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Søren Dahlgaard

Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

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Book of the art works of Danish artist Søren Dahlgaard.

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Page 1: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

SørenD

ahlgaard

Seei

ng

is B

elie

vin

g —

Søren

Dah

lgaard

Page 2: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing
Page 3: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Hex

ago

nal

Cyc

lop

s

Page 4: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

2

Page 5: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Hex

ago

nal

Cyc

lop

s

3

Page 6: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing
Page 7: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Hex

ago

nal

Cyc

lop

s

Page 8: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

6

Page 9: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Ellip

tic

Tou

chd

ow

n

7

Page 10: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing
Page 11: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Cir

cula

r A

lter

atio

n

Page 12: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

10

Page 13: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The

Bre

ath

ing

Ro

om

At first glance The Breathing Room ap-pears to be an ordinary white room. As you enter the space—your expectations about the familiar white cube exhibition space is challenged. The walls are made from soft PVC canvas. As-sisted by air, which continuously is pushed and sucked into the space behind each wall —the canvas slowly curves into a convex

shape and after that a concave shape. This repeating movement mimics the human breathing. The mod-ernistic white cube ideal is challenged and in the broader perspective—the way of things. The art his-toric reference is the famous text—Inside the white cube— first published in 1976 by artist and writer Brian O’Doherty.

Inside measurements: 250 × 250 × 250 cm.—Materials: Wood, aluminum, PVC, ventilator, electronic control system.—Venue: Singapore Biennale, 2008.

11

Page 14: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

3-H

ou

r Sc

ulp

ture

12

Page 15: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

12-S

eco

nd

Scu

lptu

re

13

Page 16: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Katrine National Art Gallery, Denmark, 2008

14

Page 17: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Do

ug

h P

ort

rait

s

Karina National Art Gallery, Denmark, 2008

15

Page 18: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Khaleel National Art Gallery, Maldives, 2011

16

Page 19: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Mohamed National Art Gallery, Maldives, 2011

Do

ug

h P

ort

rait

s

17

Page 20: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Sarra & Marcus Andipa Gallery, London, 2010

Udi & Ran Digital Art Center, Israel, 2011

18

Page 21: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Ben & Asoka Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, Hong Kong, 2011

Patrycja & Aisa Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Poland, 2011

Do

ug

h P

ort

rait

s

19

Page 22: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Melissa ECCO Contemporary Art Center, Brazil, 2011

20

Page 23: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Josefa ECCO Contemporary Art Center, Brazil, 2011

Do

ug

h P

ort

rait

s

21

Page 24: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Process in Vancouver.

22

Page 25: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Vancouver Biennale, 2010.

ECCO Contemporary Art Center, Brazil, 2011.

Do

ug

h P

ort

rait

s

23

Page 26: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The news stories from the daily news papers with opposing views of the same event are mixed together with fat and stuffed into sausages, so the different news stories digest together.

MoMA PS1, New York, 2007.

Clockwise from left to right:—Performance still.—Installation view of kitchen with pigs intestines, fat, newspaper articles, meat string, tags, sausage-grinder.—Detail view of news paper sausage.

24

Page 27: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Dig

esti

ng

Th

e N

ews

25

Page 28: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Inspiration to the architecture from Massa “bomb” houses Northern Cameroon.

26

Page 29: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

500 baguettes & drum kit inside. The Bread Hut, Galleria Civica Museum of contemporary art, Trento, Italy, 2007. Th

e B

read

Hu

t

Page 30: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing
Page 31: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The

Bre

ad H

ut

Page 32: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Wal

l Rid

ing

30

Page 33: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Slid

e P

ain

tin

g

31

Page 34: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The painting process. Ruby, Bejing, 2009.

32

Page 35: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Po

rtra

it P

ain

tin

gs

Page 36: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The painting process. Gim, Bejing, 2009.

34

Page 37: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Po

rtra

it P

ain

tin

gs

Page 38: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The painting process. Disa, Iceland, 2009.

36

Page 39: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Po

rtra

it P

ain

tin

gs

Page 40: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing
Page 41: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Lan

dsc

ape

Pai

nti

ng

Søren Dahlgaard as The Dough Warrior created a landscape paint-ing in the park of Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark, 2008.

Page 42: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

40

Page 43: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Lan

dsc

ape

Pai

nti

ng

Page 44: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Installation view of the dried land- scape painting.

Page 45: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Lan

dsc

ape

Pai

nti

ng

Page 46: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The painting process. ECCO Contemporary Art Center, Brazil, 2011.

44

Page 47: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

A H

edg

e Is

A L

ance

Page 48: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Monochrome landscape painting of plastic hedge, 2009.

46

Page 49: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Mo

no

chro

me

Hed

ge

Detail.

47

Page 50: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The Mobile Hedge can be an urban intervention, create temporary spaces on a city square or in the suburbs. The Mobile

Hedge project deals with architecture, borders, public space and the fear of what might be behind the hedge.

48

Page 51: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The

Mo

bile

Hed

ge

Installation view of Mobile Hedges inter-vention on the Oscar Niemeyer square in front of Museo National, Brasilia, Brazil.

49

Page 52: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

From 2002–2004 Søren Dahlgaard initiated a large vegetable farm on a small coral island in the Maldives. The idea was to find out which veg-etables can grow in the humid and hot tropical climate of the Maldives in order to produce fresh vegetables for the inhab-itants and tourist resorts

in the area, since all vegetables were usually imported from far away. It was a pilot project in drip irrigation. This is an irrigation method, which saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip. It is a very successful alternative to the traditional methods. A cornucopia of many

different vegetables was cultivated. This system together with other new forms of technology has been introduced to many island communities and it has contributed to a better lifestyle for the inhabitants. “You went to the Maldives and initiated an idea there, which was productive

50

Page 53: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Gro

win

g V

eget

able

s O

n A

Co

ral I

slan

d

and it was then taken up by the people of the Maldives and expanded this idea through their own productivity. Once the people had taken up an idea and carried it for-ward through their own self-conscious productiv-ity and efforts, it was no longer dependent on the charity that initiated

the idea. This is indeed your achievement and I admire what you have done.” “What is more, you have made yourself as part of the work, thus collapsing the division of subject and object. They have become organ-ically and dynamically one, something the in-stitutionally recognized

conceptualism of Land Art could not achieve–as it became trapped within the museum walls.”

— Rasheed Araeen, artist & founding editor of the art journal Third Text, in Growing Vegetables on a Coral Island, Aarhus Art Building, Denmark 2011. 

51

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areal view of greenhouse—2500 m2 lettuce & cucumber inside greenhouse

Eskil & Amani

unloading material casting mould for well

52

Page 55: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The

Farm

, M

ald

ives

, 20

02–2

00

4

captain with squid Kalaam, ready for Friday prayers

construction of staff house sail fish

53

Page 56: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Edwin the agronomist & Søren cucumber plant & drip

chinese cabbage harvest going to market

54

Page 57: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Habenero chilies

sorting of chiliessmall chilies

taking harvest to boatcucumber harvest

The

Farm

, M

ald

ives

, 20

02–2

00

4

55

Page 58: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Drip irrigation system & 200 tomato, chili & cucumber plants, pollinating bees, grow lights. Aarhus Art Building, Denmark, 2011.

Red/blue LED grow lights for chili, Aarhus Art Building, Denmark, 2011.

56

Page 59: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Gro

win

g V

eget

able

s O

n A

Co

ral I

slan

d

Photo album, armchair, sand- bank. Galleri Image, Aarhus, 2011.

Exh

ibit

ion

of

Farm

Pro

ject

Page 60: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Exhib

ition vi

ews

Kunsthal

Brænder

igår

den,

Viborg

, 201

2

Dough Warrior Landscape Painting, 2008. Dough Portraits, 2008.

58

Page 61: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Exhib

ition vi

ews

Kunsthal

Brænder

igår

den,

Viborg

, 201

2

Convex/Concave, 40 kg of plaster, 2009.

The Mobile Hedge, 2 × 2 m, 2010.

Exh

ibit

ion

vie

ws

59

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60

Page 63: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Exh

ibit

ion

vie

ws

61

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Obstruction Painting, 2012.

62

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Destruction of Obstruction Painting, video stills. 2001.

Exh

ibit

ion

vie

ws

63

Page 66: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Fore

word—Bodil Jo

hanne

Monra

d

Pu

blis

hed

by

Ku

nst

hal

Bræ

nd

eri-

går

den

Vib

org

, D

enm

ark,

on

th

e o

ccat

ion

of

the

exh

ibit

ion

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd—

Seei

ng

is

Bel

ievi

ng

, 9

Ju

ne

—12

Au

gu

st 2

012.

– Exh

ibit

ion

cu

rate

d b

y B

od

il Jo

han

ne

Mo

nra

d &

Hel

ene

Nyb

org

Bay

Exh

ibit

ion

ad

vise

rs:

Mei

r Ta

ti o

f

Bat

Yam

Mu

seu

m H

olo

n,

Isra

el &

ren

Dah

lgaa

rdG

rap

hic

des

ign

: D

esig

nb

ola

get

Imag

ing

: W

erks

tett

eTe

xts:

Els

e M

arie

Bu

kdah

l, L

isb

eth

B

on

de

& B

od

il Jo

han

ne

Mo

nra

dTr

ansl

atio

n:

KE

Hem

pel

-Jø

rgen

sen

Ph

oto

cre

dit

s: M

ikke

l Tje

llese

n,

Jo

n N

ord

dah

l & S

øre

n D

ahlg

aard

Pri

nte

d b

y: C

lau

sen

Gra

fisk

Ap

SEd

itio

n:

80

0, J

un

e 20

12IS

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: 97

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talk

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19

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2002

. B

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in C

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Sele

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exh

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Th

e N

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Art

Gal

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of

D

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Mo

MA

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; Si

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anco

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bie

n-

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CA

, Te

l Avi

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mar

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BB

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C

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to,

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sin

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div

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, M

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ain

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isen

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AN

, P

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Page 67: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Dan

ish

per

form

ance

an

d c

on

cep

tual

ar

tist

, Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd (

b. 1

973)

, u

ses

bo

th g

ravi

ty a

nd

hu

mo

ur

in

crea

tin

g h

is a

rtw

ork

s; t

hes

e ap

pea

l ae

sth

etic

ally

an

d v

isu

ally

to

ou

r in

-te

llect

, fe

elin

gs

and

imag

inat

ion

.

C

on

cep

tual

art

off

ers

an o

pp

or-

tun

ity

for

chal

len

gin

g t

he

stru

c-tu

res

of

ou

r d

aily

live

s an

d t

his

is t

he

star

tin

g p

oin

t fo

r Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd’s

h

um

ou

r, w

hic

h is

th

e ca

pti

vati

ng

ch

arm

of

his

art

. H

is w

ork

s ca

use

a

shif

t in

ou

r p

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pti

on

or

des

tab

ilise

w

hat

are

“ac

cep

ted

” b

ut

invi

sib

le

con

ven

tio

ns,

bri

ng

ing

to

ou

r at

ten

-ti

on

rel

evan

t p

oin

ts f

or

dis

cuss

ion

, fo

r ex

amp

le,

abo

ut

iden

tity

, at

ti-

tud

es t

o t

he

un

fam

iliar

or

mo

re a

rt-

rela

ted

qu

esti

on

s su

ch a

s th

e ro

le

of

the

arti

st a

nd

art

his

tory

.

