Interview by

Hilde Sørstrøm

https://vessel-magazine.no/issues/1/archives/fibreopticweaving

In this film and interview by Hilde Sørstrøm and Ingun Mæhlum, artist Hilde Hauan Johnsen shares the background to her interest in plant dyeing and ancient weaving techniques, and for plant life around the world. Through her method of foraging plants and creating dyes, Hilde Hauan Johnsen’s artworks become archives of specific landscapes.

Tekst: Hilde Sørstrøm - kunsthistoriker, skribent og frilans kunstkritiker. Publisert 23.mars 2020 | Se Kunst Magasin nr 01 2020

Hilde Hauan Johnsens nysgjerrighet for materialitet har resultert i et rikt og nyskapende kunstnerskap. Hun finner stadig nye måter å kombinere tradisjonelle tekstilteknikker med ny teknologi.

– Det ligger fortsatt smerte i veggene her, sier billedkunstner og scenograf, Hilde Hauan Johnsen, idet hun slipper meg inn i sitt atelier i Troms fylkeskultursenter, mest kjent som "Kysten".

The installation “01001” is a visual representation of the invisible universe of information circulating in our global telecommunication systems; airwaves, broadband, telephone signals and digital radio/TV transmissions. Invisible waves of voices and noise are constantly flowing through us without our being aware of anything other than the final result – e.g. when the mobile phone rings or websites appear on the computer screen.

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” –-John Muir (1838-1914)

For a few weeks in December 2008 passers-by could observe threads of light in the passage under Bergen Town Hall. The passage is a shortcut between a parking space and the entrance to the Town Hall. The Town Hall rises to 50 metres above ground with over 10000 square metres of space; built chiefly in glass and concrete.

– A Fibre Optic Sound Installation”

Bryne train station – a stop at one of Jæren’s small villages. The wind is harsh against the cheek and the dark November morning weighs heavy on the soul. Schoolchildren on their way to school, mothers with prams and commuters wait patiently at the train station.

“Le bruissement is the rushing sound of something that functions well”. This reflection is usually accredited to the French literary critic and cultural theorist Roland Barthes. He was referring to speech, and about the difference between stuttering (“stuttering makes a message spoilt twice”) and about speaking in “multiple harmonies”.

I Hilde Hauan Johnsens utställning “Transparent” i Tromsø kunstforening hösten 2002 är ingenting lämnat åt tillfälligheterna. Exponaten är valda med eftertanke. Samtidigt förmår Johnsen visa sin nydaningsförmåga både inom det tematiska och det tekniska. Här skall först diskuteras problematiken med att avbilda barn idag, sedan temat transparens och till sist betraktarens position i förhållande till Hauan Johnsens konst.