February 21-23. Janna Holmstedt (SE): Limit-Cruisers (#1 Sphere)
The artist Janna Holmstedt presents her performance Limit-Cruisers for 6 participants at Weld. It is a situation where the visitors are invited to reflect upon or act out their individuality, an individuality that is constantly liable to be dissolved or destroyed.
Equipped with wireless headphones you are asked to climb into a large, transparent sphere. A pleasant voice tells you to relax and informs you that the oxygen will last ten minutes. The light goes off; a countdown begins. You suddenly find yourself in a situation where you are forced to exist in a here and now that is running towards a definite end. Meanwhile, three observers can follow the process from outside.
The listeners are guided through the performance by three different, but synchronized soundtracks: ”The Heroes of Absolute Zero”, ”New Individualism”, and ”Decoy”. They all revolve around more or less successful attempts to reach a zero point, a clearly distinguishable border, or the strongly desired state of individual autonomy. In the break, listeners and observers change positions and the countdown begins again.
Limit-Cruisers is the first of a series of performances that are included in the artist Janna Holmstedt’s research project ”What You See is not What You Get”. Different versions of Limit-Cruisers have been performed at Inter Arts Center in Malmö, and at Performance Studies international Conference #19, Stanford University, California.
In her research project Janna Holmstedt aims to address and explore the body as situation and the communicative aspect of space through different narrative approaches. The work relates on the one hand to the perceptual and cognitive prerequisites for how we perceive our environs and ourselves, and on the other hand to the social and ideological structures that shape our worldview and interaction with others.
In Janna Holmstedt’s work there is no privileged position or full view. There is no audience and no actors. There isn’t even any artwork unless you activate it and set it in motion. As a visitor, you are invited to explore the experience of being situated and responsive, where exformation is called into play and normality is questioned. You don’t need to perform, only engage.
Performed in english
Weld in collaboration with Teatr Weimar
Concept and realization: Janna Holmstedt | Voices: David Book, Nils Dernevik, Orenda Fink and Janna Holmstedt | Muzak and ambience: Kent Olofsson | Light concept: Mira Svanberg | Programming and technical coordinator: Johan Nordström | Technician (Weld): Ronald Hessman | Producer and host (Weld): Fredrik Wåhlstedt |
JANNA HOLMSTEDT (SE)
is a Stockholm based artist educated at Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå University, Sweden. Since 2002 she has worked with audioguided works that explores different observer- and participant positions. She has exhibited and participated in projects at Färgfabriken, Tensta konsthall, Botkyrka konsthall, Konsthall C and IASPIS in Stockholm; 300m3 Art Space and Röda Sten in Göteborg, and New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, among others. She has initiated different colaboration projects that has used the public space as arena and also worked as set designer for Uppsala stadsteater, Malmö Musikteater, Angeredsteatern, among others. Holmstedt is also project leader of the textarchive SQUID project.net and has written for culture magazines in Sweden and internationally. She has been invited to several international Artists-in-Residence programs.
Janna Holmstedt is currently PhD Candidate and ”What You See is not What You Get” is the title of her research project at Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå University / Malmö Art Academy, Lund University / Konstnärliga forskarskolan.