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s w

ork

is u

sual

ly

refl

ecti

ve a

nd

ph

iloso

ph

ical

, p

os-

in

g q

ues

tio

ns

abo

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ise

ac-

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ted

tru

ths.

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en a

pri

vet

hed

ge

is p

lace

d o

n w

hee

ls a

nd

can

mo

ve

(Th

e M

ob

ile H

edg

e) it

ch

ang

es,

e. g

.,

its

pu

rpo

se,

and

po

ses

qu

esti

on

s ab

ou

t o

ur

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ips

wit

h lo

cal

nei

gh

bo

urs

an

d o

ur

atti

tud

es t

o th

ing

s th

at a

re s

tran

ge

and

un

-kn

ow

n.

Or,

wh

en w

alls

bre

ath

e an

d

mo

ve c

on

tin

uo

usl

y fr

om

co

nve

x to

co

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ve (

The

Bre

ath

ing

Ro

om

),

they

exa

min

e an

d c

hal

len

ge

the

stat

ic,

wh

ite

exh

ibit

ion

ro

om

.

Seei

ng

is B

elie

vin

g is

th

e la

rges

t sp

ecia

l exh

ibit

ion

to

dat

e o

f Sø

ren

D

ahlg

aard

’s w

ork

s, a

nd

it is

Ku

nst

-h

al B

ræn

der

igår

den

’s w

ish

to

pre

-se

nt

an a

rtis

t w

ho

se w

ork

s o

pen

up

n

ew m

ean

ing

s an

d e

nco

ura

ge

us

to

wo

nd

er a

bo

ut

and

ref

lect

ove

r w

hat

w

e se

e.

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd h

as a

lrea

dy

ach

ieve

d c

on

sid

erab

le r

eco

gn

itio

n

on

th

e in

tern

atio

nal

art

sce

ne

and

h

is w

ork

s h

ave

bee

n e

xhib

ited

in

imp

ort

ant

mu

seu

ms

aro

un

d t

he

wo

rld

. K

un

sth

al B

ræn

der

igår

den

h

op

es t

his

exh

ibit

ion

will

pro

vid

e th

e D

anis

h p

ub

lic w

ith

th

e o

pp

or-

tun

ity

to s

ee S

øre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s

wo

rk d

isp

laye

d in

a la

rger

fo

rmat

. K

un

sth

al B

ræn

der

igår

den

wo

uld

like

to

off

er m

any

than

ks t

o t

he

ow

ner

s w

ho

hav

e so

kin

dly

pla

ced

wo

rks

at o

ur

dis

po

sal.

We

wo

uld

als

o li

ke

to t

han

k th

e D

anis

h A

rt C

ou

nci

l’s

Vis

ual

Art

s C

om

mit

tee

for

eco

no

mic

su

pp

ort

to

war

ds

the

exh

ibit

ion

an

d

this

cat

alo

gu

e. L

ast

bu

t n

ot

leas

t,

we

wo

uld

like

to

th

ank

the

auth

ors

o

f th

e ca

talo

gu

e, E

lse

Mar

ie B

ukd

ahl

and

Lis

bet

h B

on

de;

an

d a

sp

ecia

l th

ank

you

to

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd f

or

bo

th h

is in

tere

st a

nd

par

tici

pat

ion

th

rou

gh

ou

t th

e en

tire

pro

cess

of

sett

ing

up

th

e ex

hib

itio

n,

and

fo

r h

avin

g c

reat

ed s

o m

any,

wo

nd

erfu

l,

fun

ny

and

rel

evan

t w

ork

s, w

hic

h w

e ar

e ve

ry p

rou

d t

o b

e ab

le t

o p

rese

nt

to t

he

visi

tors

of

the

Art

Cen

ter

Fore

word—Bodil Jo

hanne

Monra

d

65

Page 68: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

The

Dad

aist

s–es

pec

ially

Mar

cel D

uch

amp

wh

o w

as t

he

mo

st in

flu

enti

al–

sho

cked

th

e ar

t w

orl

d in

th

e p

erio

d

1914

–192

0. T

hey

wer

e th

e fi

rst

to s

erio

usl

y ch

alle

ng

e th

e co

nce

pt

of

wh

at c

on

stit

ute

s a

wo

rk o

f ar

t an

d t

hey

init

i-at

ed n

ew a

rt f

orm

s su

ch a

s p

erfo

rman

ce a

nd

inst

alla

tio

n

art.

Dad

a w

as n

ot–

as e

xpla

ined

by

Han

s R

ich

ter

“an

ar

tist

ic m

ove

men

t in

th

e ac

cep

ted

sen

se;

it w

as a

sto

rm

that

bro

ke o

ver

the

wo

rld

of

art

as t

he

war

did

ove

r th

e n

atio

ns.

It c

ame

wit

ho

ut

war

nin

g,

ou

t o

f a

hea

vy,

bro

od

ing

sk

y, a

nd

left

beh

ind

it a

new

day

in w

hic

h t

he

sto

red

-up

en

erg

ies

rele

ased

by

Dad

a w

ere

evid

ence

d in

n

ew f

orm

s, n

ew m

ater

ials

, n

ew id

eas,

new

dir

ecti

on

s,

new

peo

ple

–an

d in

wh

ich

th

ey a

dd

ress

ed t

hem

selv

es

to n

ew p

eop

le”.

1

Th

e D

adai

sts

had

an

en

orm

ou

s im

pac

t u

po

n t

he

con

seq

uen

t b

reak

thro

ug

h in

th

e ar

t w

orl

d,

as w

ell a

s o

n

mo

re r

ecen

t b

reak

thro

ug

hs.

Yve

s K

lein

(19

28–1

962)

, fo

r ex

amp

le,

on

e o

f th

e N

eo-D

adai

sts,

exp

erim

ente

d w

ith

“l

ivin

g b

rush

es”

as a

new

met

ho

d o

f ap

ply

ing

pai

nt.

Th

e “b

rush

es”

that

he

pre

ferr

ed w

ere

usu

ally

wo

men

wh

o,

cove

red

in p

ain

t–p

refe

rab

ly b

lue

–cr

eate

d a

var

iety

of

imag

es o

n t

he

can

vas

by

pre

ssin

g t

hem

selv

es a

gai

nst

it,

as c

an b

e se

en in

his

fo

ur

so-c

alle

d A

nth

rop

om

étr

ies.

In t

he

spir

it o

f D

ada,

th

e Fl

uxu

s m

ove

men

t d

uri

ng

th

e 19

60

s w

as n

ote

d f

or

mix

ing

dif

fere

nt

arti

stic

med

ia

in s

urp

risi

ng

way

s to

cre

ate

new

art

fo

rms.

Flu

xus

art-

ists

, es

pec

ially

Jo

sep

h B

euys

(19

21–8

6),

love

d t

o w

ork

w

ith

wh

atev

er m

ater

ials

wer

e at

han

d a

nd

to

cre

ate

un

pre

dic

tab

le p

erfo

rman

ces.

In J

apan

, th

e G

uta

i gro

up

New ch

allen

ges fo

r

art &

socie

ty

Aspec

ts o

f Søre

n Dah

lgaa

rd’s

art

Page 69: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

follo

wed

a m

anif

esto

wri

tten

by

Yosh

ihar

a in

195

6. H

e w

as c

on

vin

ced

th

at “

no

vel b

eau

ty w

as t

o b

e fo

un

d

in w

ork

s o

f ar

t an

d a

rch

itec

ture

of

the

pas

t w

hic

h h

ave

chan

ged

th

eir

app

eara

nce

du

e to

th

e d

amag

e o

f ti

me

or

des

tru

ctio

n b

y d

isas

ters

in

the

cou

rse

of

the

cen

turi

es.”

His

id

eas

fou

nd

exp

ress

ion

in s

tart

ling

p

erfo

rman

ce-b

ased

wo

rks,

su

ch a

s C

hal

len

gin

g M

ud

(19

55)

by

Kaz

uo

Shir

aga.

Th

ese

inn

ova

tio

ns

hav

e in

spir

ed

the

inte

r-co

nn

ecte

d a

rtis

tic

exp

eri-

men

ts t

hat

hav

e u

nco

vere

d n

ew

pat

hs

in a

fam

iliar

wo

rld

. Th

is d

evel

-o

pm

ent

inte

nsi

fied

co

nsi

der

ably

d

uri

ng

th

e 19

80

s. A

rtis

t d

uo

Pet

er

Fisc

hli

(195

2–)

and

Dav

id W

eiss

(1

946

–201

2) m

ade

a si

gn

ific

ant

co

ntr

ibu

tio

n;

to e

xper

ien

ce t

hei

r

inst

alla

tio

ns

and

film

s, f

or

exam

ple

, Th

e W

ay T

hin

gs

Go

(19

84

–87)

, ca

n

giv

e n

ew d

imen

sio

ns

to o

ur

con

ven

-ti

on

al,

ever

yday

live

s. T

hei

r w

ork

s h

ave

bee

n d

escr

ibed

as

“po

st a

po

c-al

ypti

c”,

bec

ause

th

ey d

ealt

wit

h

chai

n r

eact

ion

s an

d t

he

way

in

wh

ich

dif

fere

nt

ob

ject

s ta

ke f

ligh

t,

lan

d a

nd

exp

lod

e. In

th

e 19

90

s th

e im

pac

t o

f th

is a

rtis

t d

uo

sp

read

as

rin

gs

in w

ater

. R

om

an S

ign

er

(193

8–)

, w

ho

cre

ates

“ac

tio

n s

culp

-tu

res”

, u

ses

a w

ork

ing

vo

cab

ula

ry

of

ever

yday

item

s, f

or

exam

ple

, u

m-

bre

llas,

tab

les,

ch

airs

an

d c

on

tain

-er

s. W

ith

wo

rks,

su

ch a

s K

urh

aus

Wei

ssb

ad (

1992

), h

e cr

eate

s a

forc

e-fu

l vis

ual

an

d a

ffec

tive

exp

erie

nce

. Th

e C

hin

ese

arti

st C

ai G

uo

-Qia

ng

(1

957–

) h

as m

ade

new

co

ntr

ibu

tio

ns

to t

his

par

ticu

lar

fiel

d o

f d

ynam

ic

inst

alla

tio

n a

rt.

In 1

993

he

crea

ted

th

e si

te s

pec

ific

Pro

ject

to

ext

end

th

e G

reat

Wal

l of

Ch

ina

by

10,

00

0 M

ete

rs:

Pro

ject

fo

r E

xtra

terr

estr

ials

N

o 10,

wh

ich

co

nsi

sted

of

an a

pp

rox-

imat

ely

six-

mile

lon

g g

un

po

wd

er

fuse

th

at e

xten

ded

, in

a d

rag

on

-lik

e p

atte

rn,

bey

on

d t

he

Wes

tern

en

d o

f th

e G

reat

Wal

l, a

t th

e ed

ge

of

the

Go

bi d

eser

t.

