Tekami - Kinetic Sculpture
About the Artist:
Trond Kasper Mikkelsen is a Norwegian artist working out of Oslo (N) and Milano (I). He was born in 1976 in Oslo, moved to Grimstad at the age of 7, and returned to Oslo for art-studies at the age of 19. He finished his Master of Fine Arts at the Oslo National College of the Arts in 2004 and has been exhibiting internationally since 2003. His background is from painting and music (contemporary experimental electronica) through sculpture and metal-work, and his latest obsessions include vector art, computer animation and Barbie-dolls. He is currently employed at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts as a teacher of computer modeling and rapid technology.
His main body of work is focused around questions about function and functionality, and the relationship between these concepts and ideas of beauty and usefulness. He has been working for about 7 years with the development of functional yet absurd mechanical instruments that express some of these questions. He also does larger installation projects and interactive work in cooperation with other artists, most often as one half of the group permanently/temporary.
For pictures and more information about the projects please follow the links to each of them in the main menu. Should you wish to contact the artist you may do so on trondkm at gmail dot com
Projects:
Wearables
This series of work started in 2001 with the construction of the “Captor”, the first fully functional gadget by Tekami. It is an exploration of the concepts of functionality and usefulness, most often centered around combinations or restrictions of the senses and bodily functions. All items in the series are fully functional, but the tasks they fulfill are elusive and absurd at best. The objects are presented with packaging, user manuals and marketing campaigns, and are sometimes incorporated in performances or videos. The idea is that they should appear as perfectly acceptable commodities that one might buy to enhance the experience of modern life.
All the instruments and their mechanisms are designed and constructed by the artist - down to the smallest 1mm screws - a very time-consuming and challenging work. The process involves various levels of CAD-design as well as handmade sketches and direct experimentation with materials.
The alphabet used in the packaging, instructions and posters is invented by the artist and all texts are written in Italian - perfectly legible for those who possess the key.
Metamorphosis - a tribute to the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER)
Work on this series was started in 2005 and the first sculptures were exhibited at the Seikado Gallery in October 2008. It is a series of meditative transformer devices, where the function and purpose is less clear than in the Wearables; the focus is on the act of transformation in itself. As the name suggests, the MER have been a source of inspiration for this project - traveling through space like the seeds of exogenesis they bloom in the martian desert, small mechanical flowers stretching their solar panels to harness the energy of the light.
TROND KASPER MIKKELSEN born 1976 in Oslo, Norway
Education
Master of Fine Arts, Oslo National College of the Arts 2002 - 2003
Bachelor of Fine Arts, ONCA - Metal Department 1999 - 2002
"Alla Ricerca degli Scarti" Photoproject in Milano, (It) Jan.-feb. 2001
Oslo Drawing- and Painting-school, 1st year 1998 - 1999
Examen philosophicum, University of Oslo 1995 - 1996
Work Experience
Technical Manager KHiO dForm (studio for 3D printing and digital production) Oslo National College of the Arts from 2007
Guidance Councillor, Oslo National College of the Arts (MA level) Autumn 2006
Lecturer, Oslo National College of the Arts (BA level) Autumn 2006
Selected Shows and Performances
"NOTCH Festival" Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou (CN) Oct./Nov. 2009 forthcoming
Kunstnerforbundet, Oslo (N) September 2009 forthcoming
"International Metal Art Exhibition" Tsinghua University, Beijing (CN) March 2009 silver price
"Knot" Seikado Gallery, Kyoto (JP) 2008
"TW1" Tou Scene, Stavanger (European Capital of Culture '08) (N) 2008*
"Return to Start" Project 0047, Oslo (N) 2008
"Coming Together." National Museum of Art, Architecture & Design, Oslo (N) 2006
"OPPHENGT!" Bokbyen ved Skagerrak, Tvedestrand (N) 2006 *
"Surviving Fuorisalone" Superstudio Più, Milano (I) 2006 *
"Tendencies" Gallery F15, Moss (N) 2005/2006
"Can You See Who I Am?" by Delta K and Gallery F15 (N) 2005/2006
