Memories of the North: RACA

Project concept

Memories of the North is an exhibition of ongoing investigations into the theme of Nordic cultural identity, souvenirs and nation branding. The first venue of the exhibition tour was Galleri S12 in Bergen, Norway in April 2008.

How well do our existing national symbols, souvenirs and cultural icons, represent our diverse contemporary societies? What does it mean to travel and what is a souvenir? How can we craft alternatives to those currently offered by the travel and souvenir industries? The assembled artists are engaged in a long term investigation of these questions, that continues as the exhibition travels to new venues in the Nordic countries.

In February 2007 the Swedish art/craft/design-collective S-U-B invited four other artist groups from Denmark, Finland and Norway to a meeting in Stockholm, a seminar in Rovaniemi and a two week artist residency at Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter in Lofoten ("Souvenirs"), to provide a foundation for the participants and a starting point for research. Three individual artists have also been invited to join the project that currently hosts 16 artists.

The initial concept was to invite socially-engaged artists and artist collectives to use their diverse practices to explore the project themes of Nordic cultural identity, souvenirs, tourism and nation branding. Most of the artists have responded to this request by creating participatory projects that engage local communities in a search for ways to create ”truer” representations of people and places. These projects question, acknowledge and re-create symbols and stories by inviting the public to engage in different forms of aesthetic dialogue: workshops, participatory interventions, performances and an exhibition that displays the results of these activities. The project grows as the participants engage other artists and local communities along the way.

Nordic Adventures / RACA Tours

Individuality, storytelling, authenticity and interaction... Places/communities were tourism is a major part of the local economy are challanged to reinvent the tourist/experience-industry. To become more extreme and ”authentic” is an act of balance between exploration and exploitation. In the spirit of Thor Heyerdahl, the vikings and the fishermen RACA are doing their own mapping of experience-tourism and its inpact on local communities. Everything from extreme adventure to holistic travel agencies.

RACA is offering tours in the harbour of Bergen on Saturday the 12th in exchange for a story: your best trip, best souvenir – dream or reallity. Participants will be rewarded with a diploma and postcards. During the night of the opening at S12 you are welcome to make a reservation with RACA Tours to take part in this one time only event. The diplomas and stories will become a part of the exhibition after the event. The project is based on RACA’s research from their trips to Svolvaer and Rovaniemi, where they were in dialogue with tourism companies, travel agencies and local inhabitans.

Participants

S-U-B

Sissi Westerberg, Ulf Samuelsson and Benjamin Slotterøy constitute the Stockholm based art/craft/design collective S-U-B, who are the initiators of the Souvenir project. The group, formed in 2003, represents a variety of artistic expressions ranging from jewellery, glass and ceramics to sculpture and performance, exhibiting individual works as well as collaborative projects. Usually the projects are carried out in a local context, inviting other artists as well as locals to take part in the creative process in different ways, aiming to develop a more interactive and democratic design process.

http://www.s-u-b.se/

RACA

Pulsk Ravn og Johan Carlsson combine two different backgrounds –architecture and graphic design. They work across these disciplines both as a group and in collaboration with others in order to develop new ways of looking at design, architecture and art. Most of RACA’s projects take place in the public ream, exploring social codes and cultural values in connection to social systems and everyday situations.

http://www.raca.dk/

Temp

Heidi Bjørgan, Ruth Moen, Ann-Helen Mydland and Anne Thomassen are all part of the Bergen-based artist-collective Temp. The members have backgrounds in visual art and craft, often working in the medium of installation and ceramic sculpture. Temp also works as a team of curators. For two years the group ran a gallery/project room in Bergen. Galleri Temp was a new platform for art projects and exhibitions, dedicated to young art and a meeting point for the most current movements in Scandinavian art, craft and design.

http://www.kunst.no/temp

Eva Brownies

Karoliina Taipale (visual artist and curator), Maria Hakkarainen (visual artist, comic drawer, musician and dj) and Eliza Karmasalo (visual artist and graphic designer) are part of the Helsinki based Eva Brownies - artist collective. They work both individually and as a group, also organizing group exhibitions such as - Behind The Mascara (2006) and Behind the Mustache (2008), investigating differences and similarities between genders, aiming to study and strengthen identities of women and men.

http://www.evabrownies.com/

CSCAA

Eemil Karila & Kalle Lampela make-up the Rovaniemi based artist group C.S.C.A.A. (Contemporary Santa Claus Artist Association), working in various fields of art and theory with exhibitions and lectures. Since the formation of the group in 2003, C.S.C.A.A. has been analyzing cultural identity and tourism and its effects on cultural development in Lapland. Lately C.S.C.A.A. has been engaged in bringing people together by organizing social events that aim to overcome gaps formed by bureaucracy. Their latest commission and contribution to the public space of Rovaniemi is a giant concrete Santa, titled “Mr Confectioner”, buried half way in the ground – symbolizing what might be the last remains of our civilization.

http://www.cscaa.info/

Daniel Peltz

Daniel Peltz is a U.S. based multimedia artist working primarily with film and video technologies. Daniel's background and continued interest in anthropological methods has informed his media works which have been exhibited as public interventions, theatrical set pieces, live performances and installations. Daniel lives in Pawtucket, RI and is an Assistant Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design in the Department of Film/Animation/Video.

http://www.danielpeltz.net/

Nils Viga Hausken

Nils Viga Hausken is a Norwegian artist based in Copenhagen, exploring contemporary cultural and social values through the use of embroidery. The challenging and time-consuming art of cross-stitching is juxtaposed with modern media such as mobile phone text messages. Hausken has participated in numerous exhibitions in Denmark, Norway and internationally.

Lotte Slotterøy

Lotte Slotterøy is an artist based in Lurøy/Norway. Working in various fields such as expressionistic painting, installation and performance – she creates her own surrealistic fantasy world. Connotations to social relations, comic and brutal, are often settings in her work. Lotte Slotterøy has participated in numerous exhibitions in Scandinavia and England.

http://www.lotteslotteroy.com/

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