September 15 - October 8, 2022
Curated by Erik Martinson
Supported by The Nordic Culture Fund and the Swedish Arts Council
AS IF IT IS STILL THERE WAITING FOR ME
The story of memory is a story of interiors. The rooms we inhabit—dwell in for long periods—often shape how we remember the events of our lives. Rooms contain us, and internally we contain them (1). They provide us unintended assistance by becoming mnemonics, bending themselves from mere shelter into our very own memory palaces. After all, dating from ancient times it has been said that memory palaces should be based “on real palaces and places” (2). Having the blueprint of a floor plan internalized saves on mental labor, leaving focus for recall and sifting of memories attributed to various virtual rooms. In addition to actively using this mnemonic device, the practice functions within us unconsciously. “The rooms we live in are collages, constructed conversations between the past and the present” (3). Through one site, two or more time periods exist simultaneously; a superimposition, multiple exposures.
The exhibition As if it is still there waiting for me at CPR² by Nadine Byrne continues the artist’s focus on memory and mourning connected to physical sites, as well as processes of mapping the ephemeral, working through and with it in tactile methods. The site represented in this exhibition is the artist’s childhood home in Stockholm. Following the death of her mother, the apartment is captured in video recordings, empty on moving day, the camera meandering—seeking something. “A house changes after somebody has died: there is suddenly too much space” (4). This is further amplified when the home is vacated after the loss; it stands bereft of all things, only the markings, material wear on the space itself, remains. Yet it feels full. “Our vision of the house splits in two: we see it as we imagine it once was, and in its present state. The latter image is just a ghost of the former” (5). Yet maneuvering in the space we may still trip on a now non-existent rug, like we always did (6). Byrne’s raw video footage is transposed in the exhibition space, forming a new palimpsestic mapping. The projection becomes the focal point for the dispersed audio/visual essay that makes up the exhibition. Providing a temporal counterpart, audiocassettes recorded years before in the same family home by the artist’s father playback from a tape deck. Tapestries hang, inscribed with text written by the artist, providing a thread of voice-over made tangible. A performance by Byrne will further activate the materials present.
Nadine Byrne (*1985, SE) is an artist and composer based in Stockholm whose interdisciplinary artistic practice spans across sound, sculpture, performance and film. Her work explores themes of memory, loss and the inherent language and history of materials and gestures. It is also informed by a fascination for visual and social manifestations of alternative constructions of reality. www.nadinebyrne.com
Erik Martinson (Canada/Latvia) is an independent curator and writer. He worked at Vtape, artists’ video distributor (2005-2014), and was a member of Pleasure Dome curatorial collective (2006-2014). Education: BA Film/Media from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada (2004); and MFA Curating from Goldsmiths, University of London, UK (2016). Selected projects hosted by: Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2015); LUX, London (2016, 2017); Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius (2016); Toronto International Film Festival’s Wavelengths Series (2017); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2018); Process Experimental Film Festival, Riga (2018); Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn (2018); Cubitt Gallery, London (2019); Lofoten International Art Festival, Svolvær, with HÆRK (2019); Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo (2019); Rupert, Vilnius (2019); Baltic Analog Lab, Riga (2019); Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga (2020); and History of Joy Part 4, with Sandra Kosorotova (2021). www.erik-martinson.com
Photos by: Bradley Marshall