Oslo Kunstforening, The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design and Statsbygg has the great pleasure of inviting you to a seminar touching upon the subjects of art, science and climate history.

When: Saturday 9/9, 2017 @ 12-15:45
Where: Mellomstasjonen, Brynjulf Bulls plass 2
Sign Up: ingrid@oslokunstforening.no
Language: English
Biodynamic refreshments and treats

“Because of the global increase in atmospheric temperature since the beginning of the 20th century, glaciers in many places in the world are shrinking or retreating. The cause for this is an increase of CO2 due to the automobile-dominated society and cutting down of forests. Warming of climate will melt the ice in Antarctic and Greenland leading to a sea-level rise, and lowlands all over the world will be in danger of being submerged”. (Ukichiro Nakaya, «Moon World in White», 1957)

On September 9-10, four world-renowned Japanese icons, will be brought together in a unique, trans-disciplinary series of events embracing the ephemerality of the water cycle, life, body, sound and light, involving fog sculptures, snow crystals, electrostatic discharges, a pioneering synthesizer composer and a dance legend.

The center of this cycle of events is the exhibition «Letters Sent from Heaven» of experimental Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya's (1900-1962) photographs of snow crystals and electrostatic discharges, which opens at Oslo Kunstforening on August 26.

Fujiko Nakaya, Ukichiro Nakayas daughter, has been invited to create two of her renowned, site specific fog sculptures in Oslo. One of them can be seen on the roof terrace of the new National Museum on September 9 in occasion of the site’s Open Day.

As part of this cycle, a seminar will be held at Mellomstasjonen on the same day. Invited speakers are artist and critic Kenjiro Okazaki, climate historians Peder Anker and Sverker Sörlin, curator and artistic director of Oslo Kunstforening Marianne Hultman and agriculturist and director of the Biodynamic Society in Oslo, Dag Blakkisrud.

In the evening of September 9, Nakaya’s sculpture becomes part of the live-performance «a•form», together with the composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and innovative dancer, Min Tanaka. Artist Shiro Takatani is the light designer for the event.

Ukichiro Nakaya was a scientist who produced observations that can be treated as both scientific contributions as well as artistic. His daughter, having grown up with an intimate understanding of his work, became an artist who utilizes science in her work and synthesizes natural phenomena.

This collaboration was initiated by Oslo Kunstforening and developed together with Ultima, Statsbygg, the National Museum, Dansens Hus and Ekebergparken. The seminar is made in collaboration with the Biodynamic Society, Norway.
The curator behind the project is Marianne Hultman, artistic director at Oslo Kunstforening.

The collaboration is made under the auspices of Oslo Art Walk, a city development project with the aim of highlighting the contemporary art institutions located between Ekeberg and Tjuvholmen.

Oslo Kunstforening has received generous support from the Arts Council Norway, the City of Oslo and URO.

The seminar also received generous support from The Japan Foundation and Nakaya Ukichiro Foundation.