Some Steel & Ironscapes, 2018
Selected Works 2015–2017
24x36" poster.
Selected Works 2015–2017
24x36" poster.
Some Steel & Ironscapes, 2018
Selected Works 2015–2017
24x36" poster.
Selected Works 2015–2017
24x36" poster.
paced.us
Website game, 2019
Website game, 2019
paced.us
Website game, 2019
Website game, 2019
Exergy, 2016
Future Work Times? Freedom / Division / Pleasure / Dance.
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, steel, iron, wood, rust spray, miniature globe, paint, wood, heat lamp. Platform, Stockholm
Future Work Times? Freedom / Division / Pleasure / Dance.
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, steel, iron, wood, rust spray, miniature globe, paint, wood, heat lamp. Platform, Stockholm
Exergy, 2016
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, steel, iron, wood, rust spray, miniature globe, paint, wood, heat lamp. Platform, Stockholm
"Break tension in the inner leg and pelvic region. Evoke flow of energy."
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, steel, iron, wood, rust spray, miniature globe, paint, wood, heat lamp. Platform, Stockholm
"Break tension in the inner leg and pelvic region. Evoke flow of energy."
Exergy, 2016
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, steel, iron, wood, rust spray, miniature globe, paint, wood, heat lamp. Platform, Stockholm
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, steel, iron, wood, rust spray, miniature globe, paint, wood, heat lamp. Platform, Stockholm
![Exergy, 2016<br />
<br />
"The coincidence of the changing of circumstances and of human activity or self-changing can be conceived and rationally understood only as revolutionary practice. […] All social life is essentially practical. All mysteries which lead theory to mysticism find their rational solution in human practice and in the comprehension of this practice." Karl Marx](https://annasagstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/4-800x537.jpg)
Exergy, 2016
"The coincidence of the changing of circumstances and of human activity or self-changing can be conceived and rationally understood only as revolutionary practice. […] All social life is essentially practical. All mysteries which lead theory to mysticism find their rational solution in human practice and in the comprehension of this practice." Karl Marx
"The coincidence of the changing of circumstances and of human activity or self-changing can be conceived and rationally understood only as revolutionary practice. […] All social life is essentially practical. All mysteries which lead theory to mysticism find their rational solution in human practice and in the comprehension of this practice." Karl Marx
Works And Days, 2018
Calendar for Country Music constructed around thoughts on measured units of time, work and structural organization. The traditional calendar grid is broken up to consider a more subjective organization of time and days. The title, Works And Days, is taken from Hesiod’s Farmers Almanac from 700 BCE with the same name.
Calendar for Country Music constructed around thoughts on measured units of time, work and structural organization. The traditional calendar grid is broken up to consider a more subjective organization of time and days. The title, Works And Days, is taken from Hesiod’s Farmers Almanac from 700 BCE with the same name.
Works And Days, 2018
"Mark the days which come from Zeus, duly telling your mens of them, and that the thirtieth day of the month is best for one to look over the work and to deal out supplies. For these are days which come from Zeus the all-wise, when men discern aright." Hesoid
"Mark the days which come from Zeus, duly telling your mens of them, and that the thirtieth day of the month is best for one to look over the work and to deal out supplies. For these are days which come from Zeus the all-wise, when men discern aright." Hesoid
Pig iron (life as futile, then, as frail), 2016
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, stainless steel, NdFeB magnet.
For Bodyholes, 9th Berlin Biennale
Ferrofluid, iron oxide, stainless steel, NdFeB magnet.
For Bodyholes, 9th Berlin Biennale
A Theory for the Strange-Girl: Raw Red Text, Manuscript for Swimmers, 2018
A waterproof edition of Jennifer Boyd's essay "A Theory for the Strange-Girl: Raw Red Text", staged and performed by P.O.S.S.E in Vårberg public pool.
A4 pvc paper, metal clasp.
A waterproof edition of Jennifer Boyd's essay "A Theory for the Strange-Girl: Raw Red Text", staged and performed by P.O.S.S.E in Vårberg public pool.
A4 pvc paper, metal clasp.
A Theory for the Strange-Girl: Raw Red Text, Manuscript for Swimmers, 2018
"The question is: how to destroy a reality? Destroy is a verb with an objective, meaning to put an end to the existence of something by damaging or attacking it: The room had been destroyed by fire. To ruin someone; to defeat someone utterly."
"The question is: how to destroy a reality? Destroy is a verb with an objective, meaning to put an end to the existence of something by damaging or attacking it: The room had been destroyed by fire. To ruin someone; to defeat someone utterly."