In

stal

lati

on

s b

y Fr

anci

s A

lÿs

(195

9–)

, su

ch a

s W

hen

Fai

th M

ove

s M

ou

nta

ins

(20

02),

pre

sen

t u

s w

ith

n

ew o

bse

rvat

ion

s o

f so

cial

an

d c

ul-

tura

l co

nd

itio

ns

in a

par

ticu

lar

area

. Th

ese

are

oft

en in

terp

rete

d t

hro

ug

h

wal

ks in

urb

an s

pac

es.

Vik

Mu

niz

(1

961–

) cr

eate

s n

ew in

terp

reta

tio

ns

of

fam

ou

s ar

two

rks,

fo

r ex

amp

le,

Do

ub

le M

on

a Li

sa,

Aft

er W

arh

ol

(19

99)

, b

ased

on

a 1

963

scr

een

pri

nt

by

An

dy

War

ho

l. F

avo

uri

ng

un

usu

al

mat

eria

ls h

e h

as u

sed

jel

ly a

nd

pea

-n

ut

bu

tter

giv

ing

it a

th

ou

gh

t-p

ro-

voki

ng

tra

nsf

orm

atio

n.

In t

he

star

t o

f 20

12,

MA

SS M

oC

A p

rovi

ded

an

ed

uca

tio

nal

op

po

rtu

nit

y in

co

nn

ec-

tio

n w

ith

th

eir

Sol L

eWit

t re

spec

tive

ex

hib

itio

n,

by

aski

ng

th

e p

ub

lic t

o “s

imp

ly m

ake

a sa

nd

wic

h o

f o

ne

of

his

wo

rks”

an

d s

end

an

imag

e o

f it

to

th

e m

use

um

.

The

wel

l-kn

ow

n D

anis

h p

erfo

r-m

ance

an

d c

on

cep

tual

art

ist,

ren

D

ahlg

aard

(19

73–)

, w

as in

flu

ence

d

qu

ite

earl

y o

n in

his

car

eer

by

the

Dad

aist

s, e

spec

ially

Du

cham

p,

as

wel

l as

the

Neo

-Dad

aist

s, a

mo

ng

o

ther

s Y

ves

Kle

in.

Oth

er in

flu

ence

s w

ere

bo

th t

he

Flu

xus

mo

vem

ent

an

d t

he

Gu

tai g

rou

p’s

inn

ova

tio

ns.

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd’s

mee

tin

g w

ith

C

hri

s B

urd

en’s

exp

erim

enta

l per

for-

man

ces

and

sel

f-in

flic

ted

dan

ger

w

as a

new

so

urc

e o

f in

spir

atio

n,

New ch

allen

ges fo

r

art &

socie

ty

Aspec

ts o

f Søre

n Dah

lgaa

rd’s

art

Asp

ects

of

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s a

rt67

Page 70: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

as w

as P

aul M

cCar

thy’

s vi

deo

-tap

ed

per

form

ance

s an

d p

rovo

cati

ve

mu

ltim

edia

inst

alla

tio

ns

and

Jo

hn

B

ald

essa

ri’s

wo

rks

that

qu

esti

on

ed

the

idea

of

arti

stic

au

tho

rsh

ip.

Th

ere

is m

uch

to

su

gg

est

that

it

was

wh

en S

øre

n D

ahlg

aard

was

in

tro

du

ced

to

th

e in

no

vati

ve,

oft

en

larg

e sc

ale,

inst

alla

tio

ns

crea

ted

by

Fisc

hli

and

Wei

ss,

Ro

man

Sig

ner

an

d

Cai

Gu

o-Q

ian

g,

that

he

seri

ou

sly

dev

elo

ped

a k

een

inte

rest

in c

reat

-in

g h

is o

wn

evo

cati

ve,

arti

stic

ex-

per

imen

ts in

his

ow

n p

erso

nal

sty

le.

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd w

ou

ld d

ou

bt-

less

ag

ree

wit

h J

ean

Fis

cher

’s

com

men

t re

gar

din

g t

he

abo

vem

en-

tio

ned

art

wo

rks

“th

e ra

dic

al e

ven

t o

f ar

t p

reci

pit

ates

a c

risi

s o

f m

ean

-in

g o

r, r

ath

er,

it e

xpo

ses

the

void

o

f m

ean

ing

at

the

core

of

a g

iven

so

cial

sit

uat

ion

, w

hic

h is

its

tru

th.”

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

has

als

o b

een

fa

scin

ated

by

the

du

al n

atu

re o

f th

e o

ften

bo

un

dar

y-b

reak

ing

inst

al-

lati

on

s, p

erfo

rman

ces

and

vid

eos

mad

e b

y th

ese

arti

sts;

hu

mo

ur

and

g

ravi

ty,

amu

sem

ent

and

imp

ort

ant

exis

ten

tial

pro

ble

ms

are

bo

un

d

tog

eth

er in

an

aes

thet

ic w

ay t

hat

ap

pea

ls t

o t

he

inte

llect

, fe

elin

gs,

fa

nta

sy a

nd

sen

ses.

M

any

of

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s o

wn

p

erfo

rman

ces

and

inst

alla

tio

ns

re-

veal

th

at h

e, li

ke D

uch

amp

, p

ose

s th

e q

ues

tio

n t

hat

if t

he

wo

rld

ex-

ists

bec

ause

I p

erce

ive

it,

can

it b

e p

rove

d t

hat

an

y re

alit

y, a

ny

Din

g a

n

sich

, u

nd

erlie

s it

? O

r, a

s M

arti

n H

ei-

deg

ger

has

exp

ress

ed it

: “H

ow

can

I kn

ow

th

at t

his

wo

rld

is n

ot

sim

ply

a

dre

am,

a sh

imm

erin

g h

allu

cin

atio

n,

a h

ori

zon

no

lon

ger

su

ffu

sed

wit

h

its

ow

n li

gh

t b

ut

wit

h m

ine.

” 2 T

wo

of

his

ear

lier

wo

rks

crea

ted

in 1

997

d

epic

t a

cod

wit

h la

mb

’s w

oo

l an

d a

ka

ng

aro

o w

ith

fea

ther

s. B

oth

wo

rks

sug

ges

t th

at t

hin

gs

and

th

e w

orl

d

as s

uch

can

be

dif

fere

nt

to w

hat

we

bel

ieve

it t

o b

e. T

he

wo

rld

aro

un

d u

s is

no

t ea

sily

un

der

sto

od

. Th

e sa

me

idea

is p

rese

nte

d in

an

oth

er w

ay in

th

e vi

deo

Ho

use

Sla

mm

ing

(19

99)

, in

wh

ich

hig

h-r

ise

bu

ildin

gs

fall

ove

r th

en r

ise

up

rig

ht

agai

n.

It is

a

refe

ren

ce t

o t

hin

gs

that

we

thin

k ar

e st

abile

, m

ay a

ctu

ally

co

nta

in u

n-

pre

dic

tab

le p

atte

rns

of

mo

vem

ent.

Wat

chin

g t

his

vid

eo b

rin

gs

to m

ind

th

e w

ord

s o

f th

e Fr

ench

ph

iloso

ph

er

Pas

cal,

wh

o w

rote

in 1

670:

“W

e sa

il w

ith

in a

vas

t sp

her

e,

ever

dri

ftin

g in

un

cert

ain

ty,

dri

ven

fr

om

en

d t

o e

nd

. W

hen

we

thin

k to

at

tach

ou

rsel

ves

to a

ny

po

int

and

to

fas

ten

to

it,

it w

aver

s an

d le

aves

u

s; a

nd

if w

e fo

llow

it,

it e

lud

es o

ur

gra

sp,

slip

s p

ast

us,

an

d v

anis

hes

fo

r ev

er.

No

thin

g s

tays

fo

r u

s. T

his

is

ou

r n

atu

ral c

on

dit

ion

an

d y

et m

ost

co

ntr

ary

to o

ur

incl

inat

ion

; w

e b

urn

w

ith

des

ire

to f

ind

so

lid g

rou

nd

an

d

an u

ltim

ate

sure

fo

un

dat

ion

wh

ere-

on

to

bu

ild a

to

wer

rea

chin

g t

o t

he

Infi

nit

e. B

ut

ou

r w

ho

le g

rou

nd

wo

rk

crac

ks,

and

th

e ea

rth

op

ens

to

abys

ses.

” 3

P

hilo

sop

her

an

d N

ob

el P

rize

w

inn

er,

Ilya

Pri

go

gin

e, h

as e

mp

ha-

sizi

d t

hat

ou

r w

orl

d “

is b

ran

ded

wit

h

the

mar

k o

f ra

dic

al u

nce

rtai

nty

.” 4

This

ass

erti

on

, w

hic

h is

a r

adic

al,

mo

der

n in

terp

reta

tio

n o

f P

asca

l’s

view

s, p

erm

eate

s va

rio

us

vers

ion

s o

f Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd’s

inst

alla

tio

ns,

p

erfo

rman

ces

and

vid

eos.

Ho

w-

ever

, in

co

ntr

ast

to p

hilo

sop

hic

an

d

New

ch

alle

ng

es f

or

art

and

so

ciet

y–6

8

Page 71: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

scie

nti

fic

des

crip

tio

ns

of

this

to

pic

, h

is v

isu

alis

atio

ns

are

char

acte

rise

d

by

hu

mo

ur,

co

mic

per

form

ance

an

d

amu

sin

g,

un

pre

dic

tab

le t

acti

cs.

Wh

en w

e co

nsi

der

his

wo

rk w

e ar

e n

ot

ove

rwh

elm

ed b

y co

nce

pts

an

d

cate

go

ries

or

a p

oet

ic d

isco

urs

e,

bu

t an

inte

nse

, vi

tal a

nd

per

son

al

arti

stic

inte

rpre

tati

on

, w

hic

h a

l-m

ost

etc

hes

itse

lf in

to o

ur

imag

i-n

atio

n.

This

is k

een

ly e

xper

ien

ced

w

hen

wat

chin

g H

exag

on

al C

yclo

ps

(20

00)

in w

hic

h a

man

is t

ryin

g t

o p

rote

ct h

imse

lf a

gai

nst

th

e lu

mp

s o

f d

ou

gh

bei

ng

flu

ng

at

him

. Th

ere

is n

o e

nd

ing

to

th

e st

ory

. W

e ar

e ca

ug

ht

up

in a

ten

se s

itu

atio

n in

a

roo

m t

hat

see

ms

to b

e u

nd

er s

ur-

veill

ance

, si

mila

r to

th

at f

ou

nd

in

pri

son

s. W

hen

we

view

Ob

stru

ctio

n

Pai

nti

ng

(20

01),

we

get

a s

tro

ng

fe

elin

g o

f b

ein

g c

on

fro

nte

d b

y a

con

cep

t o

f m

atte

r, w

her

e m

atte

r is

“a

ctiv

e”,

lead

ing

to

irre

vers

ible

pro

-ce

sses

. Th

is w

ork

dem

on

stra

tes

to

us

wh

at h

app

ens

wh

en t

he

“fra

me”

ta

kes

ove

r co

ntr

ol a

nd

sp

read

s o

ut

into

th

e ro

om

min

imal

isin

g t

he

con

ten

ts.

