Particular Universal

When does a place go silent? Particular Universal is a sound art exhibition curated by nyMusikk, Nitja Centre for Contemporary Art and the Portuguese organisation OUT.RA. Ten artists who work with sound and image investigate locations with barely surviving communities at the extremities of Portugal and Norway, exploring questions of identity, landscape and memory. 

Castro Marim in south west Portugal has ties with the Norwegian fishing industry next door to the dense holiday region of the Algarve. Magerøya on the North Cape is a wilderness in a Norwegian area opening up for tourism. By exchanging visits between these empty landscapes, artists from Norway and Portugal have tried to create a deeper connection with these territories.

This exhibition shows the results of their investigations, in very diverse formats including video, sculptures, sound installations and photography. Together they show how art can seek out what remains in places and communities that have lost their energy and purpose, and help foster visions for new futures.

NB: On Saturday 21 September between 14.00 - 15.30 NITJA and nyMusikk will present two live performances from the group exhibition Particular Universal. Among the participating artists are Eirik Blekesaune & Martin Taxt, as well as Signe Lidén, all of whom work with sound not only as a purely musical material but also as an expression of memory, identity, and place. The works will be brought to life by the artists themselves, inviting the audience into two unique sound experiences.

Check Nitja's homepage for opening times outside of the festival period.