Found objects, Black Plastic
Black plastic waste found in nature.
Put together and taken out of context, the black parts appear as characters in an alphabet we don't know, a narrative we don't see the scope of. The objects are from the age of oil.
They are only washed after they are found, not painted or processed in any way. The plastic waste has been collected for many years #guerrillplastic
Bærumsutstillingen 2024. The work has been shown in Bærum Kunsthall, a juried group exhibition in Bærum, Norway.
Guerrilla Plastic Movement
The artist group Guerrilla Plastic Movement was founded in 2016.
The Guerrilla Plastic Movement works for clean seas and a plastic-free world using visual, verbal and artistic means; action art with humor and seriousness.
Guerrilla Plastic Movement is a group of 7 people who have extensive experience in creativity, communication and dissemination. We are artists, photographers, journalists, writers and teachers.
It starts with beach cleaning. We work in nature where the rubbish is found and use ourselves as models. We travel to the beach, create ideas, take pictures and write text. We utilize the energy that comes from working together. We collect what we find and use it in workshops for children and for various art installations, art projects, exhibitions etc.
The life raft. A site-specific outdoor project for Kunst rett Vest at Fossekleiva made by Guerrilla Plastic Movement September 2022. The life raft is made from reused water jugs and Dollyrope/rope/yarn found in nature. If you are stranded on a deserted island, the first thought is to build a life raft. A life raft also gives associations to people on the run. Water is in short supply in many places on the globe where there is need, poverty and drought due to, among other things, climate change. The water cans can give associations to war where water is often in short supply and contributes to great distress and death. The water cans are also given a new symbolism in light of the last couple of years' call to the population - also here in Norway - to ensure that they have a prepping stock of, among other things, 9 liters of water per person in readiness for serious incidents. Water is essential for survival and the jugs take on new value as containers for the precious drops. Today, the beaches are full of plastic cans and ropes - which we at GPM would use to make a raft. So last but not least, water cans and plastic ropes are symbols of the plastic problem in our oceans. Artists: Christine Istad, Pippip Ferner, Hilde Kjepso and Pernille Rosfjord Guerrilla Plastic Movement is an art action group that was established in 2016 and consists of a group of creators and artists. Our focus is plastic pollution in the sea. We use the plastic we pick up on beaches and along roads to develop art installations, performances and exhibitions. We also carry out dialogue work in public workshops and in public spaces. One of our characteristics is the combination of humor and seriousness.
Marine Debris, video made by Istad Art. Film from Ulebergshamn in Sweden. The plastic hat is found there. Isabelle Istad Rye as model.
Length 02:21 minutes.
No sound.
With Isa Rye.
SYNOPSIS: Found marine debris from fishing industry. This head installation of black plastic comes from fish farming. They are used to simulate kelp forest so the wrasse will thrive in the fish cages.
The wrasse removes lice from farmed fish.
After years in the ocean the plastic becomes micro plastic. The fish thinks it is food and eats it and eventually die from it.
It is a paradox that they make habitat for the fish that becomes deadly for animals in the ocean.
Life Raft by Istad Art. Made of found objects from the Swedish west coast Bohuslän.
Life raft by Istad Art made of found objects. Out door installation.
Curtain of plastic made by Pippip Ferner, Christine Istad and Kari Gjæver Pedersen.
Traveling SUN
Lisa Pacini & Christine Istad
2012-2016
Traveling SUN is a road trip and a site specific art project.
Traveling SUN web page
Our aim with our art project is to bring light to the dark winter months in the north, meet people and share with the rest of the world the beauty of the unspoiled nature that is to be found in all of the Nordic countries.
Distance: app. 13.000 km (7926 miles)
Oslo - Tromsø - Kirkenes - Bergen - London - Rjukan - Oslo - Reykjavik - Mo i Rana
For those of us living in the north the sun or lack of it has an immense impact on our lives. The artists Christine Istad and Lisa Pacini wanted to bring the ‘SUN’ to dark places as a gesture. To take The SUN on the road trip was an essential part of the work. By documenting the trip on our blog, we allow viewers to share the trip with us.
The SUN is a circular light sculpture, 3 m in diameter, that shifts between a wide range of warm colors. To make the road trip, it was suspended above a flatbed trailer that was pulled by a flat bed truck. The generator that powers the SUN is in the back of the truck, allowing us to drive with the light on all the time. The SUN was mounted on the second floor façade of Tromsø Kunstforening on arrival the, where it was installed from November 2012 until the sun officially returns from the long winter on the 19th of January 2013. The 'SUN' then travelled all along the Norwegian west coast with Hurtigruten, M/S Nordkapp, mounted on the top deck, on a eight-day voyage from Tromsø to Kirkenes and to Bergen. Winter 2015-2016 the SUN is at the Nordic House in Reykjavik, Iceland. The whole journey was documented and added to our blog and road movie.