3

-Ho

ur

Scu

lptu

re (

200

6) e

x-em

plif

ies

the

du

alit

y o

f g

ravi

ty a

nd

h

um

ou

r th

at is

ch

arac

teri

stic

of

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s a

rtis

tic

acti

viti

es.

A 1

00

kg

lum

p o

f d

ou

gh

slo

wly

an

d

wit

h p

red

icta

ble

mo

vem

ent

flo

ws

ove

r th

e ed

ge

of

a ri

gid

, sp

ecia

lly

pre

par

ed a

qu

ariu

m.

It is

a s

culp

ture

w

ith

a li

mit

ed t

ime

span

an

d h

as

ther

efo

re b

een

do

cum

ente

d b

y a

seri

es o

f p

ho

tos,

wh

ich

is t

he

cul-

min

atio

n o

f th

e w

ork

. A

gai

n,

wit

h

12-

Seco

nd

Scu

lptu

re (

200

6),

wh

ich

sh

ow

s a

lum

p o

f d

ou

gh

th

at f

alls

al

mo

st r

yth

mic

ally

off

a c

hai

r o

nto

th

e fl

oo

r, w

e ex

per

ien

ce h

ow

an

art

-w

ork

loo

ks,

lives

an

d m

ove

s. W

ith

b

oth

th

ese

wo

rks

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

h

as u

sed

a f

orm

of

exp

ress

ion

th

at

com

mu

nic

ates

dir

ectl

y–an

d w

ith

h

um

ou

r–to

th

e vi

ewer

s, r

egar

dle

ss

of

wh

o t

hey

are

.

In T

he

Do

ug

h W

arri

or

lan

dsc

ape

pai

nti

ng

per

form

ance

(20

08)

ren

D

ahlg

aard

has

bec

om

e tr

ansf

orm

ed

into

a c

om

ical

an

d h

ard

-wo

rkin

g

pai

nte

r, w

ho

is c

ove

red

fro

m t

op

to

toe

in b

agu

ette

s. H

e th

row

s h

imse

lf

into

his

pai

nti

ng

tas

k w

ith

an

alm

ost

war

like

inte

nsi

ty a

nd

is t

her

efo

re

calle

d t

he

Do

ug

h W

arri

or.

He

fig

hts

to

cre

ate

his

mas

terp

iece

an

d

thro

ug

h t

his

pro

cess

he

reve

als

a n

ew u

nd

erst

and

ing

ab

ou

t th

e te

ch-

niq

ues

an

d h

isto

ry o

f ar

t. H

e u

ses

abo

ut

100

litr

es o

f p

ain

t, w

hic

h is

u

sed

alm

ost

exp

losi

vely

an

d u

np

re-

dic

tab

ly.

In t

he

vid

eo s

ho

win

g t

his

p

roce

ss w

e w

itn

ess

ho

w o

ne

min

ute

h

is w

ork

ru

ns

smo

oth

ly,

the

nex

t q

uit

e b

adly

, th

en s

om

ewh

ere

in b

e-tw

een

. W

e w

atch

so

mew

hat

am

azed

an

d in

su

spen

se w

hile

hed

ge

and

p

ain

ter

bec

om

e co

vere

d in

bri

gh

tly

colo

ure

d a

nd

tex

ture

d p

ain

t, b

oth

b

eco

min

g a

livi

ng

, ex

pre

ssiv

e la

nd

-sc

ape

scen

e w

ith

qu

ick

chan

ges

in

tem

po.

Th

e tr

adit

ion

al la

nd

scap

e p

ain

tin

g h

as b

een

co

nve

rted

into

an

exc

itin

g p

erfo

rman

ce.

This

wo

rk

sho

ws

ho

w S

øre

n D

ahlg

aard

wo

rks

bo

th in

tuit

ivel

y an

d r

efle

ctiv

ely,

as

he

reve

als

new

asp

ects

of

the

oft

en

un

ruly

an

d o

ften

un

con

tro

llab

le

arti

stic

pro

cess

an

d d

raw

s u

s in

to

his

dyn

amic

art

isti

c u

niv

erse

.

Do

ug

h P

ort

rait

s (2

00

8–2

012)

ar

e p

rom

inen

t w

ork

s in

ren

Asp

ects

of

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s a

rt6

9

Page 72: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Dah

lgaa

rd’s

pro

du

ctio

n.

He

has

cr

eate

d a

bo

ut

100

0 o

f th

em a

nd

h

as p

rese

nte

d t

hem

su

cces

sfu

lly in

te

n d

iffe

ren

t co

un

trie

s. T

he

peo

-p

le b

ein

g p

ort

raye

d c

ho

ose

wh

ich

d

ou

gh

th

ey w

ill u

se a

nd

mo

uld

it

so it

co

vers

th

eir

face

s; t

hey

are

p

arti

cip

atin

g in

th

e ar

tist

ic p

roce

ss

them

selv

es.

In t

his

way

th

e “s

itte

rs”

reve

al o

ther

imp

ort

ant

asp

ects

of

thei

r p

erso

nal

itie

s, o

ther

th

an t

ho

se

reve

aled

by

thei

r fa

ces.

The

Mo

bile

Hed

ge

(201

1) w

as

exh

ibit

ed a

t th

e C

on

tem

po

rary

Art

C

entr

e in

Bra

silia

, B

razi

l. T

he

hed

ge

was

set

on

wh

eels

so

th

at it

co

uld

in

terv

ene

in u

rban

sp

ace

and

fa-

cilit

ate

new

dia

log

ue

situ

atio

ns

be-

twee

n p

eop

le;

peo

ple

wh

o p

erh

aps

wo

uld

no

t o

ther

wis

e m

eet

or

wo

uld

ju

st b

e p

assi

ve.

The

Mo

bile

Hed

ge

was

mo

ved

aro

un

d t

he

ou

tsid

e o

f th

e o

val b

uild

ing

. D

uri

ng

th

is c

ircu

it

the

mo

bile

hed

ge

met

a g

rou

p o

f si

xth

gra

de

sch

oo

l ch

ildre

n,

wh

o im

med

iate

ly s

tart

ed t

o p

lay

and

tal

k to

get

her

, w

hils

t ea

tin

g p

op

corn

.

A li

vin

g s

pac

e h

ad s

ud

den

ly b

een

es

tab

lish

ed–

an e

xam

ple

of

ho

w

The

Mo

bile

Hed

ge

can

fac

ilita

te

soci

al c

om

mu

nic

atio

n.

Si

nce

th

e 19

70s

ther

e h

ave

bee

n

seve

ral b

reak

thro

ug

hs

in t

he

USA

, w

hic

h h

ave

bro

ken

aw

ay f

rom

tra

di-

tio

nal

co

nce

pts

of

wh

at c

on

stit

ute

s a

wo

rk o

f ar

t. S

om

e o

f th

e ea

rlie

r ar

tist

s, f

or

exam

ple

, R

ob

ert

Smit

h-

son

, cr

eate

d L

and

Art

. Th

eir

mat

eri-

als

con

sist

ed o

f n

atu

ral p

hen

om

ena

or

of

nat

ure

itse

lf.

Seve

ral o

f th

em,

esp

ecia

lly M

ich

ael S

ing

er,

wer

e at

th

e fo

refr

on

t o

f en

viro

nm

enta

l co

n-

scio

usn

ess

and

nat

ure

-bas

ed a

rt.

The

eco

log

ical

fo

rm o

f La

nd

Art

has

b

een

th

e in

spir

atio

n b

ehin

d S

øre

n

Dah

lgaa

rd’s

mo

st c

om

pre

hen

sive

w

ork

–G

row

ing

Veg

eta

ble

s o

n a

C

ora

l Isl

and

Hib

alh

idh

oo.

Fro

m

2002

–20

04

he

bu

ilt a

larg

e ve

get

able

fa

rm o

n a

sm

all c

ora

l isl

and

in t

he

Mal

div

es.

The

idea

was

to

fin

d o

ut

wh

ich

veg

etab

les

cou

ld b

e g

row

n in

th

e h

um

id a

nd

ho

t tr

op

ical

clim

ate

of

the

Mal

div

es.

Th

e ai

m w

as t

o p

rod

uce

fre

sh

veg

etab

les

for

the

inh

abit

ants

an

d

tou

rist

res

ort

s in

th

e ar

ea a

s n

earl

y al

l veg

etab

les

wer

e im

po

rted

fro

m

far

away

. It

was

a p

ilot

pro

ject

in

dri

p ir

rig

atio

n.

This

met

ho

d s

aves

w

ater

an

d f

erti

lizer

by

allo

win

g

wat

er t

o d

rip

slo

wly

into

so

il b

y th

e p

lan

ts.

It is

a v

ery

succ

essf

ul

alte

rnat

ive

to t

rad

itio

nal

met

ho

ds.

A

co

rnu

cop

ia o

f m

any

dif

fere

nt

veg

-et

able

s w

as c

ult

ivat

ed.

The

fou

nd

er

of

Eco

Aes

thet

ic,

Ras

hee

d A

raee

n,

has

str

esse

d t

hat

th

is p

roje

ct h

as

imp

ress

ivel

y co

ntr

ibu

ted

to

“d

emo

l-is

h t

he

dif

fere

nce

bet

wee

n in

stru

-m

enta

l pro

du

ctiv

ity

and

art

isti

c cr

eati

vity

.” 5

A

nd

ers

Ko

ld,

cura

tor

at L

ou

i-si

ana

Mu

seu

m o

f M

od

ern

Art

, h

as

stre

ssed

th

at S

øre

n D

ahlg

aard

“is

fu

nd

amen

tally

an

art

ist

con

cern

ed

wit

h d

ialo

gu

e”.6

It is

pre

cise

ly f

rom

th

is d

ialo

gu

e th

at n

ew u

nd

erst

and

-in

g o

r kn

ow

led

ge

can

ari

se.

Søre

n

Dah

lgaa

rd is

co

nst

antl

y d

raw

ing

n

ew b

ou

nd

arie

s in

th

e ar

t w

orl

d.

H

e b

rin

gs

us

to a

th

resh

old

of

a

visi

on

cap

able

of

tran

scen

din

g o

ur

pre

sen

t ex

per

ien

ce a

nd

insp

irin

g

us

to t

hin

k an

d f

eel i

n a

new

way

an

d d

isco

ver

un

exp

ecte

d a

spec

ts

of

the

surr

ou

nd

ing

wo

rld

.

