• Exhibition
• Tuesday 18 March, all day
• Venue: Kristiania - Fjerdingen, Chr. Krohgs gate 32
   

Kunstliturgien is an Artistic PhD project by Liv Kristin Holmberg (Norwegian Academy of Music, NMH, completed in 2024). The Reflection component is a chest, Den kunstliturgiske kiste (The Art Liturgical Chest). The chest will be available at ARF on Tuesday 18 March, and later at the National Library and the library at the Norwegian Academy of Music.

The Artistic result consists of a collection of works that make up a whole (various art-liturgical experiments - completed, work shown as part of the final exhibition as well as a selection of sketches for future art-liturgical experiments).

Instructions

I wanted this reflection to take a form that is connected to my practice. This liturgical chest is not intended to be a work in itself, but the format reflects an art liturgical echo. I wanted to give the reflection a tangibility, something that can be touched, held in your hands—similar to liturgy, which is a form of body theater, where receiving is central. This is also true in music theater: listening. The ear as an entrance for reflection, receiving with the body.

Time. Time and space are important parameters in liturgy, and therefore I have organized this material to give it a time dimension: I want you to take in the material over the course of a week; you open a new box/package for each weekday, from Monday (day 1) to Sunday (day 7). You are, of course, free to organize and create your own timeline — this is only meant as a suggestion and to highlight the importance of the time dimension in this artistic research. Time is a sacrament.

Space. The material is also structured spatially, as one can almost consider space as a protagonist in the project. The seven boxes/packages in the art liturgical chest "mimic" the architectural structures of the church to highlight the connection between church architecture and the project. In the reflection, you are led on a journey through seven different spaces in the church building: From the church door, to the vestibule (våpenhuset), up the stairs to the church spire (kirkespiret) where we are given a view and overview, further to the organ gallery (orgelgalleriet) where we meet the composers and reflect on the project's relationship to music and the cantor role. Then you are led down to the nave (kirkeskipet) — the main part of the church: This can be a long Friday, because here you get insight into all the different art liturgical experiments, that is, the body of the Art Liturgy. Further, you are led behind the altar and into the sacristy — the church's backstage — this is the room where the priests prepare their sermons, a room for reflection, a room for conversation with oneself and with others, and with the church itself. Then you are led out of the church, out to the churchyard, to the light outside.

The journey through the church does not symbolize the process in this artistic research in a chronological narrative. This journey rather involves visiting different aspects and dimensions of my creative process.

An overview of the content of the art liturgical chest can be found as an attachment to this letter. In this artistic research, reflection, documentation, and artistic result are intentionally intertwined.

Perhaps this art liturgical chest feels heavy. Is it a burden?

I wanted to give the material a physical weight. I hope the content also has a possible buoyancy.

Oslo, January 24, 2023