Alle indlæg af Charlotte Østergaard

all my relations

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The first weekend of september we were group of people from different places that gathered at the beautiful lands of Gylleboverket (Sweden) to attend “all my relations” – a transdisciplinary workshop explored the ecological potential of performance, performativity, and eco-pedagogy.

At the workshop we worked in smaller groups and shared our practice with each other. It was a weekend that felt like a treat for the soul to enter for example different mediative, drawing and listening practices.

In 2022 I attended the first version of “all my relation” and it was at that time I lost my heart to the place – as guest you you are generously welcomed by Etta and Jona (the host and the caretakers of the land).

I was deeply touched by the weekend and generosity of the people and the land – and I made this little video in gratitude to everyone (human and non-human participants). The sound is recorded early Saturday morning where almost non of the humans attending were awake – it was just the birds that accompanied me.

That Saturday morning I while I was sitting there on a small bench listening to the birds I tried to capture the shadows on my paper as well as what I saw behind my closed eyes.

Residency at BIRCA

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Together with performance artist and climate activist Linh Le and dancer Alessandra Grieco I was on a two weeks ISLAND CONNECT residency at BIRCA/Bækkelund – international residency for artists in august 2023.

ISLAND CONNECT is a collaboration between BIRCA/Bækkelund International Residency Center for Artists placed on the island of Bornholm in Denmark and Sardegna Teatro (together with the local partner FuoriMargine) placed on Sardinia in Italy. The aim of ISLAND CONNECT is to addresses interconnectivity through the ecology of environment, of social justice, of spirit and intellectual dimensions. By embracing the natural surroundings of Bornholm and Sardinia the residency want to create a vision for an ecological future that allows intersection, communication, generosity and sharing.

Photo: Susanne Danig

Over the two weeks we explored the diverse nature of Bornholm with Susanne Danig as our generous host and guide. Susanne shared some of spectacular sites and the more secret places of Bornholm … the explorations set us off on a journey exploring the Bornholmian light.

During the residency we had days with sun and star and other with fog that blurred the vision. We walked in the night to explore the darkness but was surprised of who much light we (humans) produce. We had an immersive showing with a few local artist as our guests … and much more happened that are still thoughts and ideas in-process.

I made the following videos as a tribute to the amazing nature of Bornholm that generously accepted our presents and to my dear travle companions Linh, Alex and Susanne.

A tribute to shadow landscapes

A tribute to those that live in the shadow landscapes

A tribute to the elements that knows

And on the personal note ….. I had a blast cooking dinner over a bonfire

…. and I found a new passion: trying to capture the shadows.

More to come in the future!

Knytte workshop

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Under Passage (international street theatre) festivalen afholdt jeg sammen med performance kunstner Linh Le to knytteworkshops, hvor publikum var inviteret til at deltage i at knytte et kostume. Kostumet skulle bruges til en procession gennem Helsingør i forbindelse med Linh Le’s forestilling Saa by som Borger, Saa by som Art.

Første workshop fandt sted 1. august 2023 på Vapnagaard v. Kulturhus Syd i Helsingør.

Anden workshop fandt sted 3. august 2023 i Rosenhaven ved Sct. Mariæ Kirke. Pga. regn flyttede workshoppen ind klostergårdens gange.

Alle materialer som vi bruge til at kostume fremstillingen i workshoppene var genbrug indsamlet at festivalen, Linh Le og donerede restmateriale fra bl.a. McVerdi og Our Shift.

Residency at Gylleboverket

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An intens and inspiring three day (May 2023) residency at Gylleboverket. Together with Gylleboverket and their artistic-duo Etta Säfve and Jona Elfdahl, we explored the relationships and (inter)connections between our practices, between us and nature and between different kind of materialities. Our explorations went in multiple directions and fostered multiple lingering embodied dialogues between us.

Below a variation of images from our explorations.

KVAS performance

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Legen og sam-skabelsen i og af kunsten, i og med naturen. Som i naturen, der altid er i organisk bevægelse, således er KVAS-projektet. KVAS er en processuel undersøgelse af de kvasmaterialer, som findes i naturen. KVAS er et aldrig færdiggjort og et evigt foranderligt værk. KVAS en legende sam-skabelsesproces med performance kunstner Linh Le.

Bunker flyttes og samles. Bunker skabes af kvaset i landskabet. Huler bygges af bunker. Bunker skabes af huler – i hulens kvasbunker kan vi gemme os for forbipasserende. I hulen leger vi underfundige kvasnings-lege, som får kvaset til at knitre højlydt. Under legen sanser vi, at vores kvasninger forandrer hulens bunkninger på organisk knase-sanse vis(ninger).

KVAS bunkinger og kvasninger: Linh Le og Charlotte Østergaard

KVAS var en del af udstillingen ”Hej Planter”, april 2023. Udstillingen var initieret og kurateret af Bess Kristoffersen.