A Theory for the Strange-Girl: Raw Red Text, Manuscript for Swimmers, 2018
"The vital mode of the Strange-Girl is a force for action, which may now take form within your body."
"The vital mode of the Strange-Girl is a force for action, which may now take form within your body."
Flyers for Country Music, 2018. Photographs by Ari King.
Bring your tiny wheel-barrows, hammers and lanterns and join in the transformation of work into wealth, of onset into action, of dark compactness into brilliant speeding movement.
Bring your tiny wheel-barrows, hammers and lanterns and join in the transformation of work into wealth, of onset into action, of dark compactness into brilliant speeding movement.
Flyers for Country Music, 2018.
Photographs by Ari King.
Pocket your tools, squeeze the sickles in your hand, fingers on metal and the hand held gripper.
Photographs by Ari King.
Pocket your tools, squeeze the sickles in your hand, fingers on metal and the hand held gripper.
Digital record cover for Country Music, 2019
Background image by Betty Wang
Background image by Betty Wang
Pvc globe for Country Music, 2017.
Installation view, Norbergfestival
Installation view, Norbergfestival
Pvc globe for Country Music, 2017. Logo Design by Per Törnberg
Digital record covers for Country Music, 2018
Static or spinning record covers, interactive custom media player and time ticker (developed by Julia Novitch). Focus is put on a tension between texture and the digital, time, rotation and tempo with inspiration from observing and working with saw blades in workshops and practically learning to use their graphics and shapes indicating directions and field of use. Made with Wei Huang.
Static or spinning record covers, interactive custom media player and time ticker (developed by Julia Novitch). Focus is put on a tension between texture and the digital, time, rotation and tempo with inspiration from observing and working with saw blades in workshops and practically learning to use their graphics and shapes indicating directions and field of use. Made with Wei Huang.
Farm Sensorium
Wheat Sheaves, metal stands, spray paint. Galleri Bon, Stockholm
Wheat Sheaves, metal stands, spray paint. Galleri Bon, Stockholm
Farm Sensorium
* For Winter Birds 1
* For Winter Birds 2
* For Winter Birds 3
Wheat Sheaves, metal stands, spray paint.
* For Winter Birds 1
* For Winter Birds 2
* For Winter Birds 3
Wheat Sheaves, metal stands, spray paint.
Farm Sensorium
Wheat Sheaves, metal stands, spray paint.
*Enligt tradition sätts det i vissa nordliga regioner ut en så kallad julkärve, vilket är en fågelmatning för småfåglar i juletid.
Wheat Sheaves, metal stands, spray paint.
*Enligt tradition sätts det i vissa nordliga regioner ut en så kallad julkärve, vilket är en fågelmatning för småfåglar i juletid.
Farm Sensorium
Stickers, wall paint. Design by Per Törnberg
Stickers, wall paint. Design by Per Törnberg
Iron Brew (ADHD)
Sheet metal, C-Print. 65x85 cm. Illustration by Per Törnberg
* Sunset Yellow FC and Ponceau 4R may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
Sheet metal, C-Print. 65x85 cm. Illustration by Per Törnberg
* Sunset Yellow FC and Ponceau 4R may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
Iron Brew (env iron mental)
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU.
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU.
Iron Brew (trigonometry)
A Blast Furnace, 2017
Artist’s book documenting and reproducing my solo exhibition ‘A Blast Furnace’ in a public arcade in central Prague in 2017. The book reflect the multi-medium, panoramic structure of the exhibition and reconstructs the main panorama through interlaced loose sheets of paper, mixing the original view with a system of new unexpected material meetings. The materials chosen mimic and translate the materials in the exhibition and its emphasis on layering and smelting into two-dimensional form. Made with Wei Huang.
Artist’s book documenting and reproducing my solo exhibition ‘A Blast Furnace’ in a public arcade in central Prague in 2017. The book reflect the multi-medium, panoramic structure of the exhibition and reconstructs the main panorama through interlaced loose sheets of paper, mixing the original view with a system of new unexpected material meetings. The materials chosen mimic and translate the materials in the exhibition and its emphasis on layering and smelting into two-dimensional form. Made with Wei Huang.
A Blast Furnace, 2017
Artist’s book documenting and reproducing my solo exhibition ‘A Blast Furnace’ in a public arcade in central Prague in 2017. The book reflect the multi-medium, panoramic structure of the exhibition and reconstructs the main panorama through interlaced loose sheets of paper, mixing the original view with a system of new unexpected material meetings. The materials chosen mimic and translate the materials in the exhibition and its emphasis on layering and smelting into two-dimensional form. Made with Wei Huang.
