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.

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.

Nils Gaup

Oscarnominated filmdirector and actor Nils Gaup (nominated for best foreign film – Pathfinder – in 1988) was with me for a day in Umeå in the end of last week, to help me sharpen my thoughts about 100 MIGRATORY and the final exhibition.

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We went to the Museum of Västerbotten where the exhibition is going to take place February – May 2014 . The actual exhibition room of 300 square meters is currently under reconstruction and pretty messy. However, it was great to get Nils feedback about the room, the light and the glass.  He thought the previous plans we made for the project are totally on the right track and the confirmation by Nils made me so happy and confident that-  yes, this will be fine Monica.

All the time I learn so much and I realise we all have so much experience and knowledge within our specific fields. And when we get together, now and then, I feel I just get sucked in by this endless positive creative spiral with no limits…

…and it’s not every day it’s a happy creative feeling with no limitations working as an artist – that’s for sure!

So lets meet more often, you guys out there, and share our experiences within the cultural fields of art, literature, design, crafts, music, theatre, photo, dance, film and so on… It is endless what we can create and express together.

A somewhat different glass and Grand Hotel Stockholm

On the 14th of January I will participate in the opening day, with presentations and dinner at Västerbottensdagarna Grand Hotel Stockholm. You can find me in the showroom and see images from the art project 100 MIGRATORY.

Photo: Carl-Johan Utsi

Glass vessel no.53/100M is on display in the showroom during this day – the same vessel you can see above in this beautiful image by Carl-Johan Utsi located close to Sijddojávrre lake in February 2012.

There is a special story surrounding vessel no. 53/100M.

After blowing and annealing the vessels in the kiln I coldwork the surface of the glass by grinding it with diamond wheels. I do this to make the surface more light absorbant instead of reflective. Some might think I’m mad to spend so much time on each of these 100 vessels as I start with a 100 grit wheel, followed by a 360 wheel and finally polish with a 600 diamond cutting wheel. For me it is essential for the final impression of the work. However, four of the hundered vessels have a reflective, not wheelcut, surface.

Anyway, while wheelcutting no. 53/100M  I discovered a separation crack on the inside that I had not seen while hotworking and blowing the vessel. I felt just so dissapointed – yet another vessel I couldn’t use. Then I started to think about the project as a whole and about the vessel of glass that represents us as human beings. Some of us can have ‘cracks’ on the inside that are not visable from the outside. Cracks that don’t effect the overall impression and lifespan, if healed / annealed properly, yet it’s always there…

So, this vessel no.53 is just as important and part of the project as any of the other vessels.

Icehotel

                  Photo: Sofia Svonni

Show with sixteen vessels part of 100 MIGRATORY at Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi. A touch stressful beforehand, however a good show in the end. Thanks to my models; Inga Kemi, Hanna Salomonsson, Birgit Salomonsson and Sara Parfa Svonni. You were all pros!! One image posted now, but better ones to come…

The vessels were no. 6,10,13,15,18,25,34,41,48,53,55,63,64,66,67,74,and 80.

The article in the local paper Norrbottens-Kuriren.