Topologies for a Vertical Sound

On the occasion of the 57^th Venice Biennale: 

Displaced Exhibitions in Absentia - From the Rooms 
of the Void Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli

Anne Katrine Senstad 

Topologies for A Vertical Sound

with Catherine C. Hennix

May 10 – August 6^th 2017

Topologies for a Vertical Sound serves as a midcareer survey of light and space artist Anne Katrine Senstad in collaboration with composer, philosopher and mathematician Catherine C. Hennix.

Topologies for a Vertical Sound presents Anne Katrine Senstad’s practice on the phenomenology of perception of light, sound and space, aesthetic relations, immersive architectural site specific practice and social-political installation art in conjunction with Senstad’s ongoing collaborations with Catherine C. Hennix. Hennix’s poetic essay SONOILLUMINESCENCES will at this time be published virtually in concurrence with the exhibition, highlighting the historic significance of Hennix’s specialized authorship in the areas of philosophy, mathematical theory, sound, religion, science and art. The text is conceived as a poem with accompanying illustrations and calligraphy by Hennix. 

Honouring Hennix’s extensive in depth practice and knowledge as a profound inspiration, the title for this exhibition is extracted from her texts and mathematical work on the infinitesimal as scientific, philosophical and spiritual concepts in relation to devotional sound, which was originally written to accompany her recording The Electric Harpsichord from 1978.  The indestructible moment of Silence, The Empty Sound, relates to the void, absence of the exhibition as a void space, inviting the viewer to experience the dialectical phenomena of the art but not the physicality of presence. 

The piece inspired Senstad to create her sensorial, experiential multiple projection, sound, fabric and aroma installation Sonoptic Parallels – The Infinitesimal, 2014-17, which includes the composition from Hennix’s live performance Catherine Christer Hennix and Chora(s)san - Time-Court Mirage: Blues Dhikr Al-Salam (Blues Al Maqam) from the Grimm Museum in Austria and is the main interior large scale installation piece as part of this exhibition.

The Verticality of light and sound talk about the connection between elements, forces, realms of consciousness, universality of allness and the direct path of dialogue with the Universe. As discourses found in her site specificity and here in the void space, Senstad has developed an architecturally perceived light and color line sculptural space, drawing in space as we travel through it, yet in response to the charged resonances of archetypal devotional hierarchy. In working with technology, the analogue and narration of the space simultaneously, Senstad’s employment of the veiled as a state of ideology or reality, emphasizing the hidden, or the subjective, seductive and the mysterious. Black fabrics engulfing the hallways of the devoted, yet displaying and enforcing the minimal light structures as symptomatic of the sensorial and intimate, involves - no requires - another territorial reclamation to experience in full. She suggests a merged light and spatial narrative, simultaneously exalting the perception of the historic charged space through suggestive black veils conveying a psychological space while referencing omnipresence of cultural and religious dogmatic ideas.

The semi transparent plexi glass sculpture seemingly hidden in the corner, yet as an obstacle, entitled Time Arc, 2016, refers to Senstad’s ongoing work with semi transparent and translucent materials, the immateriality of light and attempts of solidifying light and unveiling elements of the transparent plane. Light exists as time and science creates arcs in space. Sound operates in arcs as do all wave forms, forces of nature and electronic recordings of the verbalized intent and spoken language. The aesthetic experience of the arc is a pleasant space of contemplation between the line, mathematical ideas of time and the void where the idea of the black hole illuminates the infinitesimal.

In these realms of ideas of the void, two women artists work in multiple complex states, echelons and practices, in each their disciplines, yet across their generations we find an amalgamation of exploration and contemplation, and a humble approach through creative action, an understanding and compassionate thought.

