In the exhibition Play, the Rogaland-based artist Tiril Hasselknippe invites us into a world of science fiction.
The main themes of Tiril’s exhibition are:
Parallel universes
Science fiction
Physical abilities and chronic illness
This is a brief introduction to the exhibition.
Tiril is well known both in Norway and abroad, especially for her work with large-scale sculptures. For her first solo exhibition in her hometown, Kunsthall Stavanger has dedicated our main gallery to her work.
The exhibition consists of an encompassing installation in a dark room, made up of sculptures in the form of luminescent arches installed at different heights. The sculptures look like they are made from organic or corporeal fibers, but they may also be seen as portals into other realities or periods of time. Throughout the room, visitors can hear a soundtrack Tiril created herself by playing on a waterphone, an instrument that is frequently used in science fiction and horror movies.
Tiril is fascinated by science fiction, and for this exhibition she has been especially interested in parallel universes, a theme that has inspired many authors and filmmakers. One example that Tiril is interested in is the film Sliding Doors from 1998, where Gwyneth Paltrow plays out two different lives that exist simultaneously: in one, she manages to catch an underground train, in the other she is too late. Most of us have asked ourselves similar questions: “What if?” Tiril encourages us to think more about such questions, both as individuals and as a society.
This notion of different realities also plays out in another way in the exhibition, namely, how people perceive reality based on differing physical abilities.
Tiril has previously felt ashamed of having a chronic illness, in her case fibromyalgia. Through Play she wants to show us that illness is not always something negative. It lets her experience the world in an entirely different way than other people do. The brain fog that accompanies fibromyalgia makes it difficult to hold onto trains of thought. The portals featured in the exhibition may be seen as moments and choices in life that we believe have been of critical importance to our current situation, although in Tiril’s case they are also scattered parts of a train of thought. In this way she shows us what her reality looks like.