Artist’s book documenting and reproducing my solo exhibition ‘A Blast Furnace’ in a public arcade in central Prague in 2017. The book reflect the multi-medium, panoramic structure of the exhibition and reconstructs the main panorama through interlaced loose sheets of paper, mixing the original view with a system of new unexpected material meetings. The materials chosen mimic and translate the materials in the exhibition and its emphasis on layering and smelting into two-dimensional form. Made with Wei Huang.
A Blast Furnace, 2017
Detail view. Poured tin, iron oxide, wood, metal.
There is iron in my blood. There is iron in my blood, and yours, and at the center of the earth. It surges through my veins. Iron at the earth’s core is as hot as the surface of the sun. I harness this heat and when we touch you disintegrate.
Detail view. Poured tin, iron oxide, wood, metal.
There is iron in my blood. There is iron in my blood, and yours, and at the center of the earth. It surges through my veins. Iron at the earth’s core is as hot as the surface of the sun. I harness this heat and when we touch you disintegrate.
A Blast Furnace, 2017
Detail view. Stainless steel, iron, ferrofluid, foam.
Galerie Ferdinanda Baumanna, Prague.
Detail view. Stainless steel, iron, ferrofluid, foam.
Galerie Ferdinanda Baumanna, Prague.
Stahlhartes Gehäuse
Digital print, hardware, iron filings, magnets, magnetic paint, cut 'cold' flowers. Room E-10 27, Paris
Digital print, hardware, iron filings, magnets, magnetic paint, cut 'cold' flowers. Room E-10 27, Paris
Stahlhartes Gehäuse
“Rational calculation . . . reduces every worker to a cog in this bureaucratic machine and, seeing himself in this light, he will merely ask how to transform himself… to a bigger cog… The passion for bureaucratization at this meeting drives us to despair.” Max Weber
“Rational calculation . . . reduces every worker to a cog in this bureaucratic machine and, seeing himself in this light, he will merely ask how to transform himself… to a bigger cog… The passion for bureaucratization at this meeting drives us to despair.” Max Weber
Doxic Orea. 2015
Concrete staircase from Forssellstrappan, marble terrazzo, printed aluminum, hand etched iron plate, spray paint. For Norbergfestival. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
Concrete staircase from Forssellstrappan, marble terrazzo, printed aluminum, hand etched iron plate, spray paint. For Norbergfestival. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
Doxic Orea. 2015
Concrete staircase from Forssellstrappan, marble terrazzo, printed aluminum, hand etched iron plate, spray paint. For Norbergfestival. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
Concrete staircase from Forssellstrappan, marble terrazzo, printed aluminum, hand etched iron plate, spray paint. For Norbergfestival. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
The earliest signs of iron making dates back to 400 BC while industrial scale activities dates back to the 17th century. Most mines are now closed. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
The blast furnace plant at Lapphyttan, probably originates from 11 - 1200's (currently under reconstruction elsewhere), shows the beginning of the mining community that grew up in Bergslagen. In the Middle Ages, Norberg was a marketplace where mountain men in the surrounding districts gathered.
In the 1970s, raw molten iron was transported by rail from the blast furnaces at Spännarhyttan to the steelworks at Surahammar. Spännarhyttans blast furnace was shut down for good in 1981. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
In the 1970s, raw molten iron was transported by rail from the blast furnaces at Spännarhyttan to the steelworks at Surahammar. Spännarhyttans blast furnace was shut down for good in 1981. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
Doxic Orea. 2015
Concrete staircase from Forssellstrappan, marble terrazzo, printed aluminum, hand etched iron plate, spray paint. For Norbergfestival. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
Concrete staircase from Forssellstrappan, marble terrazzo, printed aluminum, hand etched iron plate, spray paint. For Norbergfestival. Printed design by Per Törnberg.
