Carmen Olsson dancing in 100 MIGRATORY

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When I finally fully experienced the danceperformance by Carmen Olsson amongst the glass- with music by Anders Rimpi – I got tears in my eyes. So strong at the same time so fragile…To be able to do this choreography and dance in response to 100 MIGRATORY in such a fantastic way makes me believe Carmen must be one of the absolute top choreographers and buto dancers in the world.

Read the Review as a pdf Fragile dance in dialogue with art (in Swedish).

If you haven’t seen this performance you should take the oppertunity. There are performances from the 1st of March until the 9th of March 2014 at the Museum of Västerbotten in the exhibition 100 MIGATORY. Book your ticket at Biljettcentrum.

Victoria & Daniel and 100 MIGRATORY

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When I started to make the 100 vessels of glass almost 6 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into…

Today I got some more images of the Royals visiting 100 MIGRATORY. Many thanks to photographer Petter Englund, the Museum of Västerbotten Umeå.

Check this film out – Daelvie/Winter

Photo: Monica L Edmondson

I’m honoured to be part of this beautiful first film about 8 Sami artists / seasons, together with Carmen Olsson and Magnus Andersson. Thanks to Oskar Östergren!

Link to film here (scroll down in text on that page) and it is subtitled in English.

Royal visit @ exhibition 100 MIGRATORY

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On Friday the 31st of January I had the pleasure to talk the the Swedish Crownprincess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel. I explained the thoughts behind the glass, the vessel and my art work 100 MIGRATORY at the same time media from Sweden and all over the world were there to get some pics of the Royals. The plane from Stockholm was delayed and in the meantime I had to take some photos myself of the media waiting. All other photos by Gunilla Nordlund, Sveriges Radio. Thank you Gunilla!

And if you wonder: Victoria has an injury from the end of last year skiing in the Alps.

Book 100 MIGRATORY

The book about 100 MIGRATORY is now out on the market. Can be ordered at dat@dat.net
Cost NOK 250 or SEK 290 (around USD 45) plus freight. Book is 158 pages written in English and Lule Sami and some texts in Swedish.
Images from the 100 vessels in Ulldevis Sàbme Sweden by Carl-Johan Utsi and Mikael Rutberg as well as images from the vessels journeys around the World. The texts give an insight into the conceptual thoughts behind the extensive artwork 100 MIGRATORY.
ISBN 978 82 90625 73 8.

Postcards 100 MIGRATORY

Postcards for sale with short texts from the book 100 MIGRATORY in English and Lule Sami language and images by Carl-Johan Utsi.
Cost: SEK 20 (around USD 3) plus freight. Can be ordered directly from monica(a)edmondson.se

On TV – Glass, images and the Royals @ Opening weekend European Capital of Culture

The Chinese filmcrew wanted a long interview. Photo: Pia Sjögren

German TV Deutsche Welle from Opening ceremony and weekend of Umeå 2014 European Capital of Culture – first up in the program. Around 5 minutes into the program you can see what I have been up to as well as the opening of 100 MIGRATORY – not my everyday kind of weekend I must say. Link to TV channel Deutsche Welle Euromaxx. Search program from the 3rd of February 2014 at 4.30PM. A program by Outi Turunen.

Local TV Västerbottensnytt from the 3rd of February – 1 minute into the report

On Radio – cultural program today!!

When I heard this radio program yesterday I started to realise what I have been part of this last opening weekend. Unexpected, unreal and just such a huge positive response for the exhibition 100 MIGRATORY, from all over the world.

Listen to the program (all in Swedish except the interview with the Australian ambassador Gerald Thomson) today Tuesday at 6.15 pm Sveriges Radio P1. It is Kulturradion Special by Kerstin Berggren about the opening weekend of Umeå 2014 European Capital of Culture. 100 MIGRATORY review start about 12 minutes into the program and last for 20 minutes! Hear the Swedish actress and Counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the Swedish embassy in Berlin Germany ,Marika Lagercrantz, who held the opening speech and jojk by Katarina Rimpi as well as Carmen Olsson talking about her danceperformance.

