Black Forest Magazine

Art in its Blackest form

Shrieking black metal fan visited by the police

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The tweet doesn't say anything about which black metal song was being sung

The tweet doesn’t say anything about which black metal song was being sung

The Norwegian police tweeted that they got a report about horrible shouts and screams from an apartment in Oslo. They headed out to the scene and got in contact with a guy that had been singing black metal. He was given order to stop the singing until 8 am. The tweet doesn’t say anything about which songs was being sung.

Never again

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Today is a day of mourning here in Norway.

It’s been 5 years since our government quarter was bombed. 5 years since the Utøya massacre, where a right-wing extremist executed 69 people – most of them teenagers – at the Norwegian Labour party’s summer camp for youths. It’s our 9/11. It is almost impossible to imagine the horror these youths and children experienced, trapped on an island with a terrorist and his semi-automatic weapons and expandable ammunition. He laughed as he walked around, shouting “you are going to die today, marxists!”. They had nowhere to hide.

77 people died that day. Hundreds were injured and traumatized. And the terrorist was one of us.

Today Utøya is a memorial and a center for learning about what happened there on 22nd July 2011. The Labour youth party still arranges summer camps on the tiny island, shaped as a heart.

I’m writing this as I’m listening to Harakiri for the Sky and their heartbreaking song ’69 Dead Birds for Utøya’. You should to.

 

Is it true, that we are nothing but handprints on a misty pane?
How can we fall asleep while the world is still burning?
How shall I sleep, when I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders?
How shall I sleep?
How shall I sleep?

Everytime you think the most stupefying incident in this world already happened,
there comes one more.

 

If you want to learn more about what happened, I recommend reading these:

Extract of ‘One of Us’ by Åsne Seierstad (you should read the whole book)

“Is he coming? Is he? Oh God, I think he is.” by GQ

2011 Norway attacks – Wikipedia

True Norwegian Hardware Black Metal

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The Norwegian hardware chain store Jernia probably has the most remarkable promotional campaign for their Black Friday sale. What do you get if you mix a Norwegian hardware store and Black Friday? Norwegian Black Metal of course!

Watch the commercial below:

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

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The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is the brainchild of filmmaker and graphic designer John Koenig, who says his mission is “to harpoon, bag and tag wild sorrows then release them back into the subconscious”.  Koenig aims at all those nameless feelings words – until now – has not been able to define, making this dictionary one of my favourite sites ever. When I first came across it, it struck a chord with me, making me read every definition and watch every video. Every definition is so thoughtful, and every invented word sounds real. 

onism
n. the awareness of how little of the world you’ll experience. Imagine standing in front of the departures screen at an airport, flickering over with strange place names like other people’s passwords, each representing one more thing you’ll never get to see before you die—and all because, as the arrow on the map helpfully points out, you are here.

altschmerz
n. weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had—the same boring flaws and anxieties you’ve been gnawing on for years, which leaves them soggy and tasteless and inert, with nothing interesting left to think about, nothing left to do but spit them out and wander off to the backyard, ready to dig up some fresher pain you might have buried long ago.

 vemödalen
n. the frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist—the same sunset, the same waterfall, the same curve of a hip, the same closeup of an eye—which can turn a unique subject into something hollow and pulpy and cheap, like a mass-produced piece of furniture you happen to have assembled yourself.

moledro n. a feeling of resonant connection with an author or artist you’ll never meet, who may have lived centuries ago and thousands of miles away but can still get inside your head and leave behind morsels of their experience, like the little piles of stones left by hikers that mark a hidden path through unfamiliar territory.

You can find The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows here. They also have a Facebook page.

Marina Abramović – Entering the Other Side

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My friend, do your wounds hurt?
If they don’t, they would not be called wounds.

~ Traditional serbian folksong.

Portrait of Marina Abramovic | © Knut Bry and Ekebergeparken Oslo, 2013

Portrait of Marina Abramovic | © Knut Bry and Ekebergeparken Oslo, 2013

When we heard that The Kistefos Museum were to host Marina Abramović’s first solo exhibition i Scandinavia, we knew we had to visit. We are after all proud co-founders of the Marina Abramović Institute in New York. Never been to Kistefos before, we were not sure what to expect, but when the first sight to greet us was an Elmgreen & Dragseth installation, we knew we would appreciate our stay. The large outdoor park is filled with contemporary sculptural art and installations, and so is the river besides the old wood pulp mill.

Abramović’s exhibition is called Entering the Other Side, and came to place when she visited The Kistefos Museum last year. Inspired by the hard lives of the workers at the mill, and relating it to her own childhood in former Yugoslavia, she created a sound installation specially for Kistefos with the themes life and death. It can be heard in every corner of the old, industrial mill, as if the walls were chanting.