Duo-Exhibition with Nisse Bergman. Photo by Nisse Bergman
Exergy, 2016
Printed aluminium, iron rods, wood, paint, floor stickers. Photo from Fagersta Steelworks, graphics made by Aron Kullander-Östling. Platform, Stockholm
Printed aluminium, iron rods, wood, paint, floor stickers. Photo from Fagersta Steelworks, graphics made by Aron Kullander-Östling. Platform, Stockholm
Exergy, 2016
Printed aluminium, iron rods, wood, paint, floor stickers. Photo from Fagersta Steelworks, graphics made by Aron Kullander-Östling. Platform, Stockholm
Printed aluminium, iron rods, wood, paint, floor stickers. Photo from Fagersta Steelworks, graphics made by Aron Kullander-Östling. Platform, Stockholm
Hard Weather, duo show with Carson Fisk-Vittori
Et. Al, San Francisco
Et. Al, San Francisco
Hard Weather, duo show with Carson Fisk-Vittori
Et. Al, San Francisco
Et. Al, San Francisco
Global Roundup. 2015
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Global Roundup. 2015
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Global Roundup. 2015
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Global Roundup. 2015
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Roundup® (glyphosat, herbizid), Morgenstern Carex, rubber, plastic corn fork, kork, glass globe, metal sticker.
Part of DEEP SKIN at Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNOlab) http://deepsk.in/
Above the World (my N, my NNE, my NE, my E, my SE, my SSE, my S, my SSW, my SW, my W, my NW, my NNW), 2016
Acrylic glass, stainless steel, steel, rubber spray, brass, Nd2Fe14B magnet, iron, iron filings, ferrofluid.
50x50 cm. 315 Gallery, Brooklyn
Acrylic glass, stainless steel, steel, rubber spray, brass, Nd2Fe14B magnet, iron, iron filings, ferrofluid.
50x50 cm. 315 Gallery, Brooklyn
Above the World (my N, my NNE, my NE, my E, my SE, my SSE, my S, my SSW, my SW, my W, my NW, my NNW), 2016
Acrylic glass, stainless steel, steel, rubber spray, brass, Nd2Fe14B magnet, iron, iron filings, ferrofluid.
50x50 cm. 315 Gallery, Brooklyn
Acrylic glass, stainless steel, steel, rubber spray, brass, Nd2Fe14B magnet, iron, iron filings, ferrofluid.
50x50 cm. 315 Gallery, Brooklyn
Above the World (my N, my NNE, my NE, my E, my SE, my SSE, my S, my SSW, my SW, my W, my NW, my NNW), 2016
Acrylic glass, stainless steel, steel, rubber spray, brass, Nd2Fe14B magnet, iron, iron filings, ferrofluid.
50x50 cm. 315 Gallery, Brooklyn
Acrylic glass, stainless steel, steel, rubber spray, brass, Nd2Fe14B magnet, iron, iron filings, ferrofluid.
50x50 cm. 315 Gallery, Brooklyn
Above the World (my N, my NNE, my NE, my E, my SE, my SSE, my S, my SSW, my SW, my W, my NW, my NNW)
(You gave me a ring of glass) And it broke and love ended. 2016
Acrylic glass, painted frame.
40 x 40 cm
Acrylic glass, painted frame.
40 x 40 cm
New Emotions be Warned. 2015
New Emotions be Warned. 2015
Wood, paint, iron oxide, Falu red paint, lamb hide, synthetic fur, Mora knife, ceramic tiles, carpet.
Galerie Artists Unlimited, Bielefeld
Wood, paint, iron oxide, Falu red paint, lamb hide, synthetic fur, Mora knife, ceramic tiles, carpet.
Galerie Artists Unlimited, Bielefeld
New Emotions be Warned. 2015
New Emotions be Warned. 2015
Alone Like an Animal, and Yet Think, 2014
Tar, synthetic fur, wire, hardware, wood, marching drum.
Tar, synthetic fur, wire, hardware, wood, marching drum.
Alone Like an Animal, and Yet Think, 2014
Tar, synthetic fur, wire, hardware, wood, marching drum.
Tar, synthetic fur, wire, hardware, wood, marching drum.
Alone Like an Animal, and Yet Think, 2014
Tar, synthetic fur, wire, hardware, wood, marching drum.
Tar, synthetic fur, wire, hardware, wood, marching drum.
The long period of his innocent life summarized in two fundamental aspects intersecting two significant epochs within a period of about one hundred and thirty years, 2015
Ink-jet prints (photographs of gravestone from Niederdollendorf, late seventh century) pavement sign, text.