INSTALLATIONS:
- Sold to KORO, National Library in Mo i Rana, North of Norway 2016
- The Nordic House, Reykjavik Iceland winter 2015-2016.
- Oslo LUX, September 2015
- Henie Onstad Art Center Norway, winter 2014 - 2015.
- Dray Walk Gallery - 100% Norway, London Design Festival UK 2013.
- The Culture House at Rjukan, Norway, winter 2013 - 2014.
- USF Verftet, Bergen Norway, summer 2013.
- Tromsø Kunstforening, Norway, winter 2012-2013
TRAVELING SUN ROAD TRIP:
Oslo - Tromsø - Kirkenes - Bergen - London - Rjukan - Oslo - Reykjavik - Mo i Rana = app. 13.000 km
SCREENINGS Road Movie:
- Fundação Dom Luis in Cascais, Portugal, 2020
- Louisiana Art&Science Museum, ”Sun Light/Star Light”, 2016
- Rjukan Culture House, 2015
- Henie Onstad Art Center, Norway, 2014-2015
- Phillips Collection in Washington DC, 2014
- Marres, House for Contemporary Culture Maastricht, The Nederlands, ”Winter Depression show, 2014
- Dray Walk Gallery, 100%Norway, London Design Festival, 2013
- Tromsø Art Hall, Norway, 2012-2013
Traveling SUN in Iceland 2015
The Nordic House from October 2015 - April 2016
Traveling SUN in Iceland 2015
Tromsø Art Hall 2012-2013
Tromsø Art Hall 2012-2013. Foto: Jenny-Marie Johnsen
Traveling Sun og Hurtigruten, the coastal liner Highway 1 in Norway. 2013
USF Bergen 2013
Traveling SUN in Rjukan, the village in Norway with no sun light for six months. 2012-2013
Traveling Sun at Henie Onstad Art Center 2014-2015.
Traveling SUN installation at National Library in Mo i Rana in north in Norway. Permanent installation 2016. KORO
Traveling SUN installation at National Library in Mo i Rana in north in Norway. Permanent installation. KORO
Fornebu - Traces of Time
Fornebu - Traces of Time
Snarøya, Norway. Janyary 2016 - November 2017.
Visual artist Christine Istad has drawn inspiration from Oslo Airport, Fornebu when she made this 100 meter long artwork.
In the new town emerging at Fornebu there are layers of stories from the time when the area was an airport and until today.
Through Christine Istad their photographs and drawings from the period 2000 - 2015, we see these layers in the form of stories, memories, track and visions.
OBOS Fornebulandet want to contribute positively to this area which is changing and adopting building fences to display art.
Curator and producer: Kulturbyrået Mesén
OBOS Fornebulandet
Print: XLP
100 meter art, 30 walls, size 1250x337 cm.
With frost came graffiti.
To the right: Small details and trash found on the ground of the old airport.
5 black walls with 5 photographs with LED back light.
Drawing of Fornebu Airport 1940 with frost.
Fornebu Airport 1989
Man Made 2017 by Istad and Rygh at Henie Onstad Art Center
Man Made
Installation art made of 200 rubber gloves found along the beaches in Bohuslän in Sweden by Istad Art.
Most of the actions are made in public spaces.
We make interventions in landscapes where people gather.
We open for discussions and dialogue with the public when working with the installation. We leave the rubber gloves for several days to challenge people to reflect upon man-made plastic pollution of the oceans.
Man Made 2017 by Istad and Rygh at Henie Onstad Art Center
Man Made 2017 by Istad and Rygh at Høvikodden, Norway
Man Made 2018 by Istad and Rygh at Storøya, Fornebu, Norway
Man Made 2018 by Istad and Rygh at Storøya, Fornebu, Norway
Man Made 2018 by Istad and Rygh at Strand beach, Bærum
Rubber gloves installation in the garden made by Istad Art 2020
IKM, Intercultural Museum in Oslo, Norway. Man-made a Guerilla Plastic Movement project by Christine Istad and Toril Rygh Found rubber gloves
Spectra Emotion
Elvelangs 2016.
Videoinstallasjon på oppdrag for Sagene Bydel i forbindelse med
Lisa Pacini og Christine Istad.
Lyd: Erik Wøllo
Videoen er spilt inn gjennom en beholder fylt med vann utendørs. Solen treffer vannet og gjenspeiler fargene i regnbuen. Trær svaier i vinden skaper bevegelsen.
