are played back through contact speakers placed on the logs that Blattmann has collected and placed in the gallery. Making the trees integral parts of the installations speakers.
Sensors connected to the maple tree in the backyard communicate with the installation in the gallery via cables, thereby allowing the tree to control the soundscape inside the space. Recordings are selected by a computer that interprets the electrical conductivity within the tree. The rhythm of the tree is irregular – affected by temperature, moisture and microorganisms. The world of the tree exists beyond everyday human experience but is constantly affect by human activities.
The trees used in the Treverk-series were already cut before Blattmann started working with them. No trees were cut by the artist to make these works.
The wood is returned to its place of origins after the exhibition period. This to continue its decomposition process, as a host to various species and to fertilize the forest floor.
Treverk (13) is accompanied by Atelier Nord Files 3. The publication will be available in the exhibition and includes an essay on Blattmann’s Treverk-series by architecture and design historian Ingrid Halland.
The last day of the exhibition Blattmann played a concert in the installation.
The exhibition was supported by Arts Council Norway and Regionale Prosjektmidler for Visuell Kunst.
JOAKIM BLATTMANN 