You can also find the radio program here as well as some images of  the Crownprincess Victoria and Prince Daniel when they have a close look at vessel no. 53.

A Crownprincess and 100 MIGRATORY

On Friday I get a visit to my exhibition by the Crownprincess Victoria, her husband Daniel and the Museum Director Ulrica Grubbström. 10 minutes. I wish the glass and the images tell their own story as I’m warned the 70 media representatives – that´s also going to be in my exhibition space that time – might make such a loud noice with their cameras so my visitors might not hear what I say.

Should be fun and kind of a contrast to my ordinary working days as an artist in my glass workshop and studio in an old barn just outside Tärnaby. Lucky enough I sometimes get a visit to my studio in Bäcknäs by Carin and Harry the dog.

Link to article in paper “Så blir Kronprinsessparets helg i Umeå” about the upcoming visit by the Royals to Umeå 2014 European Capital of Culture.

Finally! Exhibition opening on Saturday 1st of February

Saturday the 1st of February at 2PM

is the opening of my extensive glass art exhibition 100 MIGRATORY at the Museum of Västerbotten, Umeå Sweden. The same opening weekend of Umeå 2014 – European Capital of Culture.  The Cultural counselor from the Swedish embassy in Berlin Marika Lagercrantz is speaking and there will be jojk by the musician Katarina Rimpi.

100 MIGRATORY is exhibited between 1st of February – 11th of May 2014. Welcome!

Link to Umeå2014 and 100 MIGRATORY

Link to blog about 100 MIGRATORY

CARMEN OLSSON DANCING IN 100 MIGRATORY

The dancer and choreographer Carmen Olsson (co-working with NorrlandsOperan) will create a performance, as her response to 100 MIGRATORY, that will be staged during the exhibition period. The performance is free but you will need a ticket that you pay a small administration fee for. Book through www.biljettcentrum.com  Remaining tickets are handed out just before the performance at the entrance.

The first performance is already booked out at the opening of 100 MIGRATORY 1st of February at 3PM. There is one extra dance performance at 5PM the same day. More performances by Carmen at the Sami week 1 – 9 March 2014.

Link to NorrlandsOperan and Carmen Olsson dancing in 100 MIGRATORY

Link to Umeå 2014 and Carmen Olsson dancing in 100 MIGRATORY

Article

Yesterday it was an article “En hemkomst” in the paper about the return of the 100 vessels of glass and the upcoming exhibition 100 MIGRATORY. Written by Sara Meidell at Västerbottens-Kuriren 20140124. Link to article only valid for 24 hours.

Presentation @ Grand Hotel Stockholm

Have a look at the presentation I held at the opening day of Västerbotten @ Grand Hotel Stockholm (13 minutes – in Swedish). Some images and info about my work, 100 MIGRATORY & how it is to work world-wide as an artist from a remote mountain area of north Sweden – Tärnaby.

YouTube link here

Today was the day…

…when all the vessels left the workshop and Tärnaby. A beautiful crisp winterday with -27 degress C. After 350 km driving in this most breathtaking winter landscape I came to a tropic Umeå at -15C and left the glass at the Museum of Västerbotten. I also caught a glimps of  work in progress with the exhibition room . It’s going to be good!

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Final glass vessel home!

Today I got the last vessel of glass back. No. 96 from Lovozero Russia.
Many thanks to caretaker Olga Budovich and “freight coordinator” Anna Afanasyeva!

Look at the film on SvT Play from last night called Tundrans dotter by Paul Anders Simma (can only be seen within Sweden) from the area of Lovozero Russia.

Árran Lule Sami Center Norway

Getting closer to the opening now and I work around the clock to get it all together in time. Tonight I got some new images from Àrran Lule Sami Center in Drag Norway and vessel no. 17. The local school kids had a painting workshop and no. 17 was there with them. Have a look at the blog here from that day and read about in in Norwegian below.
Thanks to Árran, Lis-Mari Hjortfors and photographer  Ragnhild Lien!