Video projiseres fra to motsatte sider og treffer de hvite sementsekkene.
Publikum blir endel av verket når de kaster skygger på installasjonen.
Lydbildet komponert av Erik Wøllo kan minne om dråper som faller og lyder fra en fabrikk eller skip, og som kan gi assosiasjoner til fabrikkens historie..
Spectra Emotion Elvelangs 2016 from Istad Art on Vimeo.
Filtered Light Forest
Filtered Light Forest
Factory Light Festival, Slemmestad, Norway 2016.
Light installation by: Christine Istad og Lisa Pacini
Sound: Isa Istad
The light installation Filtered Light Forest was installed between a group of trees at Norcems cement factory for an annual light festival in Slemmestad. Istad and Pacini wanted to create a meditative space using old cement filters found abandoned in a warehouse at the factory. As the cement factory is linked to the sea for transporting cement, the water element was an important part of the project.
Filtered Light Forest light installation formed a hanging square of 3 x 3 meters where the audience was free to enter. An ambient soundscape, reminiscent of naturel sounds such as water and sounds from a choir. The sound has an abstract sonic texture. By using sound, video and the cement sacks we create a link between the works, the historical identity of the site.
Norsk:
Med lysinstallasjonen Filtered Light Forest som vil henge mellom trærne på Slemmestad ønsker Istad og Pacini å skape et meditativt rom ved bruk av gamle sementfiltre funnet på Norcems lager.
Filtered Light Forest lysinstallasjon vil danne et kvadrat på 3 x 3 meter der publikum kan bevege seg rundt og inne i verket. Det ambiente lydbildet gir assosiasjoner til natur, vann og lyder fra et kor. Lyden har en abstrakt sonisk tekstur. Ved hjelp av lydbildet og sementsekkene lager vi en link mellom verket, bygningen og stedets identitet. Det fysiske forholdet mellom sementfabrikken og sjøen er en viktig del av prosjektet.
The artists. Photo Lillian Støa
Spectra Emotion
Factory Light Festival 2015, Slemmestad Norway.
Video installation by: Christine Istad and Lisa Pacini, Sound: Erik Wøllo.
With the movie Spectra Emotion showing the sunlight that hits the water and reflects the colors of the rainbow, we want to bring the water element and the light into the room. We use objects found in the warehouse and in this way we create a link between the work, the building and it's identity. The physical relationship between the factory and the sea is an important part of the project. We use fluorescent dust; pigments that absorb different frequencies of light (visible and invisible to the human eye) emits them and produces intense colors that glow.
The ambiente soundscape created by Erik Wollo provides various associations with nature, running water sounds from the interior space in a factory or ship. The sound has an abstract sonic texture.
Uniforms with text from Luciano Berio made by: Christine Istad
I see Me
Performance, song and dance
Artist Christine Istad, mezzosopran Kristin Kjølberg and choreografer/dancer Cina Espejord have developed the artistic performance to the opening of Kunst rett Vest at Henie Onstad Art Center.
The focus is the phenomenum self-portrait, narcissism, vanity and reflection circling around identity is the subject they have inspired by. The performance is based on three parts: text, movement and voice.
Music and text: Luciano Berio´s «Sequenza III» for woman's voice.
This is the “modular” text written by Markus Kutter for Sequenza III.
give me
a few words for a woman
to sing
a truth allowing us
to build a house
without worrying before the night comes
In Sequenza III the emphasis is given to the sound symbolism of vocal and sometimes visual gestures, with their accompanying “shadows of meaning”, and the associations and conflicts suggested by them. For this reason Sequenza III can also be considered as a dramatic essay whose story, so to speak, is the relationship between the soloist and her own voice
Sequenza III was written in 1965 for Cathy Berberian.
Mezzosopran Kristin Kjølberg. Bærumskoret performance.
Dance: Cina Espejord and Caroline Roca from The Norwegian National Ballet.
Artistic concept/scenography: Christine Istad.
Performance, song and dance
Artist Christine Istad, mezzosopran Kristin Kjølberg and choreografer/dancer Cina Espejord have developed the artistic performance to the opening of Kunst rett Vest at Henie Onstad Art Center. The focus is the phenomenum self-portrait, narcissism, vanity and reflection circling around identity is the subject they have inspired by. The performance is based on three parts: text, movement and voice.
Music and text: Luciano Berio´s «Sequenza III» for woman's voice.