KVAS is a performative process that are inspired by Donna Haraway’s concept of “making-kin”. In the book “Staying with the trouble: making kin in the Chthulucene” Haraway suggest that making-kin is creating relationship with non-human entities such as plants and animals in order to build new forms of communities and kinships that goes beyond the traditional human-to-human relationships. Making-kin involves recognizing our (humans) interconnectedness with all living things and aims at working toward more sustainable relationships with the environment. Dedicated to Bess Kristoffersen’s invitation Løvspring (the season that is renewal of planetary life) KVAS is a performative attempt to awaken our senses towards and to acknowledge our interdependency and connections with nature.

Billeder, tekster, videoer og video-redigering: Linh Le og Charlotte Østergaard

Musik i tekstiler

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Musikalsk undersøgelse i grænsefeltet mellem kostume og scenografiske tekstile kompositioner

Sammen med kvartetten NJYD var jeg på et meget inspirerende fire dages residency (april 2023) på Godsbanens Åben Scene i Århus, hvor vi undersøgte krydsfeltet mellem musik og tekstiler. På residensen undersøgelse vi af bl.a. hvilken lyd og musik der findes i samspillet mellem musikerne (med og uden deres instrumenter) og de tekstile (evigt foranderlige) rumlige (scenografiske) kompositioner.

Musical investigations in the boundary between costume and scenographic textile compositions

Together with the quartet NJYD, I was on an inspiring four-day residency (April 2023) at Godsbanen’s Open Stage in Aarhus, where we investigated the intersection between music and textiles. At the residence, we explored for example, the sounds and music(ality) that exist or emerge in the interactions between the musicians (with and without their instruments) and the textile (ever-changing) spatial (scenographic) compositions.

Kvartetten NJYD skaber kunstneriske koncertformater i et krydsfelt mellem komponeret (klassisk) musik, performance, improvisation og multimedie. Den utraditionelle instrumentation med fløjte, saxofon, guitar og slagtøj danner grundlaget for eksperimenter, der fører til helt nye lydudtryk.

NJYD består af MARIE SØNDERSKOV fløjte, ANJA NEDREMO saxofon MIKKEL EGELUND NIELSEN guitar og JONAS WEITLING slagtøj

practicing co-crafting practices

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I am (over time) in the process of developing a co-crafting practice. In different sessions with different numbers of people participating – I invite my fellow crafters to craft in a way that makes sense to them and/or as a responce to what is already crafted (that include responding to the materialities at hand). The textile pieces (that have been crafted so far) contain multiple crafting techniques and/or traces of (crafters) hands that have crafted in different ways. The co-crafting practice ‘force’ me to listen and learn from to how my fellow crafters craft and challenges me let got of control of the artistic expression/outcome.

This post shows images from a of the co-crafting few sessions. More info will follow!

Co-knotting sessions that I hosted at a residency at Inter Arts Center, Malmø (2021). The wonderful participants was Agnes Saaby Thomsen, Carlotta Broglio, Svea Thelin and Eva Hedblom, Ranin George Souliman, Jenny Wallengren Bergquist.

This video from a “textile sampling workshop” that I hosted at HJEM – kunstrum (2021). The co-crafted craftings was made Ann Vibeke Wissing Nielsen, Connie Eirod, Katja Crevar, Tanja Hylling Diers, Mads Brauer, Maria Bjerregaard and myself.

HJEM – kunstrum are initiated, curated, arranged and hosted by Tanja Hylling Diers. Video: Agnes Saaby Thomsen. Musik: Mads Brauer

The co-knotting session are sometimes situated in private homes. Here a session with Agens Saaby Thomsen and Tina Saaby (2022).

This co-crafting session is with Aune Kallinen,  Alexandra Gustafsson, Patrik Kumpulainen, Sara-Maria Pirhonen and Tobias Klemets (that included multiple sessions) was part of a collaboration with professor Aune Kallinen and the Swedish acting program at UniArts/Theatre Academy.

The craftings became part of the performance “Gertrude-material” shown at Helsinki Art Museum (2023). Below images of Tobias Klemets and  Ragni Helena Grönblom-Jolly from the rehearsal process.

Text and directing: Aune Kallinen. MA acting students Alexandra Gustafsson, Jesper Fransson, Walter Ruokolhti, Patrik Kumpulainen, Sara-Maria Pirhonen, Kristiina Karhu, Tobias Klemens and actor Ragni Helena Grönblom-Jolly. Paintings: Hamilton Membir. Sound composition: Nicolas Rehn. Movement and co-directing: Seppo Kumpulainen. 

Knotting ecosystems tutorial

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A while ago I was contacted by Linh Le from Becoming Species since she and they were interested in my knotting practice. We meet and knotted together.

I could not be happier – now the knotting practice has a life of its own. If you are interested in the development of the knotting practice please follow the tag #coknotting

I have made this video “Knotting Ecosystems” for Becoming Species as an open source tutorial. The video contains images from “knotting ecosystems” events hosted by Becoming Species and Extinction Rebellion Denmark.

You can find upcoming events on Becoming Species and Extinction Rebellion Denmark Facebook sites.

I hope you will be inspired to knot together with others and please feel free to share the video in your network.

In the video tutorial I use dummies as the ‘base’ for my knottings. But knottings in-process can be placed on tables, chairs and human bodies.

Remember my way of knotting only one of many. I invite you to develop your technique. Knotting can be done in multiple ways – the only limit is the imagination.