The Kistefos Museum | Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Magazine

The Kistefos Museum, the Art Hall | Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Magazine

Walking through this retrospective exhibition, which contains some of Marina’s most famous works presented on video installations, photographs and sound, we really see how she have circled around the themes life, death and sexuality through her 40 year long career.

If you’re a fan, you have probably seen most of the artwork presented, but for those who are new to this fantastic artist, Entering the Other Side is a great way to get to know her work. Actually, most of the time she IS her work, presenting her mind, body and history to us, reminding us what it means to be human.

Entering the Other Side presents photographs of Lips of Thomas (1975) – a performance where Abramović drove her body and mind to the extreme, depicting the Yugoslavian people’s pain

We also got to see one of our personal favourites, The Balkan Baroque (1997). After the brutal war and ethnic cleansing on Balkan back in the early 1990’s, Marina drove it even further in depicting the pain of her people at the Venice Biennale in 1997. For five days she sat on a mountain of 1500 ox bones, washing them clean with a metal brush, continuously singing sad folk songs from her childhood.

Balkan Baroque II (1997) Chromogenic print presented at Entering the Other Side | © Marina Abramovic

Balkan Baroque II (1997) Chromogenic print presented at Entering the Other Side | © Marina Abramovic

Some other of our favourites were also presented; Nude with Skeleton (2005), Carrying the Skeleton (2008) and Cleaning the Mirror I (1995). Being a magazine for ‘art in its blackest form’ we surely love how Marina uses skulls and skeletons as a powerful symbol in her work. In the first mentioned of her works, which is a performance, she is literally embracing death in a video. The only sound in the room is her calm breathing. In the second mentioned work, she is carrying the skeleton. Maybe it is a burden, but still we are fascinated by Marina’s ability to accept death as a companion in life. In Cleaning the Mirror I we sit in silence watching a video of her performance, which involves metodically cleaning a dirty skeleton – for 3 hours. 

 

Cleaning the Mirror I (1995) video installation presented at Entering the Other side Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Magazine

Cleaning the Mirror I (1995) video installation presented at Entering the Other side | Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Magazine

 

Marinas (in)famous screaming perfomances were also presented, both alone and with her ex-boyfriend and artist Ulay. One of the things we were really excited about, was to finally see the result of a big Norwegian performance Marina did last summer in Oslo. She and her film team gathered almost 300 citizens in Ekebergparken, Oslo, at the excact point we believe is Edvard Munch’s view when he felt Skrik/The Scream (1893). Then Marina thaught the participants to find their own scream, which is probably quite challenging, since we Norwegians are a tad quiet and modest people. But the result was emotional and really interesting. Old ones and your ones, women and men, artists and the girl next door. All presenting us with their scream. Wow.

AAA-AAA (1978) video installation presented at Entering the Other Side | Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Magazine

AAA-AAA (1978) video installation presented at Entering the Other Side | Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Magazine

The Scream (2013/14) video installation presented at Entering the Other Side | Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Mag

The Scream (2013/14) video installation presented at Entering the Other Side | Photo: Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Mag

We highly recommend you to visit The Kistefos Museum in Jevnaker, Norway and their Marina Abramović exhibition Entering the Other Side this season. They’re open until October, and it is such a beautiful place hidden away on the Norwegian countryside, about one hour drive from Oslo.

Carrying the Skeleton (2008) C- Print, Courtesy Marina Abramovic and Sean Kelly Gallery New York

Carrying the Skeleton (2008) C- Print, Courtesy Marina Abramovic and Sean Kelly Gallery New York

Elmgreen & Dragset – Biography

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Being a huge fan of the Berlin-based artists Elmgreen & Dragset, we were simply thrilled when we found out that the Danish/Norwegian art duo were holding their exhibition ‘Biography‘ at Astrup Fearnley. It’s actually their first one in Oslo, Norway. If you’re not familiar with their previous works of art, you should definitely check them out. They have collaborated since 1995, and are famous for their works like ‘Short Cut‘ (1996) and for placing a replica of a Prada store in the desert of Texas with their work ‘Prada Marfa‘ (2005). They have even designed the ‘Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism‘, that was opened in Berlin in 2008. These are only few of their works, and there are plenty more which has been shown in their many exhibitions around the world. What is so amazing with their art, is that their works tells stories – strange, bizarre and surreal. Somehow their art is lifeless in a life-like way.

Crash...Boom...Bang! (2008) © Elmgreen & Dragset Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Crash…Boom…Bang! (2008)
© Elmgreen & Dragset
Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Already on the way to the museum, you can spot a scarecrow on the roof, which actually is a piece of the exhibition and entitled ‘Civilised’ (2012). As you enter the front door, you meet another artwork, ‘Crash…Boom…Bang!’ (2008), which depicts some boxes containing artwork of famous artists such as Koons and Hirst. Inside the museum we were greeted by a nice lady that told us that we could leave our belongings in the locker room downstairs. Little did we know, that we were already inside the exhibition. As we entered the locker room we suddenly found that we were inside a wardrobe of a gay sauna called ‘Amigos’ (2011).