Roman order collapsed,
(What destroyed the world’s greatest civilization? A peek into / Chapter Eighteen / Character of Constantine–Gothic War–Death of Constantine¬–Division of the Empire among his three sons¬–Persian War–Tragic Deaths of Constantine the Younger and Constans¬–Usurpation of Magnetius–Civil War–Victory of Constantius / many more chapters written),
and with it the apparatus of organized Christianity. This is not to say that the faith itself entirely disappeared. It withdrew into little enclaves here and there; where best it could survive under the protections of town walls or powerful men. We know little of its fortunes, for the written source gives out almost as completely as they do in fifth-century Britain: a silence that is itself eloquent. There are gaps in the episcopal lists. At Cologne for example, no bishop is known between Severinus in about 400 and Carentius, attested in 566 (!!!!). We catch glimpses of Christianity in the occasional Rhineland tombstones. Sometimes we can spot the new arrivals embracing the faith of Rome. But frequently the signals are ambiguous.
Consider the Frankish nobleman buried at Morken, between Aachen and Cologne. Was he a pagan or a Christian? There is no conclusive evidence either way. What of the warrior commemorated in the famously enigmatic stone at Niederdollendorf near Königswinter, a bit further up the Rhine, at some point in the seventh century? What did he believe in? It may be that these are the wrong sorts of questions. Well, less appropriate than some others. The antithesis pagan/Christian may be too neat and simple.
Reality tends to be fuzzy.
(Fuzziness is an essential and important part of the process of barbarian conversion.)
At this time the idea came to him that he ought to go to the territory of the pagan Slavs and preach the word of the gospel to their blinded minds. And when he was thinking about this the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision and drew a circle in a small space, as it were on the page of a book, showing him the whole world. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘ and see how much of the world remains untouched. Choose to go where your labours will bear fruit.’ And Columbanus understood that the Slavs were not yet ready for the faith, so he remained quietly where he was until an opportunity to go to Italy appeared. Oh well then.
For the moment let us simply observe that grave-gods are at best ambiguous witness to belief. (Gregory of Tours, however, as we know, is not. Smiley.)
Gravestone, found in Niederdollendorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Late seventh century. Limestone. Dim.: 42,5 x 22, 5-25,5 x 16,5-19,5 cm.
(turn)
The male figure is shown standing on a braid pattern, holding a speak – a royal lance perhaps – in his right hand, his head surrounded by a glow, and wedge sharped lines radiating from the body. The radiance lines seem to emanate from a circle carves into the figure’s chest. A chevron pattern completes the composition beneath the braid. It is probable that the figure is a Christ effigy. The obverse of the stone in carved in relief. A partly notched frame contains the representation of a warrior, perhaps of the deceased. His right hand is raised to his head and holds a clearly identifiable bone comb. Why an insignificant gesture such a combing one’s hair should be represented on a funerary moment is a puzzle, unless for this deceased warrior it was the hair to which attention was to be drawn. It will be recalled that long hair was the distinguishing attribute for the Merovinian kings, a signal of their select status and sacred link to their ancestral gods.
Of course, hair has a long tradition as an indicator of strength and vitality. (Smiley.)
The left hand rests on the one edged sword, clearly recognizable by its characteristic sheath, which the figure wears across its middle. A two-headed, protective death-snake with gaping jaws frames the head. Part of another peeks out from beneath the sword hilt. A pilgrim’s bottle of an eastern type is places at his right foot.
>>>> This individual may have died a Christian.
Or wait,
although both pictures contain elements that, in all likelihood, refer to pre-Christian ideas, the latter is generally understood to represent Christ, whereas the man on the front is believed to represent the deceased himself. Damn!
Fulget Crucis Mysterium,
the mystery of the cross does gleam,
where the creator of flesh,
in the flesh,
by the cross-bar is hung,
Vexilla Regis
No gifts were found in his grave. Evidently as means of self-representation these gravestones stress the social awareness of the deceased and reflect the transitional coexistence of pagan and Christian motifs, though they do not permit the undisputed conclusion that all the deceased were indeed Christians.
(twist)
Ink-jet prints (photographs of gravestone from Niederdollendorf, late seventh century) pavement sign, text.
Roman order collapsed,
(What destroyed the world’s greatest civilization? A peek into / Chapter Eighteen / Character of Constantine–Gothic War–Death of Constantine¬–Division of the Empire among his three sons¬–Persian War–Tragic Deaths of Constantine the Younger and Constans¬–Usurpation of Magnetius–Civil War–Victory of Constantius / many more chapters written),
and with it the apparatus of organized Christianity. This is not to say that the faith itself entirely disappeared. It withdrew into little enclaves here and there; where best it could survive under the protections of town walls or powerful men. We know little of its fortunes, for the written source gives out almost as completely as they do in fifth-century Britain: a silence that is itself eloquent. There are gaps in the episcopal lists. At Cologne for example, no bishop is known between Severinus in about 400 and Carentius, attested in 566 (!!!!). We catch glimpses of Christianity in the occasional Rhineland tombstones. Sometimes we can spot the new arrivals embracing the faith of Rome. But frequently the signals are ambiguous.
