Robyn Rejmyre is currently working with the community of Rejmyre in Sweden, as part of the Spaced North by Southeast program.

Robyn Backen is a Sydney-based interdisciplinary artist with a significant residency history. Backen’s recent body of work evolved from her research into the acoustics of ancient whispering architecture and their unique communication patterns of sending and receiving.

Here, Robyn shares an update from Rejmyre.

Weeks 1-3: Arriving and settling in

I have been in Sweden for a couple weeks now and it has been a mix of full-on and deep
calm. I have been settling back into the remote Swedish farm living at the residency in Kalbo and have a studio space at the Rejmyre glass factory which is about a 10 -15-minute drive.

After settling into the 200-year-old hand crafted wooden residency house we have to reestablish the ritual daily swims with Daniel, Sissi, Novi and Ian in one of the local lakes, and
long twilight deer spotting forest walks. Ian Hobbs is with me this time and is also working
on the ArtLAB website.

Over the next 4 weeks, I will be working on of a series of works evolved from last year’s
residency – Performing Labour at the Rejmyre Glass Factory. The 4 interrelated works are
responses to the Swedish industrial and farming landscapes.

Proposed works

Series 1: Magical Wall - Barn Wall

One of the works I am proposing to build is a mobile barn wall that will carry a text encoded into the slats of the transparent structure. The words will only be legible once the sun or artificial light projects the inverted letters onto the path/road.

The shadow-drawing will be created on the ground surface by the invited community members, children and tourists. The drawing will be impermanent charcoal and or chalk. This performance element is inclusive and will enable community engagement in the process and inevitable discussion that will evolve for the action.

The text will be a series of Swedish words that are still being considered. I am looking at the double meaning or mi-interpretation in language for example BARN in English is a shed or place to protect animals and in Swedish it means child. I will create a compound word, a new word in Swedish. This compound word will be a 'protologisms' (from Greek protos, meaning 'first, original' and Greek logos, meaning 'word'; cf. prototype, protoplasm). These
invented words will be a form of linguo-poetic imagination of the final structure (1). I have organised with Ulf, the Owner of the Glass factory that I will build the work at the back of the factory, with the support of the experience artist Olav Lunde from Finspång.

1. Wikipedia Protologism

Series 2: I Am Jet Black Glass

I have purchased 30 jet black glasses from the Rejmyre Shop. I will reinstall the 30 glasses for a week in the shop. One glass will contain a hidden Bluetooth speaker and speak from the back about being a black glass cup. These glass-cups were originally designed by Margareta Hennix, titled Amore Selterglas and featured in the 2008 Rejmyre product catalogue. The text for this work will reference the book.

Series 3: I Am Rejmyre Glass

This work is an eight-minute film I recorded last year for the Performing Labour product line, 2016. I am working on re-recording at higher resolution and considering possible modes of presentation. Sound may be included to this annealing mediation.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (from the Performing Labour Product Catalogue)

I am Reijmyre Glass is an eight-minute workplace moving meditation. Focusing our attention on the analogue cooling system – a glass annealing belt circa 1930’s – offers trance like qualities. The work can be viewed on a smart phone, personal computer or projector. With the assistance of I am Reijmyre Glass, find yourself slowing down and contemplating what it means to be a mechanical form.

Series 4: Miracle Listener

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (from the Performing Labour Product Catalogue)

This newly developed office/factory eavesdropping product offers unlimited local listening, easy to use handling, and portability. This hand held devices offers a sleek long neck, directing sound from the acoustically specific spherical dome base. The sophisticated combination offers effective sound resonance for comfortable listening. There are limitless applications for this device.

-Robyn Backen