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Gjenstand Nr 17 befinner seg på Árran

Gjenstand Nr 17 er en vase i kunstglass som befinner seg nå på Árran og var en del av feiringen på Samefolkets Dag. Den inngår i de fem utstillingene som er blitt vist på Árran den siste tiden.

Vasen ble fraktet over fjellet, en vandring på Rádjebálges / Grenseleden fra Ritsem i Sverige til Sørfjorden i Tysfjord, en strekning på 42 km over tre dager. I motsetning til de øvrige 99 gjenstandene, som ble sendt rundt om i verden på raskest mulig måte, fikk nr 17 en langsom reise med mennesker, kunstneren med familie og nære venner, som bar den i flere dager mens de lyttet til naturen,- til fugler og sus fra elver og bekker. Kunstneren Monica L Edmondson fikk rikelig tid til å tenke over hvorfor hun egentlig ønsket å gjøre dette omfattende kunstprosjekt.

La vasen vandre fra hånd til hånd

Nr 17 ble presentert for 5. klasse i Tysfjordskolene, som en aktivitet innen Den kulturelle skolesekken. Elevene fikk nærkontakt med den mens de deltok i en maleworkshop. Tanken var at den kanskje skulle gi inspirasjon i elevenes kunstneriske arbeid. For elevene ble kanskje malingen en ting, mens møte med vasen var noe annet,- men noen lot seg kanskje inspirere av vasens fjelltur….? En av lærerne ble tydeligvis betatt av vasens farger og gjenskapte dem med pensel. Bildene viser at 5. klassingene (og noen 6. og 7. klassinger) betraktet vasen og håndterte den med stor forsiktighet

Recording session

Recording session with vessel no 64/100M by Anders Rimpi.

One little wish….

One little wish for the new year to come… Please let everything go smoothly during the printing of the book 100 MIGRATORY so we have it ready on the 1st of February to the opening of the exhibition at the Museum of Västerbotten.

And I wish you all a great year to come 2014!

Cover photo: Carl-Johan Utsi

 

Dogs & kidz in ALASKA

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Wonderful dogs and a vessel of glass at Chena River valley, Fairbanks Alaska.

Many thanks to photographer and caretaker of vessel no. 21 Arna Dan Isacsson

Alaska!!

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Vessel no. 21 is looked after by Arna Dan Isacsson in Fairbanks Alaska and I just love these images from a day down by the Tanana river with dancing, drumming and story telling by her Yupik friend Marty Naulalria Hintz.

A few Words by Marty to Arna after that day:
“I was so honored to do this and be part of the Migratory Vessel sharing and that was the day my parka will last be used.  As you saw it was very fragile but, what a special day and reason to use it.”

And I have the best Little film-clips from the day – but how do I download them onto this blog?? They are sent to me as an .MOV file…
Help!

All photos: Patricia Baer

…a scream like a young girl in a silly horror movie

It’s not often I scream out loud, but this morning I got a strange surprise when I got to my studio. It was a dead squirrel on the floor in my office and the fact I almost walked on it before I saw it, made me scream like a young girl in a silly horror movie. I looked around and I could track the squirrel´s way around the workshop by all the shit left on the floor and in/on some glass. This poor little one had some humor though – leaving a rather large poo on an invoice from the phone company Telia…

It was test pieces of glass and a bought wineglass I use for test engraving, crushed on the floor. Other glass objects and vessles tipped over and it was shit even on som vertical glass pieces (how on Earth it got there). It looked like the squirrel had been everywhere in my studio except on the big table in the middle with all glass vessels belonging to 100 MIGRATORY. Some kind of other forces also made the little squirrel to take a loop around the reserved and sold vessels in the window and on another desk. And I can tell you – it’s magic no vessels of the hundered broke! In case one of them tipped over on the large table – it would be a domino effect and probably half of them would roll onto the concrete floor.

Magic is all I can say!

Rest in peace little squirrel and Thanks to whatever other forces which help my glass vessels to continue it’s path towards the exhibition next year.

PS. The squirrel must have sneeked into the studio last weekend when my husband helped me to lift in a new crate of Bullseye glass.