New

ch

alle

ng

es f

or

art

and

so

ciet

y–70

Page 73: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

In

all

his

wo

rks

he

incl

ud

es h

im-

self

wit

hin

th

e sc

op

e o

f ir

on

y an

d

hu

mo

ur,

dra

ws

us

into

a m

agic

al

sph

ere

and

sti

mu

late

s u

s to

exp

eri-

ence

it w

ith

th

e en

tire

bo

dy

and

all

its

sen

ses

– Else

Mar

ie B

ukd

ahl,

dr.

ph

il.,

fo

rmer

rec

tor

of

The

Ro

yal D

anis

h

Aca

dem

y o

f Fi

ne

Art

s, T

he

Sch

oo

l o

f V

isu

al A

rts.

1 H

. R

ich

ter,

Dad

a. A

rt a

nd

A

nti

-Art

, Lo

nd

on

196

4,

p. 9

2 Q

uo

ted

by

H.

Ric

hte

r in

o

p c

it,

p. 9

1.

3 P

asca

l. (

Sele

cted

tex

ts).

Wit

h

intr

od

uct

ion

an

d n

ote

s b

y Jø

rgen

B

ukd

ahl.

Tra

nsl

ated

to

Dan

ish

by

Ast

a K

rau

se-J

ense

n,

Ber

ling

ske,

19

70,

p. 1

61 &

p. 1

64.

En

glis

h

tran

slat

ion

fro

m T

he

Pro

ject

Gu

ten

-b

erg

eB

oo

k o

f P

asca

l’s P

ensé

es,

Sect

ion

II,

72,

p. 1

9. h

ttp

://

ww

w.g

ute

nb

erg

.org

/file

s/18

269/

18

269-

h/1

8269

-h.h

tm.

4 Il

ya P

rig

og

ine

and

Isab

elle

St

eng

ers,

Ord

er o

ut

of

Ch

aos.

M

an’s

new

Dia

log

ue

wit

h N

atu

re,

Lon

do

n,

198

4,

p. 3

13.

5 Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd,

“Dis

cuss

ion

: R

ash

eed

Ara

een

an

d S

øre

n

Dah

lgaa

rd”

in t

he

cata

log

ue

to

the

exh

ibit

ion

Gro

win

g V

ege

tab

les

on

a C

ora

l Isl

and

in A

arh

us

Co

nte

m-

po

rary

Art

Cen

tre,

22

Jan

uar

y—

3 A

pri

l, 2

011.

6 Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd,

The

Do

ug

h

War

rio

r p

roje

ct!

Text

by

An

der

s K

old

. C

op

enh

agen

, 20

08,

p. 5

1.

Asp

ects

of

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s a

rt71

Page 74: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Co

nte

mp

ora

ry a

rt,

wh

ich

th

rive

s o

n t

he

man

ifo

ld e

ner

-g

ies

of

tod

ay,

is t

hat

art

th

at g

ives

us

a g

limp

se o

f th

ese

ener

gie

s w

hile

un

fold

ing

th

emse

lves

; is

th

at a

rt w

hic

h

tran

sfo

rms

thes

e en

erg

ies

in w

ays

that

mak

e u

s in

ter-

este

d in

wh

at is

to

co

me.

1

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s (

b. 1

973

Co

pen

hag

en)

con

cep

tual

w

ork

s ar

e ex

oti

c, c

olo

urf

ul a

nd

fu

ll o

f h

um

ou

r. T

hey

are

m

ost

oft

en e

xpre

ssed

per

form

ativ

ely

in t

he

zon

e b

e-tw

een

th

eatr

e an

d a

rt,

wit

h t

he

arti

st p

rod

uci

ng

a s

erie

s o

f ac

tio

ns

that

invo

lve

him

act

ivel

y an

d p

hys

ical

ly.

Like

a

spo

rtsm

an p

ush

ing

him

self

to

th

e lim

its,

he

is d

eter

-m

ined

to

rea

ch h

is g

oal

, d

esp

ite

any

erro

rs o

n t

he

way

th

at m

ay m

ake

his

au

die

nce

lau

gh

at

him

. H

ow

ever

, at

th

e sa

me

tim

e th

e vi

ewer

s ar

e af

fect

ed s

ensu

ou

sly

and

in

telle

ctu

ally

by

his

hig

hly

ori

gin

al p

erfo

rman

ces;

th

eir

feel

ing

s ar

e al

so a

ffec

ted

as

his

art

oft

en c

on

tain

s a

trag

ico

mic

po

etry

.

Mo

st o

f h

is w

ork

s d

evel

op

ove

r ti

me.

His

lon

ges

t, t

o n

ame

on

e, is

his

inn

ova

tive

ag

ricu

ltu

ral p

roje

ct G

row

ing

ve

ge

tab

les

on

a C

ora

l Isl

and

on

th

e M

ald

ives

, w

hic

h r

an

ove

r tw

o y

ears

fro

m 2

002

–20

04.

Th

ou

gh

, h

e h

esit

ates

to

call

it a

n a

rt p

roje

ct.

He

feel

s th

at it

was

no

t so

mu

ch

his

kn

ow

led

ge

of

art

as h

is p

ract

ical

cap

abili

ties

th

at h

e re

lied

on

fo

r h

is in

no

vati

ve,

eco

log

ical

fo

od

pro

du

ctio

n

on

th

is li

ttle

isla

nd

kin

gd

om

in t

he

Ind

ian

Oce

an.

Søre

n

Dah

lgaa

rd’s

vid

eos,

wh

ich

are

oft

en d

ocu

men

tati

on

fo

r h

is p

erfo

rman

ces,

are

als

o t

ime-

bas

ed.

The

very

fu

nn

y an

d q

uit

e ab

surd

Th

e D

rum

min

g B

read

Hu

t p

erfo

rman

ce

is a

no

tew

ort

hy

exam

ple

, in

volv

ing

a h

ut

bu

ilt f

rom

50

0

Inte

rview

with

Søre

n Dah

lgaa

rd

Perfo

rmat

ive a

esth

etics

Page 75: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

bag

uet

tes,

wh

ich

pro

ves

to b

e a

som

ewh

at f

rag

ile a

nd

sh

ort

-liv

ed

form

fo

r ar

chit

ectu

re.

Insi

de

is a

set

o

f d

rum

s. T

his

wo

rk w

as e

xhib

ited

to

get

her

wit

h o

ther

wo

rks

at E

CC

O

Co

nte

mp

ora

ry A

rt C

ente

r in

Bra

silia

in

201

1 a

nd

can

no

w b

e vi

ewed

o

n Y

ouT

ub

e o

r h

is w

ebsi

te w

ww

.so

ren

dah

lgaa

rd.c

om

. In

th

is w

ork

h

is a

lter

eg

o, t

he

Do

ug

h W

arri

or,

p

lays

wild

ly o

n t

he

dru

ms

wit

h t

he

bre

ad w

hic

h b

reak

s u

p,

so t

he

hu

t is

ev

entu

ally

use

d u

p a

nd

dec

imat

ed.

W

hen

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd p

er-

form

s h

e u

tilis

es a

pre

cise

ly p

lan

ned

ch

ore

og

rap

hy.

Wea

rin

g h

is a

rmo

ur

of

bre

ad h

e p

ain

ts in

fro

nt

of

an

aud

ien

ce,

for

exam

ple

, as

he

did

in

Lo

uis

ian

a M

use

um

in 2

00

8,

wh

en h

e p

ain

ted

a m

ult

i-co

lou

red

, ab

stra

ct-e

xpre

ssiv

e p

ain

tin

g o

n a

p

rive

t h

edg

e! A

t th

e fi

nal

e, c

ove

red

in

pai

nt

and

wit

h h

is b

read

arm

ou

r se

rio

usl

y d

amag

ed,

he

dep

arte

d

the

scen

e, w

hic

h w

as s

trew

n w

ith

b

roke

n p

rop

s an

d s

pla

shes

of

pai

nt.

Th

ey r

esem

ble

d r

elic

s fr

om

a h

oly

ri

tual

. Th

is r

itu

al a

ctio

n-p

ain

tin

g o

r p

ain

tin

g p

erfo

rman

ce is

co

nd

uct

ed

wit

h e

qu

al a

mo

un

ts o

f p

assi

on

an

d

agg

ress

ion

–an

d a

t th

e sa

me

tim

e it

is

a c

riti

cal r

esp

on

se t

o p

ain

tin

g a

s a

feti

sh-o

bje

ct a

nd

to

pri

vet-

hed

ge

Den

mar

k.

W

e m

et o

ne

day

in M

ay 2

012

in

his

wel

l-lit

, h

igh

-cei

ling

ed s

tud

io

on

Ref

shal

e Is

lan

d;

it h

as a

vie

w

ove

r C

op

enh

agen

cit

y an

d o

ver

the

har

bo

ur

on

th

e o

ther

sid

e. T

he

larg

e ro

om

is f

ull

of

dra

win

gs,

ph

oto

s

and

3-D

wo

rks,

as

wel

l a n

um

ber

o

f p

rop

s th

at h

e u

ses

in h

is p

erfo

r-m

ance

s. B

ut

ho

w d

id S

øre

n D

ahl-

gaa

rd a

ctu

ally

sta

rt a

s an

art

ist?

– Spo

rt &

sco

uts

– M

y in

tere

st in

art

sta

rted

wh

en I

was

yo

un

g a

nd

wen

t o

n a

co

urs

e at

th

e A

rt F

olk

Hig

h S

cho

ol i

n H

olb

æk.

Th

ere

I was

tau

gh

t b

y th

e Sw

edis

h

vid

eo a

rtis

t, M

agn

us

Wal

lin,

and

I ca

n s

ee t

hat

he

was

th

e m

ost

im-

po

rtan

t so

urc

e o

f in

spir

atio

n w

hen

I lo

ok

bac

k at

th

ose

day

s. H

e sh

ow

ed

me,

fo

r ex

amp

le,

Fisc

hli

& W

eiss

’ fa

mo

us

vid

eo:

Der

Lau

f d

er D

ing

e.

(T

his

am

usi

ng

vid

eo w

as m

ade

in a

so

rt o

f ex

per

imen

tal l

abo

rato

ry

and

sh

ow

s a

seq

uen

ce o

f ar

ran

ged

o

bje

cts

that

inte

ract

, se

ttin

g t

hin

gs

in m

oti

on

in a

ch

ain

rea

ctio

n a

c-co

rdin

g t

o t

he

law

s o

f p

hys

ics.

Th

e vi

deo

mak

es a

dee

p im

pre

ssio

n o

n

ever

yon

e re

gar

dle

ss o

f b

ackg

rou

nd

, ag

e o

r ed

uca

tio

n–

LB).

Dah

lgaa

rd:

It w

as a

lso

my

firs

t re

al e

xper

ien

ce w

ith

art

as

I cam

e fr

om

a h

om

e w

her

e sp

ort

s an

d

sco

uts

wer

e th

e m

ain

inte

rest

s.

