Jenny Nordmark (b. 1980, Kalix, Sweden) expresses her work through art, architecture and scenography, to explore issues connected to environmentalism and climate, the local and the global, and the meanings and consequences of human’s exploitation of nature’s resources. Nordmark has studied art at the Royal Academy of Arts, HDK-Valand-Academy of Art and Design, performing arts at Stockholm's Dramatic College, and architecture at Chalmers University of Technology. Previous works include a regional art project for Konstmuseet i Norr, SE (2021), participation in a group exhibition in the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennial, IT (2018) and an exhibition at The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, SE (2015).
Foto: G. Rúnar Gudmundsson/Norrbottens museum
FOLKMAKT, 2024
Doors from Kiruna’s first City Hall Igloo, contact speakers, recorded speeches through impulse response from the former central hall of the Igloo, acrylic paint.
FOLKMAKT is a site-specific installation designed for Kiruna's new civic square, incorporating 12 doors collected from Kiruna’s initial City Hall, demolished in 2019. The Igloo’s doors carry symbolic importance, since they were the threshold between the spaces of the authorities in power and the main central hall, open to all citizens. In 2001, the Igloo was designated a local historic landmark, but it was demolished due to the ongoing relocation of Kiruna’s city eastwards, despite a study indicating the feasibility of dismantling and reconstructing certain parts of the building.
FOLKMAKT is installed beside Kiruna’s new city hall Kristallen, which was inaugurated in 2018. Referencing the historical Igloo, Kristallen incorporates its iconic bell tower, original door handles, as well as selected materials, building components and art collection. FOLKMAKT’s doors are positioned beside the tower, forming a square shape reminiscent of the Igloo’s central hall, and fixed on prefabricated elements commonly found in construction sites throughout Kiruna.
Jenny Nordmark adds another layer to the installation by gathering images of doors from citizens’ houses in Kiruna and painting them onto the installation’s doors, drawing inspiration from trompe l'œil techniques and decorative painting used in scenography. The act of painting the doors outside during the exhibition becomes a catalyst for conversations with passers-by. During the Luleåbiennalen’s opening and closing events, citizens are invited to gather within the installation and express their views on significant issues and opportunities in Kiruna. Their narratives are recorded and played inside the Kristallen’s main foyer throughout the exhibition period using one of the Igloo’s doors as a loudspeaker, bringing the citizens’ voices into the new city hall.
Listen to the recording from the inauguration of FOLKMAKT by Jenny Nordmark, Karin Stöckel and Jari Söyrinki below:
With support from
I Händelsernas Centrum is supported by the European Union, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, Leader Tornedalen 2030, Kiruna Municipality and LKAB.