The exhibition examines ways of rethinking the exhibition as industry. It takes place virtually where authorship is shared by social media and websites as a continuous intellectual creative process and the meditative virtual plane when immersed in the experiential. Lastly, it examines the non-objectified space of the void institution (here the case of the Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli). The physical location of this exhibition represents a void space replacing art, housing emptiness. In this manifested emptiness, the displaced art points to the existence of an essence, purity and spirit of the authentic will and the artists labour towards authorship. Today, as a former place of devotion and public service, the corporate art institution and its subjects represent the commerce and capital of culture as a currency of spectacle and the de-sanitized globalization on the individual’s ethical compass. The exhibition serves as a staged action and takes on the role of the rogue storyteller and of contradictory histories to be exposed, the displacement of authenticity and oeuvre.

Design by Nugamshi Nu

3D Illustrations by Markley Boyer

Link to video of immersive installation, still images below


TOPOLOGIES FOR A VERTICAL SOUND - Anne Katrine Senstad - Displaced Exhibitions in Absentia - From the Rooms of the Void Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Riyadh - TIME BEYOND PLACE

The Royal Norwegian Embassy website here

Time Beyond Place – The Cultural Bridge – Anne Senstad in Saudi Arabia

Time Beyond Place – The Cultural Bridge is a cross-cultural collaborative platform initiated by New York-based artist, Anne Senstad, for women artists that responds to the preservation of cultural and architectural heritage, domesticity and memory.

The project is part of an initiative by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, which seeks to facilitate authentic cultural exchange between the United States and Saudi Arabia through fully immersive and collaborative projects.

Senstad will be in Saudi Arabia throughout 2017 to produce artwork in collaboration with artist Jameelah Mater who works with traditional Qut wall paintings and natural materials in Abha and with internationally established Saudi contemporary artists, Ghada Da based and Dr. Zahrah Alghamdi. Together they will produce contemporary art works inspired by traditional craftsmanship. Through this project Senstad aims to raise awareness of the preservation of cultural heritage and architecture while honoring the little-known history of women artisans of the Asir region.

        

The collaboration aims to establish a new cultural production platform and to celebrate the rich history of house painting traditions from the Asir region, as well as cultural narratives and regional historic architecture. The project will culminate in an exhibition in response to the artists’ interpretations of the traditional Qut patterns in a contemporary context, including textile and earth sculpture; technology, light and sound art; photography and video art; paintings and painted found object installations, and performance installation art.

Time Beyond Place – The Cultural Bridge began in February 2016. This iteration of the project will culminate in a series of international exhibitions being planned in Saudi Arabia, Norway and the United States.

This is part of a multi-city Saudi artist’s tour of the United States supported by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and CULTURUNNERS, an international platform for traveling artists.

Qut Workshop in Abha Feb 22-26 2017 The workshop was taught by artist Jameela Mater and organized by Anne Senstad and Jameela as part of Time Beyond Place. Participants from the Asiri region learnt traditional pattern making, old Asiri systems and rules of the compositions, as well as developing their personal touch and individual sense as artists. The workshop sought to create a collaborative space of togetherness for young women artists to develop their sense of artistic practice, as well as for Senstad as a western artist to learn the tradition - creating a bridge between cultural memory and practices across borders. 

Images from the workshop:

For interview requests and high res images, please contact info@culturunners.com

ABOUT ANNE SENSTAD:

Anne Senstad is an interdisciplinary artist based in New York. She was educated at Parsons School of Design and The New School for Social Research, NY. Senstad works in the intersections of installation art, photography, video, site and performative specific work, text interventions and land art. She is concerned with sensorial aesthetics, perception and transformative ideas of art and philosophical practice, and social-political awareness. Anchored in her examinations of the experiential and experimental are spatial and topographic considerations of light, sound and color. Her sources lie in literature, philosophy, technology and cultural phenomena.

Senstad has exhibited in the Venice Biennale in 2015 and 2013 and the Bruges Art and Architecture Triennale in Belgium in 2015. Upcoming projects and exhibitions include a commissioned public art light sculpture for the Bruges public Library in Belgium to be unveiled August 2017, and a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2017 at the Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli.