This is the “modular” text written by Markus Kutter for Sequenza III.
give me
a few words for a woman
to sing
a truth allowing us
to build a house
without worrying before the night comes
In Sequenza III the emphasis is given to the sound symbolism of vocal and sometimes visual gestures, with their accompanying “shadows of meaning”, and the associations and conflicts suggested by them. For this reason Sequenza III can also be considered as a dramatic essay whose story, so to speak, is the relationship between the soloist and her own voice
Sequenza III was written in 1965 for Cathy Berberian.
Mezzosopran Kristin Kjølberg. Bærumskoret performance.
Dance: Cina Espejord and Caroline Roca from The Norwegian National Ballet.
Artistic concept/scenography: Christine Istad.
Photo: Bårdevik
Photo: Bårdevik
Dancers Cina Espejord and Caroline Roca. Photo: Paal Alme.
Dancers Cina Espejord and Caroline Roca. Photo: Paal Alme.
Performers from Bærumskoret. Photo: Paal Alme
Mezzosopran Kristin Kjølberg sings Sequenza III by Luciano Berio. Photo Paal Alme
DeFence
Temporary outdoor installation, Sørenga, Oslo, 2012 - 2013
VIGDIS STORSVEEN and CHRISTINE ISTAD
In cooperation with Sørenga Utvikling
Supported by the Norwegian Art Council
More info about the project at www.defenceoslo.org.
The installation Defence consists of a square cube of 4x4x4 meters with walls consisting of reinforcing mesh and turf.
Construction: two squares, an inner and an outer, of reinforced wire mesh and welded together at the corners to render the construction stable. The turf is positioned between the two layers of wire mesh. The work will follow the different phases of the seasons throughout one and a half year. DeFence is constructed in such a way that it is impenetrable and impossible to see through. There is an inherent contrast between the reinforcement wire mesh and the green vegetation.
Location: Central on Sørenga pier in the new Central Park, a hub where many people travel daily. The installation is placed in a review sore where the public will be "forced" to deal with it.
Defence will be changing through the seasons.
Phase 1: In the beginning of May, the plant will emerge only with a structure of steel reinforcing mesh.
Phase 2: In late May, the four walls of the plant would be built up of peat bags. The turf will contain a mixture of grass seed and meadow flower seeds.
Phase 3: In the beginning of June, the public and schools will participate by offset with cultivated meadow flowers.
Phase 4: Through the summer, the installation will look more and more lush and colorful as the flowers and grass grow out of the turf.
Phase 5: The fall will change the character of the plants wither and a winter solution will be installed on the installation. Winter solution consists of LED lights that follow the form of the cube.
Phase 6: Spring 2013, winter solution will be dismantled and the plant will again begin to sprout and become rich beyond the summer, the grass will dominate the work. .
The audience has actively participated in the planting of the installation DeFence.
Future residents / public / schools have received seeds in advance of construction of the installation as they could put in pots at home. There was a workshop in March 2012 to inform / involve the public. During the first week of June, the public could work closely together with the artists. In this process, they have worked with various professionals in different fields;
Trygve S. Aamlid from Bioforsk has provided advice regarding the planting of Defence. Bioforsk is a research institute with expertise in agriculture, food production, plant health, environment and resource management. Aamlid has a PhD in grass species engrapp, and he has worked with grass and seeds in various projects since 1986.
In their work DeFence, Christine Istad and Vigdis Storsveen address a number of topical, social issues relating to our globalised world, where human migration and encounters between cultures are becoming ever more significant. Structurally, DeFence is metonymically based on concepts of security and protection, but at the same time, the structure and materiality of the work metaphorically embrace positive values associated with migration: diversity, cultural enrichment and humanity. This social aspect finds a concrete and interactive expression through the site-specific location of the work in a public space. The work challenges the observer to reflect on the socially relevant questions it poses and even urges her to engage with other people who are in this same social space. By thematising and problematising encounters with "others", the work may be interpreted in the light of Julia Kristeva's theory that the individual herself is "the other". DeFence makes it impossible to maintain an absolute dividing line between "inside" and "outside" – or between the familiar and the alien.
Celestial Bed
Lost Garden, Henie Onstad Art Center 2012
CHRISTINE ISTAD OG GJERTRUD HALS
Celestial bed
Bed frame in metal, wires and drapery with beard lichen (Usnea).
200x90x250 cm
The bed is hanging from four tree trunks. The bed frame has metal springs in the bottom. The bed is an original, antique iron bed from app. 1910. The bed has its history from Åmli. The owner was the famous opera singer Kirsten Flagstad.
The drapery surrounding the bed is made of wool and beard lichen. The pendulous lichen is originally growing on trees. Lichen (Usnea) is one of the most unique organisms on the planet. Some species are also known as natural antibiotics, and have been used medically for at least 1000 years. Lichen is also highly sensitive to environmental disturbances, especially air pollution. Lichen are nature's own sensor.
