SILJA AXELSEN
SEPTEMBER 2017
BEING, BREAKING AND UNMAKING
Casted clay, various size.
In Being, Breaking and Unmaking Silja Axelsen investigates the process of decay that exists in the interaction between human and nature.
For Kronborg`s gallery space, Axelsen built a larger sculptural form composed of a number of slip casted small spherical objects in raw, unfired clay.
With the geometrical figure as a point of departure, she plays with the appearance of the forms as universal and strong versus the fragile materiality of the unfired clay. Each sphere has been polished to give it a white surface, and the size makes them fit perfectly into the palm of the hand. Thus, the spheres appeal to the body and touch, while the raw material is extremely frail and is easy to break.
In Being, Breaking and Unmaking, the decomposition process has a central place. In the open gallery, the sculptural form will be constantly changing due to external influences such as weather conditions and human interference. In the interaction with rain, wind and touch, the spheres will dissolve and then disappear. This gives the sculptural form an organic life cycle that will influence the form's expression during the exhibition period. The ongoing change in expression means that the meeting between the audience and the sculptural form will be in corresponding motion, giving a constant change in the perception of the work.