Landslide (2002) © Elmgreen & Dragset Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Landslide (2002)
© Elmgreen & Dragset
Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

We went upstairs to ground floor again, and entered a nightclub called ‘The Mirror’ (2008). This was actually used for the opening party for the exhibition, and it hadn’t been cleaned since. Therefore the room gives you a ‘the day after’-vibe with empty leftover beer bottles, ash trays, stains, broken glass and with the stereo still playing. A big disco ball lying on the floor, leaving us wondering what happened last night. The song on the stereo is called ‘Too late’ (2014) and was actually composed for this special occasion. We went further into the exhibition and found a heap of trash, with a garbage bin turned atop of it, in the artwork ‘Landslide’ (2002). A comment on the consumerism of todays human society?

Close to it, there’s a pool with a floating body in it. This piece is called ‘Death of a Collector’ (2009), which also featured in their exhibition ‘The Collectors’ at the 2009’s Venice Biennale. As we’re looking at this art piece, a woman walks by only wearing a bathing suit, obviously one of the performance works of the exhibition. In a way you feel uncomfortable on her behalf, which probably is the intention from the artists. Is this a criticism towards the conformity and high culture associated with the world of art?

At the end of the first floor, there’s a stereotype waiting room with a broken queuing system, some chairs, a dying palm tree and a door with a queue counter blinking ‘0000’. The door has a crack in it, and you will obviously be waiting here for a long time. The piece is called ‘It’s The Small Things in Life That Really Matter, Blah, Blah, Blah’ (2006) and might be a look on the bureaucracy of society.

Death of a Collector (2009) © Elmgreen & Dragset Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Death of a Collector (2009)
© Elmgreen & Dragset
Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Upstairs there’s a man painting the walls white over and over again, without any specific reason. A comment Elmgreen had on this art piece was that it was ‘…a bit embarrassing that Astrup Fearnley didn’t finish the exhibition in time’. Therefore the painter had to do endless Sisyphus work without results. On the other wall there are hanging identical pieces of framed white canvases, named after the worlds most famous museums (like Guggenheim). When we took a closer look, the white color was all in different shades. Turns out Elmgreen and Dragset with the help of conservators had removed a square of the white painting found on the different museum walls, turning them into pieces of art.

The exhibition has been commented as melancholic, and with a sense of destruction. I felt that the exhibition also in a way expressed a longing and a hopeless state. I haven’t commented everything from the exhibition in this article, so you should really go and see for yourself. All I can say, is that the art of Elmgreen & Dragset is very diverse, and truly amazing!

You can visit the exhibition ‘Biography’ at Astrup Fearnley in Oslo until August 24th, 2014!

Draculas castle is for sale!

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Ever wanted a castle?

Well, now is the time. We recently heard rumours about Bran Castle in Transilvania, Romania being for sale. According to The Telegraph, the New York law firm handling the sales says;

If someone comes in with a reasonable offer, we will look at who they are, what they are proposing, and will seriously entertain the idea, says Mark Meyer, of Herzfeld and Rubin.

Photo: www.bran-castle.com

Photo: www.bran-castle.com

It should be noted that Bram Stoker, who wrote the novel ‘Dracula’ in 1897 never visited Romania himself, but based his depiction of Count Draculas home from descriptions available at the time. However, Bran Castle is also connected to the infamous Vlad Tepes the Impaler (also known as Draculea) who was Bram Stokers probable inspiration when writing his novel, since Vlad Tepes lived in the area and was known for horrible things.

Bela Lugosi as Dracula Photo: Screenshot

Bela Lugosi as Dracula Photo: Screenshot

Owning an Transilvanian castle, surrounded by the Carpathian Forest.. How Black Metal is that?

 

 

 

Game of Thrones – The Exhibit, Oslo 2014

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This weekend, HBO Nordic opened their Game of Thrones – The Exhibit in Oslo, Norway. And of course we had to visit!

On the left: The wedding outfits of Tyrion and Sansa. The Red Viper Prince Oberyn. Then, Margaery Tyrell's epic wedding dress and both Joffrey's and Cersei's outfit from their Purple Wedding. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

On the left: The wedding outfits of Tyrion and Sansa. The Red Viper Prince Oberyn. Then, Margaery Tyrell’s epic wedding dress and both Joffrey’s and Cersei’s outfit from the Purple Wedding. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

First of all, we just have to say how awestruck we are by the dedication of the Game of Throne-fans. When we arrived pretty early on opening day, the queue went around the whole block! We’ve heard of both Italians, Czechs and Finnish people traveling to Norway just to visit the exhibit. Norwegians also travelled from around the country. Some say on the Facebook event page that they waited for 6,5 hours to get in. At the end of the day and after 2500 fans inside the gates, HBO Nordic actually had to cut the line, telling people to come back the next day. But do not despair! The exhibit are staying in Oslo until 30th of April, from 10:00-20:00 every day.