"Sky Office" Upper SpA & New Italian Blood (I) 2005 *
"Mixing Glass" Barfestival, Rimini (I) 2005 *
"Schmuck aus Norwegen" Grassimuseum Leipzig (D) 2004/2005
"MIDORA" Leipzig (D) - 5. price for Best Avant-garde Jewellery: LeCanal 2004
"Annual International Graduation Show 2004" Gallery Marzee (NL) 2004
"Triennale 2004" Kunstindustrimuseet i Oslo (N) 2004
"Talente 03" IHM München (D) 2003
"Majka - the Girl from Outer Space" Blå, Oslo (N) 2002
"Rolling Noise" Performance in G9, Oslo (N) in cooperation with Cargnelli & Szely 2000
"NRK Kulturoperatørene" performance with The K.M.R.B. on NRK television 1996
"Intermedia for Oslo '96" with The K.M.R.B. at Youngstorget, Oslo (N) 1996
*as a member of permanently/temporary
Grants
Statens etableringsstipend 2004
The Japan Scandinavia Sasakawa Foundation 2004
2 years' artist-salary from the State of Norway 2006/2007 (Statens Arbeidsstipend, 2 år)
Public collections
The National Museum of Norway
Selected Press & Publications
KHIO Annual Review 2006
Agderposten 2.June 2006
Sky Office catalogue
Bargiornale 8/2005
"Can You See Who I Am" presentational video
"Annual International Graduation Show 2004" catalogue
Kunst 2004:02
Kunsthandwerk & Design 1/2003
"Handwerkskammer für München und Oberbayern" web-pages february 2003
"Talente 2003" catalogue
Other
Founded the project-group permanently/temporary with Simona Ferrari in 2004. Together they have done a series of projects ranging from art to product/interior design and architecture, as well as hybrids of these fields. In 2005/2006 they designed the interiors, website and graphic profile for the small café javelin coffee & tea in Oslo (N).
This was the first TEKAMI device - a mix between a shutter mechanism and a diaphragm with a viewfinder; a sort of camera without film. By loading the mechanism and pulling the trigger a short glimpse of reality can be captured on your retina. The drawing above is the first attempt at an instruction manual. Captor remains the only wearable constructed primarily in brass.
The Ven-Taglio is a folding fan with a switchblade mechanism - it will fold small enough to fit in a pocket, and flash open with a metallic pang at the flick of a switch. Despite their menacing looks the thin titanium blades are not particularly sharp. The fan was bought by the National Museum of Art, Architecture & Design in Oslo (N) in 2006.
The BiDirectional Vision Instrument is a set of goggles with a prism mounted in front of the right eye and a small mirror set up as a backwards looking periscope. The prism collects the light from two directions and creates a composite image, so the final effect is that of looking forwards and backwards at the same time. In ideal conditions the two images are mixed in such a way that the subject wearing the BDVI cannot distinguish between what is actually in front of him/her and what is behind.
In a certain way the anus represents the ultimate taboo in western society - with naked people everywhere in advertising and on TV the anus remains the only part of the body that is still basicly “dirty”. LeCanal seeks to explore the balance on the fine line between our desire for beautiful objects and our disgust at their physical function. It utilizes a visual language that should appeal to those least likely to accept its designated use. It is forged and cut from 925 silver and comes in a delicate and elegant packaging. A slight detour from the mechanical language and the only such piece ever made by the artist.
The Air Taxation Device is an instrument that forces the person wearing it to pay for breathing. The mask is fitted with a turbine that drives a counting-mechanism - after a certain amount of time the air-intakes are shut off and the insertion of a 1-cent coin is required to rewind the mechanism and continue breathing.
The Uni-Directional Aural Device is a pilot-style leather helmet with hearing protectors, and a stethoscope connected to a horn placed on top of the head. It limits the hearing of the wearer in such a way that the subject may only perceive sounds created by objects placed directly in front of her/him.
The first of the transformers from the "Tribute to the Mars Exploration Rovers" series in its folded state.
The first of the transformers from the "Tribute to the Mars Exploration Rovers" series in its unfolded state.
The second of the transformers from the "Tribute to the Mars Exploration Rovers" series in its folded state.
The second of the transformers from the "Tribute to the Mars Exploration Rovers" series in its unfolded state.