| art.description.project | Public Educational Tours is a continuous series of guided bus-tours, and a project about history writing.
Between 1999 and 2006, I made five guided tours within the framework of Public Educational Tours – all, in different ways, questioning what events have been incorporated in the official records of things past, how this affects our conception of existence and identity as well as our visions for the future and how it by necessity consists of selections of events based on the documenting individuals, institutions or nations subjective choice. From this perspective, it has been my thesis that the representation of the state of affairs in our official history-writing cannot really be said to be less fictitious than any other individually conceived interpretation, presented by anyone, and at any given point in time.
For the SKMU-show, I was asked to present documentation from those arrangements, but also to put together an entirely new tour for the opening. The possibility to re-visit the format of the bus-tour offered to me through this exhibition made me once again aware of the possibilities it holds as a framework for mediating a narrative, but also that my relationship to it has changed through the experience I have gained since last time I worked this way and now allows me to approach it in a different and more autonomous manner.
I decided I wanted to work with the rise and advancement of right wing populism in Norway, using Kristiansand as a point of departure and begun researching the political development in this traditional stronghold of the Cristian Democratic Party during the birth of what was eventually to become the Progress Party. I mediated the outcome of this investigation in the shape of a sci-fi narrative, involving seemingly paranormal incidents, a previously unknown form of radio activity and the outbreak and rapid dissemination of the Atomic Virus.
The tour takes it’s passengers around a number of viewpoints situated around Kristiansand, viewing the city from above, allowing for contemplation, photo opportunities and refreshments.
SKMU has recently decided to incorporate the piece in their collections, and we are presently in the process of finalizing the contract.
Other participating artists in the exhibition were:
Lotta Antonsson, Elisabet Apelmo, Pia Arke, Bob Smith, Catti Brandelius, Peter Brandt, Nanna Debois Buhl, Kajsa Dahlberg, Ewa Einhorn, Åsa Elzén, Unn Fahlstrøm, Roxy Farhat, Fine Art Union, FRANK, Unni Gjertsen, Trine Mee Sook Gleerup, Jenny Grönvall, Annika von Hausswolff, High Heel Sisters, Leif Holmstrand, Maryam Jafri, Dorte Jelstrup, Jesper Just, Jane Jin Kaisen, Line Skywalker Karlström, Kvinder på Værtshus, Ane Lan (alias Eivind Reierstad), Lotte Konow Lund, Annika Lundgren, Jannicke Låker, Malmö Fria Kvinnouniversitet (MFK), Eline Mugaas, Ellen Nyman, Radikal pedagogik, Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Annica Karlsson Rixon , Joanna Rytel, Katya Sander, Mari Slaattelid, Lisa Strömbeck, Vibeke Tandberg, Lisa Vipola, YES! Association / Föreningen JA! | sv |
