Artefakter
The Biennale for Craft & Design, Copenhagen Contemporary, Copenhagen (2023)
"Artifacts" stems from a passionate relationship with video games. A strong thrill of embarking on adventures in digital worlds and uncovering rare treasures. The collectible is the core of the games and the motivation to keep playing late into the night.
Like another manic porcelain collector, I go to the internet black markets and exchange money from my newspaper delivery job for digital gold coins. Always hungry for more, a magical hat, an enchanted ring.
The exhibited work consisted of 3 physical artifacts displayed around a computer. When seated by the table, the exhibition guest could interact and play a video game called ‘Artefacts’. The game had one mini-game for each artifact and gave an insight in the story of the item and its magical abilities. The games served as interactive exhibition texts and “short-films” that deepened the understanding of the exhibited relics.
Moonriver, Comb of the Silver Matron
This legendary relic belongs to The Silver Matron herself. The Lunarian queen had it made as a young woman at the cost of her left eye. This explains the saying “eyelids close” when the moon is waning. The Lunarians spend many hours training in the arts of lucidity, ultimately wishing to cross the border to the dreaming world. When the Matron combs her white hair, it lets her pass to the realm of dreams. If used by mortals, their eyes turn into moonstones, left in a state of constant dreaming.
Geluk, The Quatrefoiled Cinquedea
Legend tells that Geluk grew from a four clover in an hour of need. It appeared during The Withering; a dark past of our predecessors who exhausted our lands. Torn by the root, the green and gold dagger was drawn by the Wildmother herself who rose to defend Nature. Geluk serves as a reminder of our luck to have been forgiven our greedy mistakes. Today it is common practice to never pick up a four leaved clover as a gesture towards Nature, leaving the good luck and fortune to stay in the ground.
The Final Whisper
A necromancer’s black magic has always been taboo. Many would say that performing such deeds of darkness are to cross the line of sin. But ask yourself this: When grieving the loss of a loved one, who do you visit; the priest or the necromancer? Diadems like this are in high demand, as they let you experience the final thoughts of someone recently deceased. The catch is that the diadem must be placed on the physical remains of the dead in order to work — which makes for quite the grotesque stories.