Her video work has been shown at Centre Pompidou, Paris, Haus Der Kultur Der Welt in Berlin, Beirut Art Center, Lebanon, The Canadian Museum of Nature, Museum of Modern Art Ukraine, Dallas Aurora, Video Arte Internacional Buenos Aires, Eva Peron Museum, Oslo Screen Festival, Views Bahrain under the patronage of H.E. Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, and ISEA Dubai 2014 amongst others.

www.annesenstad.com | @annesenstad

ABOUT GHADA DA:

Having studied Fine Arts at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, Ghada Da’s multi-disciplinary fine art practice focuses mainly on performative sculpture and video installations. Her durational work is a journey of observation on the relationship of the body to space, its disconnect and rebirth. Exploring the genderless body is at the core of her practice.

The main aim of Da’s work is an investigation of the visible landscape presented by the body and the spatial area in which the body exists as well as its invisible counter part: the psyche. This helps her create a dialogue with the body and understand its complexity. Da tends to create images that become psychological portraits of the identity of the human condition by either an intentional mutation or an intersex by design, in order to allow the sculptural body to live outside the gender system.

Da is from Saudi Arabia and is currently based in Dubai, UAE. Her works have been shown locally and internationally including: Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, Pon Ding Gallery Taiwan, Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, Seoul, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, Saatchi Gallery, London, Satellite Space, Dubai amongst others.

www.ghadada.com | @ghada.da

ABOUT DR ZAHRAH ALGHAMDI:

Dr. Zahrah Alghamdi gained a doctorate in Design and Visual Arts at Coventry University in Britain and is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Art and Design at the King Abdulaziz University.

Alghamdi grew up in South-Western Saudi Arabia surrounded by traditional domestic architecture. In her current work, she reaches back to the memory of these spaces along with their personal associations and wider cultural significations. By creating an echo of the past, she brings this past into contact with the present, seeking to demonstrate changes of style in architecture from traditional techniques, materials, and resources.

Even if we demolish buildings from the past, ‘home’ will not be destroyed, but will live on in tangled and complex ways, through the memories of people who have lived in these spaces. ‘Home’ for me is bound with the architecture of my memory. In the development of new architecture’s regional styles, materials and techniques have been lost. It is this loss that she aims to engage with in her work.

www.zahrahalghamdi.com | @dr.zahrah_alghamdi

ABOUT JAMEELA MATER:

Jameela was born in Tabuk and grew up in Abha. She comes from an artist family who have for generations worked with the traditions of Quat painting. The family encouraged her interest in art from a very young age, and she found herself drawn to patterns and colors which she has developed research on the relationship  between traditional and contemporary art. Her education in the field of physics with an emphasis on the science of color influenced her work from the early stages of her art practice. Jameela has developed a unique system for creating color pigment, using high-quality natural materials and pigments such as  honey, ground stones and plants. She is currently in the process of establishing an academy for the Qut practice with the vision of reviving historic techniques of traditional art by integrating Qut traditions with contemporary art practices. She has exhibited her work in numerous exhibitions and is the recipient of prizes and certificates in Saudi Arabia.

@jameelhmater

ABOUT THE KING ABDULAZIZ CENTER FOR WORLD CULTURE:

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, simply known as ithra, is a one-of-a-kind institution that brings together multiple offerings under one roof. From arts and culture to science and innovation, this bold initiative by Saudi Aramco promises a continuous journey of enrichment designed to energize the next knowledge economy of Saudi Arabia.

ithra aims to make a positive and tangible impact on the cultural scene by focusing on building local talents in the knowledge and creative industries. Blending iconic architectural design with advanced technology, and unique learning methods with enriching programs, ithra is an infinitely inspiring platform for explorers, learners, creators, and leaders – a thriving hub of knowledge, creativity and cross-cultural engagement.

As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strives to achieve its ambitious national development goals to transition to a knowledge-based economy, ithra acts as a bridge connecting cultures and cultivating a creative and innovative community and invests in the power of people and ideas to unlock new possibilities.

www.kingabdulazizcenter.com | @ithra