Ther

efo

re I

kn

ew v

ery

littl

e ab

ou

t ar

t. It

was

th

e m

oth

er o

f m

y g

irl-

frie

nd

at

that

tim

e, a

cer

amic

art

-is

t, w

ho

en

cou

rag

ed m

e to

att

end

H

olb

æk

Art

Sch

oo

l wh

en I

had

a g

ap

year

aft

er s

eco

nd

ary

sch

oo

l. A

t th

e sc

ho

ol I

als

o le

arn

t ab

ou

t A

mer

ican

w

est-

coas

t ar

tist

s su

ch a

s C

hri

s B

urd

en (

b. 1

946)

an

d P

aul M

cCar

thy

(b. 1

945

) an

d o

ther

co

nce

ptu

al a

rt-

ists

. I f

ou

nd

ou

t h

ow

exc

itin

g t

his

g

enre

was

to

op

erat

e in

. Th

eir

craz

y p

oin

ts o

f vi

ew a

nd

rad

ical

use

of

arti

stic

exp

ress

ion

intr

igu

ed m

e.

The

lan

d a

rt a

rtis

t R

ob

ert

Smit

hso

n

(19

38

–73

) al

so m

ade

an im

pre

ssio

n

Inte

rview

with

Søre

n Dah

lgaa

rd

Perfo

rmat

ive a

esth

etics

Per

form

ativ

e ae

sth

etic

s73

Page 76: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

on

me

at t

hat

tim

e–

esp

ecia

lly h

is

Spir

al J

ett

y, w

hic

h I

resp

on

ded

to.

H

e w

ork

ed a

lot,

by

the

way

, w

ith

h

exag

on

s, w

hic

h in

spir

ed m

e to

m

ake

Hex

ago

nal

Cyc

lop

s, w

hic

h is

a

vid

eo t

aken

fro

m a

bo

ve a

nd

loo

k-in

g d

ow

n in

to a

hex

ago

nal

ro

om

. It

is

a p

ano

pti

con

wit

h 6

win

do

ws.

A

wh

ite-

clad

fig

ure

sta

nd

s in

th

e m

id-

dle

an

d h

e is

bei

ng

bo

mb

ard

ed w

ith

lu

mp

s o

f d

ou

gh

, w

hic

h a

re t

hro

wn

at

him

th

rou

gh

all

six

win

do

ws.

Th

is

wo

rk is

incl

ud

ed in

th

e ex

hib

itio

n

in V

ibo

rg,

says

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd.

Th

e ro

om

is a

vis

ual

isat

ion

of

a p

an-o

pti

c p

riso

n,

des

ign

ed b

y th

e B

riti

sh p

hilo

sop

her

Jer

emy

Ben

tham

(1

748

–18

32).

It is

a v

ery

effe

ctiv

e fo

rm o

f su

rvei

llan

ce a

rch

itec

ture

as

it w

as p

oss

ible

fo

r p

riso

n g

uar

ds

to k

eep

an

eye

on

all

the

pri

son

ers,

w

ith

ou

t th

em k

no

win

g p

reci

sely

w

ho

was

bei

ng

wat

ched

. Th

is in

vis-

ible

co

ntr

ol g

ives

th

e p

riso

ner

s th

e im

pre

ssio

n t

hat

th

ey a

re in

th

e ca

re

of

om

nis

cien

t g

uar

ds.

An

ear

ly v

er-

sio

n o

f B

ig B

roth

er.

It

is t

he

nat

ure

of

do

ug

h t

o ch

ang

e fo

rm–

like

clo

ud

s th

at g

row

big

ger

an

d c

han

ge

shap

e as

yo

u f

ol-

low

th

em a

cro

ss t

he

sky.

Do

ug

h is

an

org

anic

an

d m

alle

able

mat

eria

l th

at a

lter

s o

ver

a p

erio

d o

f ti

me.

It

can

be

said

of

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

’s

wo

rks–

also

th

ose

th

at h

ave

a m

ore

o

bje

ct-l

ike

char

acte

r ra

ther

th

an

tim

e-o

rien

ted

–th

at t

hey

res

po

nd

to

th

e ar

tist

’s w

ish

to

cre

ate

art

that

w

ill b

e m

ore

th

an j

ust

art

fo

r ar

t’s

sake

. A

n a

rt t

hat

is a

ble

to

co

mm

u-

nic

ate

wit

h a

wid

er p

ub

lic,

rath

er

than

ju

st a

n in

ner

cir

cle

of

the

art

pu

blic

th

at is

oft

en t

oo

co

nse

nti

ent.

A

t th

e sa

me

tim

e h

is w

ork

s re

veal

th

e p

roce

ss o

f th

eir

gen

erat

ion

.

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

has

pla

yed

a lo

t o

f sp

ort

an

d h

as b

een

a c

om

pet

ent

dru

mm

er f

or

17 y

ears

in a

po

st-

rock

gro

up

cal

led

Silo

. Th

ere

is a

lso

gre

at d

eal o

f b

od

y an

d r

hyt

hm

in h

is

wo

rks,

wh

ich

sep

arat

es h

is f

rom

a

lot

of

oth

er c

on

tem

po

rary

art

. H

e is

a r

are

pro

du

ctiv

e, u

no

rth

od

ox

and

far

fro

m a

nae

mic

art

ist.

As

you

ca

n s

ee in

th

e ex

hib

itio

n a

t B

ræn

-d

erig

ård

en,

he

use

s a

con

sid

erab

le

vari

ety

of

med

ia a

nd

mat

eria

ls,

esp

ecia

lly s

ince

his

wo

rks

are

so

con

cep

t-b

ased

an

d t

her

efo

re c

rave

ve

ry d

iffe

ren

t fo

rmat

s an

d t

extu

res,

ac

cord

ing

to

wh

atev

er h

e w

ish

es

to e

xpre

ss o

r ch

alle

ng

e. H

ow

can

w

e, f

or

exam

ple

, u

nd

erst

and

his

d

ou

gh

po

rtra

its?

He

is p

layi

ng

wit

h

the

cen

turi

es o

ld g

enre

of

po

rtra

it

pai

nti

ng

: w

ith

his

su

rrea

l hu

mo

ur

he

hid

es t

he

sitt

er’s

ph

ysio

gn

om

y b

ehin

d 1

0 k

g o

f d

ou

gh

. If

yo

u t

hin

k it

is a

mat

ter

of

focu

sin

g o

n t

he

si

tter

’s id

enti

ty a

nd

rev

ealin

g

secr

ets

abo

ut

his

/her

per

son

alit

y,

thin

k ag

ain

. O

n t

he

con

trar

y, t

he

sitt

er in

sid

e h

is/h

er d

ou

gh

fee

ls li

ke

a ch

ang

elin

g in

th

e d

ark,

bu

t al

so

feel

s p

rote

cted

ag

ain

st t

he

lau

gh

ter

that

bef

alls

th

em w

hile

bei

ng

ph

o-

tog

rap

hed

. B

ut

wh

o a

re t

hes

e u

n-

iden

tifi

ed p

eop

le b

uri

ed u

nd

er t

he

do

ug

h,

the

view

er m

ay a

sk,

wh

en

they

sta

nd

loo

kin

g a

t th

e p

ho

to-

gra

ph

aft

erw

ard

s? W

e n

eed

to

loo

k at

th

e si

tter

’s c

loth

ing

, p

ost

ure

, p

osi

tio

n,

and

so

on

, in

ord

er t

o p

lay

det

ecti

ve a

nd

try

to

iden

tify

th

em.

In t

his

way

Dah

lgaa

rd a

wak

ens

ou

r cu

rio

sity

in a

n a

ctiv

e an

d p

osi

tive

w

ay.

At

the

sam

e ti

me

he

is p

ush

-

Inte

rvie

w w

ith

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd–

74

Page 77: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

ing

th

is o

rgan

ic m

ater

ial i

n a

new

d

irec

tio

n,

so t

hat

it a

pp

roac

hes

th

e sc

ulp

tor’

s tr

adit

ion

al m

ater

ials

su

ch a

s p

last

er o

r st

on

e, w

hic

h c

or-

resp

on

d t

o t

he

do

ug

h’s

mal

leab

le

wh

iten

ess.

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

wo

rks

wit

h

vid

eo in

stal

lati

on

s, a

n e

xam

ple

is

Ho

use

Sla

mm

ing

fro

m 1

998

, in

w

hic

h h

igh

-ris

e b

uild

ing

s b

uck

le

ove

r th

en r

ise

up

ag

ain

–as

if h

e co

uld

fo

rese

e th

e d

emo

litio

n o

f th

e b

lock

s at

Ru

skæ

r an

d A

ger

kær

in

do

vre

earl

ier

in M

ay 2

012.

Ho

use

Sl

amm

ing

is s

ho

wn

insi

de

a m

od

el

of

a h

igh

-ris

e b

uild

ing

. H

e al

so

mak

es v

ideo

s as

do

cum

enta

tio

n o

f h

is p

erfo

rman

ces

or

hap

pen

ing

s.

Ho

wev

er,

he

can

als

o m

ake

his

po

int

wit

h 3

-dim

ensi

on

al w

ork

s, f

or

ex

amp

le w

hen

he

tran

sfo

rmed

a

nat

ura

l fea

ture

, a

hed

ge,

into

a

fun

ctio

nal

ob

ject

. In

th

is p

roje

ct,

calle

d T

he

Mo

bile

Hed

ge,

he

pu

t w

hee

ls u

nd

er p

rive

t h

edg

es s

o t

hey

b

ecam

e m

ob

ile a

nd

fri

end

ly–

crea

t-in

g n

ew u

rban

sp

aces

rat

her

th

an

sep

arat

ing

pro

per

ties

, w

hic

h is

ty

pic

al h

ere

in D

enm

ark,

wh

ere

hed

ges

like

wal

ls b

lock

th

e vi

ew a

nd

p

reve

nt

com

mu

nic

atio

n b

etw

een

n

eig

hb

ou

rs.

In o

ther

wo

rds:

ren

D

ahlg

aard

’s m

ult

i-m

edia

art

is

mu

lti-

face

tted

, ri

ch a

nd

inve

nti

ve.

H

e al

so h

as a

glo

bal

ou

tlo

ok

and

a lo

ng

, in

tern

atio

nal

ser

ies

of

exh

ibit

ion

s b

ehin

d h

im–

and

bef

ore

h

im.

Alo

ne

in 2

012

he

has

exh

ibit

ed

in 1

4 p

lace

s ar

ou

nd

th

e w

orl

d–

fro

m N

ew Z

eala

nd

an

d t

he

Mal

div

es

to G

reec

e an

d F

inla

nd

. N

ot

to

men

tio

n t

he

spec

ial e

xhib

itio

n T

he

K

abo

om

! P

roce

ss,

wh

ich

was

sh

ow

n

in A

sbæ

k’s

Art

Cen

ter,

CC

A A

nd

ratx

, M

allo

rca.

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd w

as

edu

cate

d a

t Sl

ade

Sch

oo

l of

Fin

e

Art

in L

on

do

n,

1997

–20

02.

W

e w

alk

aro

un

d h

is s

tud

io a

nd

lo

ok

at h

is m

any

wo

rks.

If I

tell

you

so

me

thin

g a

bo

ut

all

of

them

it w

ill t

ake

far

too

lon

g,

so

we

had

be

tter

lim

it o

urs

elve

s, h

e sa

ys,

wh

ile p

oin

tin

g o

ut

a se

ries

of

A4

dra

win

gs

enti

tled

A H

edg

e is

a

Lan

ce.

