Norway‘s contribution to the 56th International Art Exhibition will be developed by the artist Camille Norment. The project titled Rapture, commisioned by the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA), will be inspired by states of harmony and dissonance—sonic, cultural and individual. The artist will explore the socio-political encoding of sound past and present as well as reflect upon dissonance as a space for the creation of new and affirmative thinking.
Rapture is a multi-sensory space structured in three parts: a site-specific sculptural and sonic installation; a set of performances by musicians and vocalists unfolding during the opening days and at specific times during the Biennale; and a series of three publications. Included, amongst other elements in the project, is a special composition by a chorus of 12 voices, and a new performance by the artist’s ensemble including the rare glass armonica. This 18th-century instrument creates music from the seductive touch of fingers on glass and water that has mesmerized the listener, as well as been feared and even banned.
Camille Norment‘s practice includes sound, installation, light sculptures, drawing, performance and video and draws upon the artist’s experience in music, dance and the arts. Her work often crosses disciplines and she is currently exploring the interconnections between sound, myth, taboo and science. Norment combines conceptual and formal inquiries around the body in response to selected socio-cultural phenomena. Her work is largely concerned with creating multisensory experiences and installations involving sound and light. Moreover it seeks to engage the viewer as a physical and psychological participant in the work, and as such, is interested in creating experiences that relate both to body and mind. While highly concerned with aesthetic experience, Norment’s practice simultaneously spans the thresholds of the social and the political. Raising questions around race and gender, the artist excavates aspects of our history that have either been forgotten or repressed.
2015 for the first time Norway will be in sole charge of the Nordic pavilion in the Giardini.
Norway Pavilion
Rapture
9 May – 22 November 2015
Pavilion at Giardini
Artist: Camille Norment
Curator: Katya García-Antón with the collaboration of Antonio Cataldo
Commissioner: The Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA)
www.oca.no
Image Credits:
Camille Norment, Triplight, 2008, Light Sculpture.
Photo: David Olivera.
Courtesy of the artist
