Opening: Weaving Algebraic Patterns, Flowers and Leaves på Färgkontoret

1 November – 1 December 2024
Thursdays – Sundays, 12 – 4 pm (free of charge)

Opening Friday, 1 November 2024, 4 pm – 9 pm

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Weaving Algebraic Patterns, Flowers and Leaves brings together the works of Ørjan Amundsen, Isan Maher, and Kåre Aleksander Grundvåg. Inspired by Ada Lovelace’s foundational contributions to computation, the exhibition explores themes of memory, subjectivity, and the human experience in an age of rapid technological advancement. Ada Lovelace, often regarded as the world’s first computer programmer, envisioned that machines could transcend mere calculation and create art, weaving complex patterns akin to flowers and leaves. Similarly, the artists in this exhibition delve into how storytelling and technology intertwine, shaping our understanding of ourselves and the world.

Ørjan Amundsen’s ”Escape Velocity” is a video installation that consists of appropriated and AI-generated imagery with a poetic voice-over set against electronic music. The installation consists of a circular screen encompassed by a low-relief design resembling ripples on a water surface.

”Escape Velocity” is narrated by a first person protagonist that is speaking from an imagined future where humanity has become surpassed by an all powerful singular and immortal being. This supreme being or consciousness grapples with remnants of humanness and earthly memories, haunted by the essence it has transcended. This speculative transhuman future trajectory starts out from the current obsession by powerful tech-billionaires to advance humans – technologically and biologically, in order to cure death and to make us, or rather, them, ready to move on from Earth.

The video installation is exploring human advancements like immortality and its possible implications for our species and to our natural environment, particularly considering the socio-economic divides that dictate access to such advancements. The work prompts reflection on who gets to transcend, at what cost, and what it means for the collective human narrative.

The title ”Escape Velocity” references the minimum speed required to break free from a planet’s gravitational pull, pointing to the human desire to overcome physical and existential limitations.

Isan Maher’s ”Forgotten Dialogues” portrays an exploration of memory and identity through the metaphor of a robot with a malfunctioning speech system, engaging in a mechanical dialogue with its self-generated clone. The robot embodies the immigrant experience, where, over time, individuals begin to lose parts of their original memories as they assimilate into a new society. The integration of new languages and traditions leads to the gradual fading of fragments of the past.

The 10-minute video is presented within a rusted box consisting of two monitors, only one of which functions. The rusted exterior evokes the erosion of time and memory, while the broken communication system highlights the challenge of preserving heritage during assimilation.

Kåre Aleksander Grundvåg’s “Unconventional Embodiments” tells the story of microscopic organisms through a digital simulation. The work is a virtual petri dish inhabited by individual E. coli bacteria, each with unique genetic traits influencing their behaviors. While the simulation’s complexities remain hidden, the experiences of these microorganisms are narrated through continuous printouts from two dot matrix printers, the primary visible components of the installation.

As streams of receipt paper accumulate in the exhibition space, the life and death of individual bateria is documented. When one batcteria dies, a genetically different bacterium takes over the storytelling.

Beginning from identical origins, their narratives diverge due to random genetic variations, echoing the unpredictability inherent in life. This reflects scientific insights into the randomness of gene expression, which challenge deterministic views of biology and suggest individuality even at the cellular level.

The controlled environment of the petri dish simulation mirrors the structured frameworks of artificial intelligence. Systems like neural networks, designed to emulate aspects of human cognition, operate within predefined algorithms. This raises questions about agency within such constraints: Can subjectivity emerge in regulated settings?

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The exhibition Weaving Algebraic Patterns, Flowers and Leaves explores how technology intersects with human narratives in a technologically driven era. Storytelling serves as a common thread, bridging personal experiences and universal themes. Amundsen’s examination of transhumanist ideology raises questions about the narratives we construct for our future and the ethical implications of technological advancement. Maher’s reflection on the immigrant experience highlights the importance of preserving personal histories amidst cultural assimilation. Grundvåg’s anthropomorphized bacteria prompt contemplation on the fundamental stories of life and survival.

The exhibition emphasizes how technology intertwines with human narratives, shaping our identities and perceptions of the world. The artists invite viewers to consider how narratives emerge where human perspectives meet technological processes. By connecting past, present, and future, the exhibition questions the role of storytelling in forming our understanding and involvement with the world around us.

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This exhibition is part of a new collaboration format between Aldea (Bergen, Norway) and Platform Stockholm. Through Aldea’s Artist in Residence program, Ørjan Amundsen, Isan Maher, and Kåre Aleksander Grundvåg had the opportunity to use the workshop and studio facilities at Aldea to develop and produce the artworks featured in Weaving Algebraic Patterns, Flowers and Leaves. Following its run at Platform Stockholm, the exhibition will later be shown at Aldea, continuing the dialogue between these two institutions and offering a new context for the artworks in Bergen.

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The exhibition is supported by Stockholm Stad, Kulturrådet and the Office for Contemporary Art Norway