The queue. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

The queue. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

On arrival, we were greeted by maps of Westeros and banners from around the realm. Then the exhibit opened up a treasure chest for the fans. On our right were Daenerys’ dresses from the first season, a dragon and dragon eggs. On our left were Lady Melisandre’s red dress, and Ser Davos’ severed finger bones in their pouch. Further on, we met the outfits from the Purple Wedding (and I have to say I had no idea of the detailed arrangements on Margaerys wedding dress. It was epic!), we saw The Hound’s pretty raggedy (and huge) armor. We met Needle, Jaime’s new (and old) hand, we got to witness The Mountain’s enormous sword and the awesome skull mask (and skull cup) belonging to no other than Lord of Bones.

Lord of Bones' mask and equipment from beyond the wall. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Lord of Bones’ mask and equipment from beyond the wall. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Of course we had to ascend The Wall with Oculus Rift. There were a separate line for this, but it wasn’t too long a wait, and it was definitely worth the while. We don’t want to spoil any possible surprises, but for those of you who are not familiar with the technology: With the use of this virtual reality head-mounted display and headphones, we were able to experience how it would feel like to ascend The Wall by open elevators in 4D.

Last, but not least, were of course THE Iron Throne. And it were ours to take – along with the rest of the 30 000 fans HBO Nordic are awaiting during the exhibition in Oslo.

The Iron Throne. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

The Iron Throne. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

People should understand that this is no ordinary exhibition. This is a platform for fans to show their passionate dedication, and a way for HBO Nordic to engage with the fans and give them something in return for their loyalty. The length of the waiting line probably tells a great deal of how welcome an event like this is in Norway. It’s not often we get to take part of world wide happenings, so this proves the Norwegian people are more than welcoming it. Also, since we have our own Kristofer Hivju playing Tormund Giantsbane (which also had his gear exhibited), it’s only fair we get to show our appreciation towards HBO, George R.R. Martin and the whole world of Westeros.

Ygritte, Jon Snow, and Tormund Giantsbane. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

Ygritte, Jon Snow, and Tormund Giantsbane. Photo: Jan F. Lindsø

We are impressed by the crew behind the series and their care for details when bringing George R. R. Martins Westeros to life. Now that we have seen the costumes, the armors and all the detailed belongings of the different characters , it will add a new dimension when watching the series.

So thank you so much for this great experience, HBO!

You can watch HBO Nordic’s video from the opening day, when John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) engaged with the fans here:

 

Watch our picture gallery from the exhibit:

 

 

Norwegian sheep born with corpsepaint

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Norwegian lamb with corpsepaint

Photo: Odd Kjetil Liland, Jærmuseet

A lamb of the breed Old Norwegian Short Tail Landrace was born on Easter Monday. Nothing special about that really, but what is special is the color pattern of his fur. His look can somehow resemble the traditional corpsepaint look of the Norwegian Black Metal artists you might already be familiar with. The owners named the little lamb for Batlam, from the famous superhero Batman.

The lamb lives in Vitengarden (the Science Farm), which resides in Nærbø, Norway. The farm is a part of Jærmuseet, which is a regional science centre for South-Western Norway and also a regional museum for seven municipalities in Jæren, near Stavanger. In their facilities you will find out about history, culture and industry of Jæren, past and present. And now, you can also visit Batlam!

Norwegian Black Metal lamb / Abbath of Immortal

The lamb somewhat resembles Abbath of Immortal
Photo: Odd Kjetil Liland, Jærmuseet / Jan F. Lindsø, Black Forest Mag

Zombie beer made out of real brains

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Dock Street WalkerDock Street Brewery from Philadelphia are great fans of AMC’s post-apocalyptic zombie series The Walking Dead. While some fans collects special edition releases and merchandise, Head Brewer Justing Low and Brewery Representative Sasha Certo-Ware, decided to make their own zombie beer. Dock Street Walker is an American Pale Stout brewed with wheat, oats, flaked barley, organic cranberry, and Smoked Goat Brains.

Their new brew will be released on March 30th, and that evening they will of course be screening the season finale of The Walking Dead. So if you’re in Philly that day, you know where to go to find brains!

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Black Forest Magazine is a Norwegian, digital magazine dedicated to dark arts and artisans.