A place for contemplation, a place to get energy and inspiration, a place to hide or to recover, or whatever else you need a bed in the wood for…
30 "boxes" are to be placed at appropriate points along the whole walkway at Høvikodden.
505050
Landscape project Henie Onstad Art Center 2008
Curator: Tone Hansen, art historian at Henie Onstad Art Center
The landscape project 50-50-50 has been initiated by Bærum Pictorial Artists (BKIB) in collaboration with the Henie Onstad Art Centre. All professional visual and handicraft artists in Bærum are invited to participate in the project, whose venue is a 1.5 kilometre long walk.
30 "boxes" are to be placed at appropriate points along the whole walkway at Høvikodden, starting from Solvik Home for the Elderly and continuing along the coastal path around the Art Centre and down to the Veritas Park. The boxes measure 50-50-50 cm and are made of concrete, topped with reinforced plexiglas.
A jury consisting of the artists Ulf Nilsen and Barbara Czapran and a representative from the Henie Onstad Art Centre will select 30 of the submitted works to fill the boxes, which will be positioned in groups at appropriate locations along the path. Where possible, and depending on the terrain, the boxes can be partly sunk into the ground so that passers-by can look down at the contents.
It is the Art Centre's intention that 50-50-50 will lead to a more active use of its surroundings; the project will create an unusual art experience that will enable walkers at Høvikodden to enjoy art along their way. A catalogue with a guide map and a presentation of each artist is available free of charge at the reception desk of the Henie Onstad Art Centre. In addition, information boards will be located along the route.
This project has been realised with financial support from Bærum Municipality and Det Norske Veritas.
JUNE 1 - NOVEMBER 1, 2008
OUTDOOR AREA
Landscape and art at Høvikodden
The jury thanks BKiB for entrusting us with the task of appraising so many exciting projects. A total of 80 proposals and sketches were submitted and from these, we have selected 30 entries by 14 artists. The process of selection was carried out during one long day of discussions at the Henie Onstad Art Centre. It is always difficult to choose winners for a project, when the entries consist of ideas in the form of sketches. Should we keep to one theme or age group, or should we try to present a cross section of the submitted proposals? Should we dare to invest in projects whose final form is as yet an unknown quantity? Appraising project sketches is a question of trust, both as regards the jury's belief in the ability of the artists and on the part of the artists themselves, who allow the jury to judge their proposal while it is still in a vulnerable process of development.
We have chosen to include both established and new artists and have made efforts to localise their works in the landscape in such a way that exciting relationships arise between them. Some of the artists have been encouraged to develop their submitted proposals further. Taken as a whole, the works by the chosen 14 artists will present a wide range of visual, literary, challenging and beautiful works of art. The participating artists are of different ages, come from varying backgrounds and have different educations and types of professional experience. We hope the public thorougly enjoys the art along the coastal path at Høvikodden this summer.
Tone Hansen, curator at the Henie Onstad Art Centre , Ulf Nilsen and Barbara Czapran, artist.
Frozen Landscape
Outdoor video installation 2008-2009
2009 St. Vicente Church, Evora, Portugal
2008 Henie Onstad Art Centre
2008 Hamar Sagbladfabrikk
Mathilde Grooss Viddal (audio), Christine Istad (video) and Vigdis Storsveen (sculpture).
Mountains and the nearby Kolsås Heights were the inspiration for the outdoor installation "Frozen Landscape", which will be on show during the whole of the Henie Onstad Art Centre's winter festival "Art Encounters" ("Kunstløpet"). In the foyer of the Art Centre, the public will be met with an interplay of abstract sounds, fanciful videos and dreamlike mountain formations.
The mountain formations, which are stretched onto canvases of different sizes, are by artist Vigdis Storsveen. Projected onto the installation are Christine Istad's photo-based videos, which consist of close-up studies of the lakes around the Kolsås Heights and evoke associations to the universe and to micro and macro landscapes. The musician Mathilde Grooss Viddal has created a special audio backdrop for the work consisting of several different, ready-made compositions of varying lengths. The different pieces of music are triggered by sensors as members of the public move around between the "mountain formations"; the music is therefore constantly changing. In other words, at any given moment the public plays an active role in creating the composition and the artwork.
The installation "Frozen Landscape" is transformed from hour to hour as the conditions of light change from morning to evening and as the public affects the different sound tracks. In this way, the installation alludes to the ephemerality and vulnerability of nature in the face of human encroachments. Two key interpretations of "Frozen Landscape" are as a comment on how important mountains are for our water supply, which is so essential to us, and on how our management of natural resources renders them vulnerable.