Thes

e w

ork

s w

ere

exh

ibit

ed

in a

utu

mn

201

1 in

Gal

lery

Asb

æk

in

Co

pen

hag

en.

It is

a s

erie

s o

f p

ho

tos

of

pai

nti

ng

s th

at S

øre

n D

ahlg

aard

crea

ted

in Ø

reg

aard

Mu

seu

m’s

par

k la

te s

um

mer

201

1. H

e w

as g

arb

ed in

a

cost

um

e o

f b

ran

ches

an

d g

rass

–al

ias

the

Hed

ge

War

rio

r–an

d r

an

tow

ard

s th

ree

larg

e ca

nva

ses

ho

ld-

ing

2 m

etre

lon

g h

edg

e p

lan

ts u

nd

er

his

arm

, u

sin

g t

hes

e as

lan

ces-

cum

-p

ain

t b

rush

es.

No

t w

ith

ou

t h

um

ou

r h

e p

oin

ts o

ut

the

lon

g h

isto

ry o

f o

rig

inal

pai

nti

ng

s an

d t

he

bat

tle

to

pai

nt

mas

terp

iece

s.

B

ut

I am

als

o g

oin

g t

o e

xhib

it a

se

ries

of

ink

dra

win

gs

that

illu

stra

te

in s

ketc

h f

orm

th

e p

rob

lem

s th

at

I am

wo

rkin

g w

ith

. So

me

of

them

b

eco

me

actu

alis

ed,

wh

ile o

ther

s fu

nct

ion

as

par

t o

f an

idea

ban

k.

I val

ue

thes

e g

reat

ly a

nd

co

nsi

der

th

em t

he

core

of

my

arti

stic

wo

rk.

A

s co

nce

ptu

al a

rtis

t Sø

ren

D

ahlg

aard

co

mb

ines

sev

eral

art

isti

c m

eth

od

s w

ith

, fo

r ex

amp

le,

soci

al

inte

rven

tio

n,

inte

ract

ivit

y an

d

dev

elo

pm

ent

of

alte

rnat

ive

urb

an

spac

es,

as il

lust

rate

d b

y th

e ab

ove

m

enti

on

ed p

rive

t h

edg

e o

n w

hee

ls.

I g

rew

up

in S

org

enfr

i an

d

lived

on

a s

tree

t ca

lled

Pri

vet

Lan

e,

lau

gh

s Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd,

so it

is

Per

form

ativ

e ae

sth

etic

s75

Page 78: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

qu

ite

nat

ura

l fo

r m

e to

wo

rk w

ith

th

is b

ush

, th

at is

ver

y co

mm

on

in

Den

mar

k an

d w

hic

h m

ean

s so

m

uch

, b

ecau

se it

pu

ts b

ou

nd

arie

s b

etw

een

peo

ple

an

d p

rop

erti

es.

W

ith

reg

ard

s to

inte

ract

ivit

y I

no

tice

th

at t

he

pu

blic

en

joy

join

ing

in

–th

is is

th

e ca

se w

ith

bo

th m

y d

ou

gh

po

rtra

its

and

pai

nte

d p

or-

trai

ts.

Wit

h t

he

live-

per

form

ance

s th

is r

esu

lts

in a

co

nst

ruct

ive

col-

lab

ora

tio

n w

ith

th

e p

ort

rait

sit

ters

w

ho

off

er t

hei

r se

rvic

es.

They

are

w

illin

g t

o le

t th

emse

lves

be

cov-

ered

in p

ain

t o

r p

ack

thei

r fa

ces

in

do

ug

h,

even

th

ou

gh

th

ey a

re a

lit

tle

un

sure

ab

ou

t w

he

ther

th

ey

will

be

able

to

bre

ath

e. B

ut

they

can

an

d it

on

ly la

sts

abo

ut

10

sec

on

ds

un

til I

hav

e ta

ken

th

e p

ho

tog

rap

h,

wh

ich

fu

nct

ion

s as

an

ind

epen

den

t ar

two

rk.

Off

ensi

ve c

riti

qu

e o

f m

inim

alis

m’s

as

ceti

c ae

sth

etic

s–

Bo

th w

hen

yo

u a

re p

layi

ng

th

e ro

le o

f D

ou

gh

War

rio

r an

d w

hen

yo

u

pai

nt

you

r p

ort

rait

s yo

u a

re c

on

tin

u-

ing

a lo

ng

tra

dit

ion

of

mo

der

n a

rt:

Am

eric

an a

ctio

n p

ain

tin

g o

r Fr

ench

Ta

chis

m.

Bu

t ap

art

fro

m t

hat

, yo

u

hav

e al

so b

een

infl

uen

ced

by

the

neo

-Dad

aist

Yve

s K

lein

’s a

nth

ro-

po

met

ric

wo

rks.

Du

rin

g t

he

196

0s

he

use

d b

eau

tifu

l, n

aked

wo

men

to

pai

nt

wit

h;

usi

ng

his

inte

rnat

ion

al

Kle

in-b

lue

colo

ur

on

th

eir

bo

die

s th

ey r

olle

d t

hem

selv

es o

ver

the

can

vase

s le

avin

g b

od

y-p

rin

ts a

s th

e p

ictu

re’s

mo

tif.

Wh

en I

see,

fo

r ex

-am

ple

, yo

ur

Slid

e p

ain

tin

gs

wh

ere

you

slid

e d

ow

n a

ch

ute

wit

h b

lack

p

ain

t an

d im

po

se y

ou

r b

od

y p

rin

t o

n

a w

hit

e b

oar

d,

then

I th

ink

that

yo

u

are

con

scio

usl

y re

lati

ng

yo

urs

elf

to

this

tra

dit

ion?

Ye

s, I

qu

ite

def

init

ely

con

tin

ue

the

trad

itio

ns

you

men

tio

n,

bu

t I d

o tr

y at

th

e sa

me

tim

e to

invo

ke n

ew

mea

nin

gs

by

com

bin

ing

so

me

of

the

bef

ore

men

tio

ned

art

isti

c

exp

erim

ents

. B

esid

es t

hat

I am

ac

tual

ly v

ery

inte

rest

ed in

, fo

r

exam

ple

, m

inim

alis

m’s

aes

the

tics

.

An

d lo

oki

ng

at

you

r ve

ry g

es-

tura

l pai

nti

ng

s th

at r

esu

lt f

rom

yo

ur

acti

on

pai

nti

ng

as

the

Do

ug

h

War

rio

r, a

lso

ab

stra

ct e

xpre

ssio

nis

m

and

Po

llock

’s d

rip

pai

nti

ng

s?

Pro

bab

ly m

ore

of

an ir

on

ic-

crit

ical

rea

ctio

n t

o a

bst

ract

-ex

pre

ssiv

e p

ain

tin

g,

bec

ause

I am

m

ore

inte

rest

ed in

th

e p

roce

ss t

han

th

e en

d r

esu

lt t

han

th

e ab

stra

ct-

exp

ress

ive

pai

nte

rs,

wh

o r

elat

ed in

a

less

co

nce

ptu

al w

ay t

o t

he

gen

re

of

pai

nti

ng

. I p

lace

mys

elf

at a

hu

-m

oro

us

dis

tan

ce t

o t

hei

r, a

t ti

mes

p

ath

eti

c, a

ttit

ud

e to

pai

nti

ng

as

a fe

tish

-ob

ject

. B

esid

es,

I try

to

gra

sp p

hen

om

ena

in o

ur

envi

ron

-m

ent

that

tro

ub

le m

e–

incl

ud

ing

p

ink

po

od

les.

So,

inst

ead

of

go

ing

ar

ou

nd

th

ese

issu

es I

turn

th

em

into

th

emes

, w

he

ther

cri

tica

l or

hu

mo

rou

s.

Som

e ye

ars

ago,

as

a h

um

oro

us

resp

on

se t

o t

he

pu

blic

’s e

xclu

sio

n

by

the

mo

no

chro

me,

min

imal

isti

c

Inte

rvie

w w

ith

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd–

76

Page 79: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

pai

nte

rs,

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

“g

reas

ed”

som

e p

ain

tin

gs

wit

h c

oco

nu

t fa

t in

stea

d o

f u

sin

g p

ain

t.

It

’s f

un

to

pai

nt

mo

no

chro

me

for

the

firs

t ti

me,

bu

t p

oin

tles

s to

co

nti

nu

e h

avin

g d

on

e so

, fo

r th

en

you

are

just

an

ep

igo

ne,

say

s Sø

ren

D

ahlg

aard

, w

ho

ab

solu

tely

go

es h

is

ow

n w

ay.

At

the

Ch

arlo

tten

bo

rg

Spri

ng

Exh

ibit

ion

19

98,

for

exam

ple

, h

e ex

hib

ited

his

pro

ject

Bo

xin

g

Poo

dle

, w

ith

his

loat

hed

, p

ink

po

o-

dle

s. T

he

wo

rk c

on

sist

ed o

f th

ree

pin

k p

oo

dle

s m

ade

fro

m s

teel

sp

rin

gs

and

fo

am-r

ub

ber

, co

vere

d

wit

h la

tex,

wh

ich

th

e p

ub

lic c

ou

ld

eith

er h

it o

r ki

ck in

ord

er t

o s

atis

fy

thei

r p

arti

cula

r id

iosy

ncr

asie

s.

Søre

n D

ahlg

aard

loo

ks q

uit

e “n

orm

al”,

ho

wev

er h

e th

inks

qu

ite

dif

fere

ntl

y fr

om

no

rmal

. H

e th

inks

th

ing

s o

ver

ad a

bsu

rdu

m a

nd

rea

cts

to t

he

wo

rld

’s s

itu

atio

n b

y cr

eati

ng

tw

o o

r th

ree-

dim

ensi

on

al p

ictu

res.

A

nd

wh

ile d

oin

g s

o h

e al

so p

on

der

s o

ver

art,

esp

ecia

lly p

ain

tin

g,

wh

ich

h

e at

tack

s p

hys

ical

ly a

nd

by

usi

ng

m

oti

fs t

hat

cro

p u

p b

y ch

ance

. A

n

exam

ple

is w

hen

he

mad

e te

mp

late

-

like

pri

nts

of

his

bo

dy

on

a p

oly

-ch

rom

e, a

bst

ract

-exp

ress

ive

col-

ou

red

bac

kgro

un

d w

hils

t m

akin

g a

se

ries

of

neg

ativ

e-p

ain

tin

gs

as t

he

Do

ug

h W

arri

or.

