Performances at Nordic Pavilion

The Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) announces the upcoming and concluding performances within Rapture, Norway’s contribution to the 56th Venice Biennale. This year Norway is solely responsible for the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for the first time in its history. For this unprecedented occasion, OCA has commissioned artist Camille Norment (b.1970) to develop the project.

On Friday 20 and Sunday 22 November at 2:30pm, Norment presents new compositions with The Camille Norment Trio, whose instrumentation parallels the artist’s investigations into the relationship between vibration and the body as perceived during the Enlightenment period and today through social and scientific discussions. The Camille Norment Trio consists of the glass armonica, played by Norment; the Hardanger fiddle, played by Vegar Vårdal; and the electric guitar, played by Håvard Skaset. Each of these instruments was thought, at various points in history, to invoke a socially and sexually transgressive experience in the body, especially the female body, and was subsequently banned.

On Saturday 21 November at 2:30pm the Swedish soprano, voice-artist, improviser and composer Sofia Jernberg will perform in the pavilion. Throughout her career, Jernberg has developed a unique vocabulary of sounds and techniques which include split-tone, pitchless and distorted singing which allow her to appear in a broad constellation of music performances across time and genres. Jernberg’s versatile vocalisation will expand the 12-voice chorus that Norment composed for the soundscape of the pavilion, pushing the limits of sound and music.

The performances are co-produced by OCA, nyMusikk and Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, with the kind support of Music Norway.