Kungl. Konsthögskolan har samtalat med några av högskolans kandidatstudenter som under försommaren 2024 ställde ut på Marabouparken i Stockholm. Till hösten påbörjar studenterna sitt första år på högskolans masterutbildning.* Läs om deras verk, process och praktik i denna digitala intervjuserie. Utställningsbilder och program från kandidatutställningen hittas här.
– Hello Ash. Could you tell us a little bit about the work that you exhibited at the Bachelor Show at Marabouparken?
On an inflatable mattress, visitors are invited to sit and listen to the sound work Note of Study. It is a conceptual compilation referring to the phenomena of failing, and of the disruption of binary genders. Through the medium of sound, the work is a homage to text, in part inspired by Legacy Russell’s Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto, a book provided to anyone engaging with the work.
– What is your background and what brought you to pursue a degree in Fine Art at Royal Institute of Art?
Oh, it has been a journey with a lot of twists and turns. First, I have a background in dancing, practicing various styles with a main focus on hip hop. Using my body or the body has since entangled itself into my work on some level, whether conceptual or practical. Consequently, I went to Stockholm through the Erasmus program studying Theatre and Performativity as part of my MA degree in International Artistic and Cultural Project in Paris VIII.
During this time, the field of performance art became more and more interesting to me, and I decided to stay in Stockholm.
Simultaneously, I discovered the art of textile, and became more and more passionate with practicing the craft, why I decided to do a one-year course in Textile Art at Nyckelviksskolan. But again, here, it was the performance of sewing, or more particularly knitting, that interested me the most. Knitting is a form of mapping, and can relate to cultural, economic and personal space. It can be used to conceptualise social phenomena and relate to anything from gender and class to nation to technology.
Following Nyckelvikssskolan I applied to Royal Institute of Art to be able to merge previous experiences and to develop a new artistic practice within the framework of the identity.
– What medium do you mainly use in your artistic practice today?
Currently, I work with sound.
– Tell us more.
The field of sound was opened to me through the school, mainly through Daniel Karlsson (Lecturer in Fine Art with a focus on sonic practices). There were various workshops students could attend to learn about sound art making. I remember one from the first year which was about creating and modifying instruments from the Mekatroniken [ed. al: a workshop that enables experimentation with interactive mechanics from machine parts, scrap materials and electronics] run by Daniel Karlsson and Andreas Hammar (Adjunct Lecturer in Fine Art with a specialization in Mechatronics and Interactive Techniques). At the end, the students performed with the various instruments they had created.
As a consequence, I started focusing on the possibility of sound as installation and as an object for performance.
As part of the Bachelor’s Show at Marabouparken, I present the sound installation Note of Study, a surround system of tones and noices. The school offers a sound studio, which allowed me to put a lot of focus into the work, and compose the sounds from scratch.
Another great resource is the fabulous room Lyssningsrummet [ed. al: a circular and specially designed acoustical space with 21 spherical speakers] where you can listen to the sound work that you produce in new, creative ways. It is a truly amazing space.
* For 2024/25, Ash is taking a year off studies before pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree at Royal Institute of Art.