A Forest is a site-specific installation developed from research into the Ljusne-Woxne family business and former saw mill factory and the attendant relationship with the collections and the establishment of the Hallwyl Museum. The materials I have used link metaphorically and poetically to the collections at the museum and are designed to evoke themes of loss, disruption, migration of people and materials and the ecological management of resources.
The branches reference the wood from the forests in Ljusne, without which there wouldn’t have been the wealth to invest in the museum.
The work was created using small branches wrapped in velvet, which I used to represent the opulence and splendor of the house, its displays and the rich fabrics used within the museum, but also to give the branches the appearance of being charred and burnt. The idea of charring is a way of referring to the production of charcoal, which was a bi-product of the sawmills, and of course the loss and devastation caused by the business on the surrounding forests and the significant disruption to people once the business closed.
The idea of wealth and richness - opposed to hardship and the loss of the forest is something that interests me greatly. The process of wrapping and binding the branches speaks of both death (and to me is like the velvet lining of a casket) and also about a rebirth in the sense that that I am creating a new (albeit temporary) artwork from the branches.
In the context of the house and the collections within the museum, my process is both a form of preserving the branch and a means of protection. But I also felt there was a ritualistic element in the gathering, wrapping and preserving, which is something that has been used throughout history.
I’m also interested in the idea that a humble branch can be part of the collection; and for me it recalls the way Wilhelmina von Hallwyl documented and collected everyday items such as kitchen utensils, and wine bottles, as well as great works of art.
The final part of the installation was re-presented at Ljusne the former wood mill site.
