Experience the intersection of aesthetics and extraction at the "Campaign!" research exhibition at Jøssingfjord Science Museum 21. June - 1. December 2024
The TiO2 Project proudly announces the opening of "Campaign!" a research exhibition that delves into the rich mining history of Jøssingfjord, Norway, through the lens of historical archive material, historical and contemporary landscape paintings, visual depictions of the local landscape, and visions for future extractive landscapes.
The exhibition consists of three parts in three different rooms at the newly built Jøssingfjord Science Museum. The three rooms of the exhibition are curated by the NorWhite team, in collaboration with producer Solveig Tjetland from ROM for kunst og arkitektur, and curators and archivists from Dalane Folkemuseum and Østfoldmuseene.
Artists, architects, and designers included in the exhibition:
Maiken Stene (b. 1983, Norway, born and lives in Sokndal), “Storgangen,” painting (2022), 270 x 450 x 250 cm and 4K drone video “Storgangen” (2022) with soundtrack by composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir "Aeriality" (2011)
Maximilian Schob (b. 1989, Germany, lives in Norway), two digital photo collages of the Titania mine, satellite data (open access) and lidar technology, printed on plexiglass (2024)
Exutoire (Bùi Quý Sơn, Vietnam, and Paul-Antoine Lukas, France, lives in Oslo/Hanoi), exhibition design, visual identity for the exhibition, and the design intervention "Norsk-hvitt" (2024)
Joey Bravo (b. 1999, USA/Spain, lives in Bergen), photograph of a white-painted wooden house in Vermont, USA (2021)
Thrine Brun (1909-2003, Norway, worked at Titania), two carved woodworks with motifs from the Jøssingfjord area, unknown year
Werner Otto Lichtenberg (1903-1987, Germany, lived in Sokndal), two drawings with motifs from the Jøssingfjord area (1975 and 1976), brushes, paint tubes, and pigments
Eystein Berg (1878-1957, Norway, construction engineer at the Norwegian Chamotte Factory and photographer), five photographs of the construction of the Nedre Helleren power station in Jøssingfjord (ca. 1907)
"Campaign!" showcases a diverse collection of artworks and archival materials, focusing on the local history of the mine Titania, which is the producer of ilmenite for the production of the white pigment titanium dioxide. In the first room of the exhibition "Norway in Red, Whitest and Blue," the audience can see early marketing campaigns for titanium white from the 1920s to 1050s. The second room of the exhibition is called "Gold Frames and Grey Gravel" and displays historical and contemporary depictions of the local landscape that reflect the transformative stages of the region's majestic scenery. The third room of the exhibition, "From the Mountains, Onwards?" explores how extractive landscapes might evolve in response to technological advancements and environmental considerations. The final room of the exhibition is a permanent installation in the Jøssingfjord Museum, which will evolve and develop throughout the TiO2 Project.
By combining art and archival materials, we aim to create a space where visitors can gain a deeper appreciation of the past and feel inspired to contribute to future movements.
The exhibition gives an insight into the early phase research of the TiO2 Project. Most researchers who work with exhibitions as a part of their research, plan exhibitions at the end of their research projects. In NorWhite, however, the exhibitions are planned to take place in the beginning of the project. In this way, our exhibitions are a part of our research method. We use exhibitions to invite the public to take part in our questioning, as the complicated questions we investigate request that we include diverse perspectives. In our exhibitions, we open up our research process and asks our collaborators and the public for inputs, instead of showing a finished result.
For more information about the "Campaign!" exhibition, please visit https://www.tio2project.com or contact project leader Ingrid Halland at ingrid.halland@uib.no
Jøssingfjord Science Museum is a new, future-oriented initiative focusing on the connection between geology and mining in the Dalane region in Norway. Through innovative exhibitions and educational programs, Jøssingfjord Science Museum seeks to engage the community and foster a deeper understanding of the world around us by investigating the relation between humans, technology and nature on a local scale - and its global implications.
The story of resource extraction in the Dalane region belongs to one of the lesser-known parts of Norwegian industrial and environmental history. The mining industry has been and remains vital for the region. The extraction of ilmenite and the production of titanium dioxide has been formative for the development of modern aesthetic defined by ubiquitous white surfaces (Halland & Johnslien, 2023). The question of waste deposits from the Titania mine has also been central in the development of Norwegian environmental activism through the formation of Bellona in 1986. We therefore argue that the story of TiO2 and the Dalane region is an emblematic example of the many entangled questions and concerns raised by the climate crisis in that it encompasses the creation of a
local society, it is intimately tied into the current debate of valuable minerals, and it brings up questions of sustainable resource extraction, waste management, and environmental activism. Today mining remains a vital part of the region’s economy, yet a century of resource extraction has radically altered the landscape.
Download the exhibition leaflet here (in Norwegian or English)
