reconstruction i-v is a series of works I have been working on for almost a decade. The works take about 2 hours and 40 minutes to perform and explore the dismantling of industry, machines as part of people's intimate lives, and the musical potential of industrial machines and industrial sounds. I use embroidered score, video and audio files as well as sewing machines and conventional acoustic instruments.
In several works I have worked with industrial sounds, machine rhythms and the layering of rhythmical patterns without a corresponding basic pulse including audio and video recordings of old industrial machines in different places in Norway, Sweden and England. I'm interested in the history of industry, both in terms of the soundscapes themselves, and the big changes in lifestyles, living conditions and that people in a way lost their sense of identity when their workplaces were closed down from the early 1970s onwards. In the process, many everyday soundscapes disappeared; people who had spent their working lives in noisy industrial environments found themselves surrounded by silence overnight.
Another background to the series is that textile techniques have been one of the few forms of expressions available to women from different social classes and parts of the world throughout history. They are forms of expression that have not only been used industrially, but have also been inextricably linked to the home. The textile industry has been a double-edged sword for women, providing an opportunity to earn an income by working both at home and in the factories. At the same time, this work has always had low status and low pay.
reconstruction i-v was largely composed for and in collaboration with Alpaca Ensemble. During Artistic Research Week in Trondheim 2024 Alpaca Ensemble performed the five works in the series in five concerts at a various venues in Trondheim, ranging from a private home to Dokkhuset.