In g

ener

al,

Søre

n

Dah

lgaa

rd u

ses

his

man

y ac

tio

ns

to

exp

ress

th

e d

iffi

cult

ies

wit

hin

pai

nt-

ing

in a

tim

e w

hen

all

exp

erim

ents

se

em t

o h

ave

bee

n t

ried

. H

e se

es

art

and

dai

ly li

fe in

a n

ew li

gh

t an

d

mix

es d

iffe

ren

t le

vels

of

real

ity

wit

h t

he

resu

lt t

hat

th

e w

orl

d a

p-

pea

rs j

ust

as

mys

teri

ou

s an

d a

bsu

rd,

bo

rder

ing

on

th

e fu

nn

y, a

s w

hen

ex

per

ien

cin

g it

fo

r th

e fi

rst

tim

e as

a c

hild

. Th

e ab

surd

is a

par

t o

f h

is o

wn

“p

sych

og

eog

rap

hy”

an

d

he

thin

ks it

is j

ust

as

absu

rd t

o b

e a

ban

ker

as a

n a

rtis

t, e

ven

th

ou

gh

h

e is

no

t so

kee

n t

o p

ut

his

pic

ture

s in

to w

ord

s–th

ere

is a

rea

son

wh

y I b

ecam

e a

visu

al a

rtis

t as

pic

ture

s ca

n s

ay s

om

eth

ing

th

at w

ord

s ca

n’t

.

Wh

en lo

oki

ng

at

you

r w

ork

s an

d

you

r p

erfo

rman

ces

as t

he

Do

ug

h

War

rio

r–w

her

e yo

u s

tan

d in

fro

nt

of

a la

rge

aud

ien

ce v

ery

visi

bly

as

a si

gn

ific

ant

and

ver

y d

iffe

ren

t so

rt o

f ch

arac

ter–

I fee

l th

at y

ou

hav

e in

-

clu

ded

eve

ryth

ing

–fr

om

th

e co

mic

to

th

e tr

agic

. Yo

u a

re p

acke

d in

ar-

mo

ur

mad

e o

f b

read

th

at s

epar

ates

yo

u f

rom

th

e re

st o

f th

e w

orl

d.

The

bre

ad r

emin

ds

us

of

ou

r d

epen

d-

ence

on

fo

od

an

d d

aily

fo

od

rit

ual

s as

dic

tate

d b

y o

ur

bo

die

s’ n

eed

s.

Do

th

ese

per

form

ance

s o

r ac

tio

ns

fun

ctio

n a

s a

sort

of

per

son

al “

act-

ing

ou

t” f

or

you

rsel

f?

It is

like

a s

po

rt,

bal

let

or

pla

y.

Ever

yth

ing

is t

ho

rou

gh

ly p

rep

ared

an

d t

her

e is

a p

lan

fo

r th

e w

ho

le

thin

g.

I th

ink

wh

at s

hal

l I d

o, h

ow

w

ill I

sin

g,

ho

w w

ill I

mo

ve?

Will

I w

alk

in p

arti

cula

r w

ay o

r w

ill I

pai

nt

in a

par

ticu

lar

way

? D

uri

ng

th

e ac

-ti

on

I am

rea

lly ju

st m

ysel

f an

d q

uit

e ca

lm,

bu

t w

hen

I ed

it t

he

vid

eo

afte

rwar

ds

I sel

ect

the

situ

atio

ns

wit

h m

ost

act

ion

. I o

rig

inal

ly d

evel

-o

ped

th

e D

ou

gh

War

rio

r as

a d

raw

-in

g.

Aft

erw

ard

s I b

aked

th

e lo

aves

o

f b

read

an

d a

ttac

hed

th

em t

o m

y b

od

y. T

hen

I st

arte

d t

o t

hin

k ab

ou

t w

hat

I w

ou

ld d

o w

eari

ng

th

e co

s-tu

me.

At

the

star

t th

e b

read

loo

ks

like

a p

rote

ctiv

e co

veri

ng

, b

ut

as

it b

eco

mes

co

vere

d in

pai

nt

it g

ets

Per

form

ativ

e ae

sth

etic

s7

7

Page 80: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

soft

an

d b

reak

s u

p,

so it

all

star

ts t

o d

evel

op

as

a sl

apst

ick

trag

ico

med

y in

Ch

arlie

Ch

aplin

sty

le.

Bu

t it

is

also

ab

ou

t a

fru

stra

ted

art

ist

wh

o is

try

ing

to

pai

nt

a m

aste

rpie

ce a

nd

h

ow

will

he

man

age

it?

It is

th

e p

ro-

cess

th

at is

imp

ort

ant.

Th

e p

rim

ary

po

int

is t

o r

efle

ct c

riti

cally

ab

ou

t th

e p

ain

tin

g g

eniu

s, w

ho

sit

s al

on

e in

his

stu

dio

an

d p

ain

ts a

nd

pai

nts

u

nti

l th

e w

ork

is c

om

ple

ted

, an

d w

e n

ever

see

ho

w it

is d

on

e. A

fter

war

ds

the

pai

nti

ng

han

gs

fore

ver

in a

n a

rt

mu

seu

m c

om

ple

tely

de

tach

ed f

rom

th

e p

roce

ss.

It is

bo

th e

nte

rtai

nin

g

and

tra

gic

mak

ing

th

ese

do

ug

h w

ar-

rio

r p

erfo

rman

ces,

an

d in

th

e en

d I

bec

om

e a

par

t o

f th

e su

rro

un

din

g

scen

ery.

I w

ant

to g

ive

the

pu

blic

th

e ch

ance

to

exp

erie

nce

th

e st

ud

io

pro

cess

, w

hic

h w

ith

th

ese

per

for-

man

ces

is a

cces

sib

le t

o t

hem

. It

is

very

bas

ic.

Ea

rlie

r yo

u m

ade

absu

rd w

ork

s o

f a

mo

re o

bje

ct-l

ike

nat

ure

su

ch

as a

co

d w

ith

lam

b’s

wo

ol c

oat

o

r a

kan

gar

oo

wit

h f

eath

ers.

Wh

at

tho

ug

hts

did

yo

u h

ave

in t

his

co

nn

ecti

on?

I l

ike

to a

sk q

ues

tio

ns

abo

ut

thin

gs

and

th

ink

thin

gs

ou

t fr

om

sc

ratc

h.

I exh

ibit

ed t

hes

e an

imal

s at

KE

(ju

ried

Art

ists

’ A

utu

mn

Ex-

hib

itio

n)

in 1

996

. A

fiv

e-ye

ar o

ld

bo

y as

ked

his

fat

her

if k

ang

aro

os

hav

e fe

ath

ers

and

th

is is

an

ob

vio

us

qu

esti

on

to

ask

sin

ce h

e h

as n

ever

se

en a

livi

ng

kan

gar

oo

–u

nle

ss h

e co

uld

rem

emb

er it

fro

m a

vis

it t

o th

e zo

o. W

hen

yo

u a

re n

ew-b

orn

, yo

u k

no

w n

oth

ing

. Th

en o

ver

tim

e yo

u le

arn

eve

ryth

ing

an

d s

top

as

kin

g q

ues

tio

ns

abo

ut

the

wo

rld

’s

ph

eno

men

a. B

ut

thin

gs

can

be

d

iffe

ren

t fr

om

wh

at y

ou

th

ink

they

ar

e an

d it

is im

po

rtan

t to

kee

p o

n

ask

ing

qu

esti

on

s th

rou

gh

ou

t yo

ur

enti

re li

fe.

Aes

the

tics

als

o p

lay

an

imp

ort

ant

role

fo

r m

e w

hen

I w

ork

.

Wh

y h

ave

you

ch

ose

n t

o u

se

do

ug

h in

so

man

y o

f yo

ur

wo

rks?

B

ecau

se d

ou

gh

–an

d b

read

–h

ave

inte

rest

ing

ref

eren

ces

to r

eli-

gio

n–

for

exam

ple

th

e sa

cram

ents

. B

ut

wh

en I

wo

rk w

ith

th

is m

ater

ial,

w

ith

its

inte

rest

ing

tex

ture

, I a

m

also

pu

shin

g s

culp

ture

in a

new

d

irec

tio

n.

Do

ug

h is

sim

ilar

to p

las-

ter,

cla

y an

d m

arb

le b

ecau

se o

f it

s w

hit

enes

s. B

ut

in c

on

tras

t to

mar

-b

le,

for

exam

ple

, it

is n

ot

a lo

ng

-la

stin

g m

ater

ial a

s it

can

on

ly k

eep

fo

r h

alf

a d

ay.

So w

hen

I m

ake

my

scu

lptu

re s

cen

ario

s I h

ave

to m

ake

vid

eos

or

take

ph

oto

gra

ph

s in

ord

er

to d

ocu

men

t th

em f

or

po

ster

ity

– Lisb

eth

Bo

nd

e is

Can

d. M

ag.

an

d a

rt j

ou

rnal

ist

for

Wee

ken

d-

avis

en.

She

has

pu

blis

hed

sev

eral

b

oo

ks a

bo

ut

con

tem

po

rary

art

.

1 Te

rry

Smit

h:

Wh

at is

co

nte

m-

po

rary

Art

? C

on

tem

po

ran

eity

an

d A

rt t

o C

om

e, in

Ko

nst

his

tori

sk

Tid

skri

ft,

vol.

71,

häf

te 1

–2,

2002

, p

. 13.

Cit

ed f

rom

So

lvei

g G

ade:

In

terv

enti

on

& K

un

st,

ven

s So

rte

B

iblio

tek,

Co

pen

hag

en,

2010

.

Inte

rvie

w w

ith

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd–

78

Page 81: Søren Dahlgaard - Seeing is Believing

Lite

ratu

re– Li

sbet

h B

on

de

and

Met

te S

and

bye

: M

anu

al t

il sa

mti

dsk

un

st (

Man

ual

fo

r C

on

tem

po

rary

Art

), G

yld

end

al,

C

op

enh

agen

, 20

06.

– Cam

illa

Jalv

ing

an

d R

un

e G

ade:

N

ybru

d—

dan

sk k

un

st i

199

0’e

rne

(Bre

akth

rou

gh

—D

anis

h a

rt in

th

e 19

90

s),

Asc

heh

ou

g,

Co

pen

hag

en,

200

6.

– An

der

s K

old

: Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd.

Th

e D

ou

gh

War

rio

r P

roje

ct!

(c

atal

og

ue,

20

09)

– See

also

: Sø

ren

Dah

lgaa

rd’s

web

-si

te,

pac

ked

wit

h in

form

atio

n.

Fo

r ex

amp

le,

text

s b

y A

nd

ers

Ko

ld

& R

ash

eed

Ara

een

’s in

terv

iew

(20

11)

wit

h S

øre

n D

ahlg

aard

ab

ou

t h

is

veg

etab

le f

arm

.

– The

Dan

ish

Art

Co

un

cil’s

b

iog

rap

hie

s o

n a

rtis

ts (

Ku

nst

- st

yrel

sen

, ku

nst

ner

bio

gra

fier

).

– The

Nat

ion

al A

rt M

use

um

’s w

eb-

site

wit

h a

pre

sen

tati

on

art

icle

in

con

nec

tio

n w

ith

th

e ex

hib

itio

n

10

0 d

raw

ing

s C

hal

len

gin

g R

ealit

y in

20

08.

Per

form

ativ

e ae

sth

etic

s79

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Seei

ng

isB

elie

vin

g

Seei

ng

is B

elie

vin

g —

Søren

Dah

lgaard