Sound sculptures and objects from the pear tree painted by Edvard Munch in 1907
The solo exhibition by Norwegian visual artist, sound artist and musician Joakim Blattmanns is part of a series in which artists explore the history of the pear tree in the courtyard of the Edvard Munch House. This tree - already painted by Edvard Munch in 1907 - had to be felled in November 2024. While the lower part of the trunk is now permanently stored in the courtyard, other parts of the tree have been made available for artists to work on.
Joakim Blattmann writes about his exhibition:
'The spiral growth of the tree became visible early on in the process. As part of the exhibition, two smaller string instruments were built from parts of the tree. These function as sound sculptures in the exhibition. The spiral growth began in the lower part of the pear tree trunk, continued throughout its life and is still active in these instruments as the wood continues to move slowly over time. This continuous movement influences the sound and resonance of the instruments.
The exhibition will also feature three raw sound sculptures made from the tree and an audio piece played through two loudspeakers. Together with the instruments, these elements form a composition in space that was created during the installation on site.
Many thanks to Notam and the guitar maker Knut Bendik Manger Breistein for their invaluable support.