Consider the Frankish nobleman buried at Morken, between Aachen and Cologne. Was he a pagan or a Christian? There is no conclusive evidence either way. What of the warrior commemorated in the famously enigmatic stone at Niederdollendorf near Königswinter, a bit further up the Rhine, at some point in the seventh century? What did he believe in? It may be that these are the wrong sorts of questions. Well, less appropriate than some others. The antithesis pagan/Christian may be too neat and simple.
Reality tends to be fuzzy.
(Fuzziness is an essential and important part of the process of barbarian conversion.)
At this time the idea came to him that he ought to go to the territory of the pagan Slavs and preach the word of the gospel to their blinded minds. And when he was thinking about this the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision and drew a circle in a small space, as it were on the page of a book, showing him the whole world. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘ and see how much of the world remains untouched. Choose to go where your labours will bear fruit.’ And Columbanus understood that the Slavs were not yet ready for the faith, so he remained quietly where he was until an opportunity to go to Italy appeared. Oh well then.
For the moment let us simply observe that grave-gods are at best ambiguous witness to belief. (Gregory of Tours, however, as we know, is not. Smiley.)
Gravestone, found in Niederdollendorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Late seventh century. Limestone. Dim.: 42,5 x 22, 5-25,5 x 16,5-19,5 cm.
(turn)
The male figure is shown standing on a braid pattern, holding a speak – a royal lance perhaps – in his right hand, his head surrounded by a glow, and wedge sharped lines radiating from the body. The radiance lines seem to emanate from a circle carves into the figure’s chest. A chevron pattern completes the composition beneath the braid. It is probable that the figure is a Christ effigy. The obverse of the stone in carved in relief. A partly notched frame contains the representation of a warrior, perhaps of the deceased. His right hand is raised to his head and holds a clearly identifiable bone comb. Why an insignificant gesture such a combing one’s hair should be represented on a funerary moment is a puzzle, unless for this deceased warrior it was the hair to which attention was to be drawn. It will be recalled that long hair was the distinguishing attribute for the Merovinian kings, a signal of their select status and sacred link to their ancestral gods.
Of course, hair has a long tradition as an indicator of strength and vitality. (Smiley.)
The left hand rests on the one edged sword, clearly recognizable by its characteristic sheath, which the figure wears across its middle. A two-headed, protective death-snake with gaping jaws frames the head. Part of another peeks out from beneath the sword hilt. A pilgrim’s bottle of an eastern type is places at his right foot.
>>>> This individual may have died a Christian.
Or wait,
although both pictures contain elements that, in all likelihood, refer to pre-Christian ideas, the latter is generally understood to represent Christ, whereas the man on the front is believed to represent the deceased himself. Damn!
Fulget Crucis Mysterium,
the mystery of the cross does gleam,
where the creator of flesh,
in the flesh,
by the cross-bar is hung,
Vexilla Regis
No gifts were found in his grave. Evidently as means of self-representation these gravestones stress the social awareness of the deceased and reflect the transitional coexistence of pagan and Christian motifs, though they do not permit the undisputed conclusion that all the deceased were indeed Christians.
(twist)
The long period of his innocent life summarized in two fundamental aspects intersecting two significant epochs within a period of about one hundred and thirty years, 2015
Ink-jet prints (photographs of gravestone from Niederdollendorf, late seventh century) pavement sign, text.
Roman order collapsed,
(What destroyed the world’s greatest civilization? A peek into / Chapter Eighteen / Character of Constantine–Gothic War–Death of Constantine¬–Division of the Empire among his three sons¬–Persian War–Tragic Deaths of Constantine the Younger and Constans¬–Usurpation of Magnetius–Civil War–Victory of Constantius / many more chapters written),
and with it the apparatus of organized Christianity. This is not to say that the faith itself entirely disappeared. It withdrew into little enclaves here and there; where best it could survive under the protections of town walls or powerful men. We know little of its fortunes, for the written source gives out almost as completely as they do in fifth-century Britain: a silence that is itself eloquent. There are gaps in the episcopal lists. At Cologne for example, no bishop is known between Severinus in about 400 and Carentius, attested in 566 (!!!!). We catch glimpses of Christianity in the occasional Rhineland tombstones. Sometimes we can spot the new arrivals embracing the faith of Rome. But frequently the signals are ambiguous.
