Helsinki

Moderne Ruiner: HOMELESS OBJECTS

Moderne Ruiner: HOMELESS OBJECTS

Aug

23

Fri

22:21 – 22:21

5–6°C

overcast clouds

23.8. — 15.9.2024

For over a decade, Elisabeth EngenAstrid Findreng, and Grethe Britt Fredriksen, in the artistic constellation of Moderne Ruiner, have been studying the remnants of abandoned industrial facilities and deserted buildings. In the exhibition Hjemløse gjenstander (Homeless Objects) the artists show a strong attraction to deteriorating places, abandoned houses, factories, and other establishments that have lost the battle against rapid urban development and industrial upgrading. These recognizable environments and objects have been transformed into a comprehensive installation consisting of 3D animations, detailed architectural models, tableaus, and sculptural objects. The three artists have observed and documented how certain neighborhoods and places undergo rapid and extensive changes. The optimism surrounding the industry that contributed to the establishment of the welfare state in Norway has faded, and factories are closing down or relocating to make way for new apartment complexes, commercial spaces, and shopping centers. The exhibition specifically focuses on the two defunct industrial facilities, Bergs Machine (1947 – 2013) in Lilleby, Trondheim, and the original Marnar Bruk (1976 – 2011) in Mandal. When these facilities were shut down, it provided the artists with the opportunity to closely examine the empty spaces from the inside.

Using photographic material – where buildings and objects have been documented from all angles – the artists have digitally drawn detailed 3D models of the industrial facilities’ inventory. The modeling is not a reconstruction of reality but is interpreted through an observant eye where specific details are highlighted, abstracted, and transformed into something unique. In one of the exhibition rooms, the artists present an archive where a selection of physical models, which are small works in themselves, also serves as sketches for sculpting new, larger objects. How the artists work with format and scaling is an interesting aspect. From tiny details in miniature tableaus to the three wooden columns at the entrance, which loom almost four meters above the ground. Column!, Column!!, and Column!!! are inspired by the massive and now stripped-down steel structure of the Bergs Machine factory building, which now houses the Credo restaurant. In Moderne Ruiner’s construction, the architectural basic structure has been detached from its context and endowed with abstracted technical devices. Nevertheless, the sculptures bear an organic character both in form and choice of materials. One of the three columns features a prominent drum, a form that also serves as the starting point for the 3D animation Hjemløse gjenstander (Homeless Objects). The exhibition’s other objects are also designed with a distinct mechanical aesthetic, outlined through highly detailed technical drawings. Separated from their original environment, the objects appear as almost identifiable signs or symbols, with recognizable shapes but without any concrete function. The modernist motto Form follows function has been broken down, and the objects have become abstract sculptures. They have become our contemporary modern ruins, both sublime and picturesque, though in a different way than the remains of a cathedral in the twilight.

The environments we encounter in the exhibition are subject to a similar process. The buildings and objects decay, and when the context is gone, the abandoned, uninhabited areas are transformed into melancholic spaces and atmospheric landscapes. In the animated film Expirator, we are taken into the dim and mysterious world inside Marnar Bruk’s impregnation halls. The animation software used by the artists allows the “camera” to glide through the factory’s various rooms, showing a place that seems recently abandoned, with traces of the workers’ daily lives. Even though the premises have been empty for several years, no one returned to turn off the lights or to lower the heat. Marnar Bruk can be seen as a representation of how rapidly the decline in Norwegian factory employment occurred. Two years before the factory was established, industrial employment was at its peak. In 1974, 40% of the Norwegian workforce was employed in industry, while in 2008, it accounted for only 11% in comparison. Moderne Ruiner thus shows how time can transform a place and focus on what is so recent that it almost imperceptibly disappears. By removing the function from the form and eliminating the rationality and purpose of the objects, we become aware that the way we manage our society also means that recent history and knowledge can be lost.

Moderne Ruiner  was established in 2009 and consists of Astrid Findreng (b. 1964), Grethe Britt Fredriksen (b. 1957), and Elisabeth Engen (b.1957). This is a collectively ongoing project where the artists produce everything together. Moderne Ruiner has previously exhibited at venues such as the Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter in Svolvær, the Agder Centre for Contemporary Art, Babel Kunst, Østfold Centre for Contemporary Art, Tronhjems kunstforening, and Heimdal kunstforening.The three artists live and work in Trondheim. Moderne Ruiner received support for the exhibition from the Arts and Culture Norway, Billedkunstnernes vederlagsfond – BKV, Trondheim Municipality, Regionale prosjektmidler for visuell kunst og The Norwegian Association for Arts and Crafts – NK. 

Fri 23 Aug 2024 – 15 Sep 2024 Closed today

5–6°C

overcast clouds

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