Consider the Frankish nobleman buried at Morken, between Aachen and Cologne. Was he a pagan or a Christian? There is no conclusive evidence either way. What of the warrior commemorated in the famously enigmatic stone at Niederdollendorf near Königswinter, a bit further up the Rhine, at some point in the seventh century? What did he believe in? It may be that these are the wrong sorts of questions. Well, less appropriate than some others. The antithesis pagan/Christian may be too neat and simple.
Reality tends to be fuzzy.
(Fuzziness is an essential and important part of the process of barbarian conversion.)
At this time the idea came to him that he ought to go to the territory of the pagan Slavs and preach the word of the gospel to their blinded minds. And when he was thinking about this the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision and drew a circle in a small space, as it were on the page of a book, showing him the whole world. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘ and see how much of the world remains untouched. Choose to go where your labours will bear fruit.’ And Columbanus understood that the Slavs were not yet ready for the faith, so he remained quietly where he was until an opportunity to go to Italy appeared. Oh well then.
For the moment let us simply observe that grave-gods are at best ambiguous witness to belief. (Gregory of Tours, however, as we know, is not. Smiley.)
Gravestone, found in Niederdollendorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Late seventh century. Limestone. Dim.: 42,5 x 22, 5-25,5 x 16,5-19,5 cm.
(turn)
The male figure is shown standing on a braid pattern, holding a speak – a royal lance perhaps – in his right hand, his head surrounded by a glow, and wedge sharped lines radiating from the body. The radiance lines seem to emanate from a circle carves into the figure’s chest. A chevron pattern completes the composition beneath the braid. It is probable that the figure is a Christ effigy. The obverse of the stone in carved in relief. A partly notched frame contains the representation of a warrior, perhaps of the deceased. His right hand is raised to his head and holds a clearly identifiable bone comb. Why an insignificant gesture such a combing one’s hair should be represented on a funerary moment is a puzzle, unless for this deceased warrior it was the hair to which attention was to be drawn. It will be recalled that long hair was the distinguishing attribute for the Merovinian kings, a signal of their select status and sacred link to their ancestral gods.
Of course, hair has a long tradition as an indicator of strength and vitality. (Smiley.)
The left hand rests on the one edged sword, clearly recognizable by its characteristic sheath, which the figure wears across its middle. A two-headed, protective death-snake with gaping jaws frames the head. Part of another peeks out from beneath the sword hilt. A pilgrim’s bottle of an eastern type is places at his right foot.
>>>> This individual may have died a Christian.
Or wait,
although both pictures contain elements that, in all likelihood, refer to pre-Christian ideas, the latter is generally understood to represent Christ, whereas the man on the front is believed to represent the deceased himself. Damn!
Fulget Crucis Mysterium,
the mystery of the cross does gleam,
where the creator of flesh,
in the flesh,
by the cross-bar is hung,
Vexilla Regis
No gifts were found in his grave. Evidently as means of self-representation these gravestones stress the social awareness of the deceased and reflect the transitional coexistence of pagan and Christian motifs, though they do not permit the undisputed conclusion that all the deceased were indeed Christians.
(twist)
Ink-jet prints (photographs of gravestone from Niederdollendorf, late seventh century) pavement sign, text.
Roman order collapsed,
(What destroyed the world’s greatest civilization? A peek into / Chapter Eighteen / Character of Constantine–Gothic War–Death of Constantine¬–Division of the Empire among his three sons¬–Persian War–Tragic Deaths of Constantine the Younger and Constans¬–Usurpation of Magnetius–Civil War–Victory of Constantius / many more chapters written),
and with it the apparatus of organized Christianity. This is not to say that the faith itself entirely disappeared. It withdrew into little enclaves here and there; where best it could survive under the protections of town walls or powerful men. We know little of its fortunes, for the written source gives out almost as completely as they do in fifth-century Britain: a silence that is itself eloquent. There are gaps in the episcopal lists. At Cologne for example, no bishop is known between Severinus in about 400 and Carentius, attested in 566 (!!!!). We catch glimpses of Christianity in the occasional Rhineland tombstones. Sometimes we can spot the new arrivals embracing the faith of Rome. But frequently the signals are ambiguous.
Consider the Frankish nobleman buried at Morken, between Aachen and Cologne. Was he a pagan or a Christian? There is no conclusive evidence either way. What of the warrior commemorated in the famously enigmatic stone at Niederdollendorf near Königswinter, a bit further up the Rhine, at some point in the seventh century? What did he believe in? It may be that these are the wrong sorts of questions. Well, less appropriate than some others. The antithesis pagan/Christian may be too neat and simple.
Reality tends to be fuzzy.
(Fuzziness is an essential and important part of the process of barbarian conversion.)
At this time the idea came to him that he ought to go to the territory of the pagan Slavs and preach the word of the gospel to their blinded minds. And when he was thinking about this the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision and drew a circle in a small space, as it were on the page of a book, showing him the whole world. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘ and see how much of the world remains untouched. Choose to go where your labours will bear fruit.’ And Columbanus understood that the Slavs were not yet ready for the faith, so he remained quietly where he was until an opportunity to go to Italy appeared. Oh well then.
For the moment let us simply observe that grave-gods are at best ambiguous witness to belief. (Gregory of Tours, however, as we know, is not. Smiley.)
Gravestone, found in Niederdollendorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Late seventh century. Limestone. Dim.: 42,5 x 22, 5-25,5 x 16,5-19,5 cm.
(turn)
The male figure is shown standing on a braid pattern, holding a speak – a royal lance perhaps – in his right hand, his head surrounded by a glow, and wedge sharped lines radiating from the body. The radiance lines seem to emanate from a circle carves into the figure’s chest. A chevron pattern completes the composition beneath the braid. It is probable that the figure is a Christ effigy. The obverse of the stone in carved in relief. A partly notched frame contains the representation of a warrior, perhaps of the deceased. His right hand is raised to his head and holds a clearly identifiable bone comb. Why an insignificant gesture such a combing one’s hair should be represented on a funerary moment is a puzzle, unless for this deceased warrior it was the hair to which attention was to be drawn. It will be recalled that long hair was the distinguishing attribute for the Merovinian kings, a signal of their select status and sacred link to their ancestral gods.
Of course, hair has a long tradition as an indicator of strength and vitality. (Smiley.)
The left hand rests on the one edged sword, clearly recognizable by its characteristic sheath, which the figure wears across its middle. A two-headed, protective death-snake with gaping jaws frames the head. Part of another peeks out from beneath the sword hilt. A pilgrim’s bottle of an eastern type is places at his right foot.
>>>> This individual may have died a Christian.
Or wait,
although both pictures contain elements that, in all likelihood, refer to pre-Christian ideas, the latter is generally understood to represent Christ, whereas the man on the front is believed to represent the deceased himself. Damn!
Fulget Crucis Mysterium,
the mystery of the cross does gleam,
where the creator of flesh,
in the flesh,
by the cross-bar is hung,
Vexilla Regis
No gifts were found in his grave. Evidently as means of self-representation these gravestones stress the social awareness of the deceased and reflect the transitional coexistence of pagan and Christian motifs, though they do not permit the undisputed conclusion that all the deceased were indeed Christians.
(twist)
Through Wild Country, 2015
Quartz clock, asparagus fern, wheat straw, spray paint. For 0dx, at Ashley Berlin.
Quartz clock, asparagus fern, wheat straw, spray paint. For 0dx, at Ashley Berlin.
Through Wild Country, 2015
Fish figurine, steel bucket, almond milk, liquid rubber. For 0dx, at Ashley Berlin.
Fish figurine, steel bucket, almond milk, liquid rubber. For 0dx, at Ashley Berlin.
7 Pillars of Wisdom, 8 Pillars of Trust, 2016
Tiles, wood, glass, liquid rubber, stickers, Austrian flag. Garret Grimoire, Vienna, Austria.
Tiles, wood, glass, liquid rubber, stickers, Austrian flag. Garret Grimoire, Vienna, Austria.
Iron Comfort, 2015
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU, synthetic fur.
Performed as part of IMMUNITY (chorus) at V4ULT, Berlin
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU, synthetic fur.
Performed as part of IMMUNITY (chorus) at V4ULT, Berlin
Iron Comfort, 2015
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU, synthetic fur.
Performed as part of IMMUNITY (chorus) at V4ULT, Berlin
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU, synthetic fur.
Performed as part of IMMUNITY (chorus) at V4ULT, Berlin
Iron Comfort, 2015
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU, synthetic fur. 2015
Performed as part of IMMUNITY (chorus) at V4ULT, Berlin
Wood, Sunset Yellow FCF paint, Ponceau 4R paint, iron oxide, iron, stainless steel, aluminium can, IRN BRU, synthetic fur. 2015
Performed as part of IMMUNITY (chorus) at V4ULT, Berlin