GALLERIA HUUTO
CARL VICTOR WINGREN
GLOOP
11.11.-4.12.2022
CARL VICTOR WINGREN’S GLOOP IS AN INSTALLATION OF STICKY HANDMADE PHOTOGRAPHS, ODOROUS SEAWEED AND SQUELCHY SOUNDS. SEAWEED UNDERLIES THE EXHIBITION AND IS USED AS BOTH A FIGURATIVE AND MATERIAL SOURCE.
TO MAKE A PHOTOGRAPH, WINGREN BEGINS BY COLLECTING WASHED UP SEAWEED FROM THE BEACHES NEAR THEIR APARTMENT (THEN SOMETIMES HAS TO GO BACK TO THE BEACH TO LET THE BUGS THEREIN BACK TO THE SEA). AFTER DISCREETLY RIDING PUBLIC TRANSIT WITH A BIG MYSTERIOUS BUCKET, WINGREN DRIES THE SEAWEED AND GRINDS IT INTO A POWDER. THIS POWDER IS USED AS BOTH AN EMULSIFIER FOR LIGHT SENSITIVE SOLUTIONS AND A GLUEY MASS IN HANDMADE PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPER. THE IMAGERY PORTRAYS WATERY LANDSCAPES, WHICH ARE HARVESTED FROM THE INTERNET IN A SIMILAR MANNER TO THE SEAWEED ITSELF. THESE FOUND PHOTOGRAPHS ARE COMBINED WITH PICTURES THAT WINGREN SNAPS USING AN UNDERWATER CAMERA AND THEN ASSEMBLED TOGETHER WITH OTHER AS-SETS IN 3D SOFTWARE. THE RESULTING IMAGES FORM A SOMETIMES ABSTRACT, SOMETIMES HYPERREAL, AND ALWAYS WET LOOK. AN ACCOMPANYING SOUNDSCAPE IS CREATED USING DIGITAL SYNTHESIS; FIELD RECORDINGS FROM AN IMAGINARY BOG. SQUELCHY AUDIO IS AS ARTIFICIAL AS THE DIGITAL IMAGE ASSEMBLAGES BUT STILL FEELS WET AND MAYBE EVEN GROSS. WHILE THE IMAGES AND SOUNDS ARE SOMEWHAT SYNTHETIC, THE SMELLS ARE ALL NATURAL. THIS BIO-MATERIAL WORK QUESTIONS ARCHIVABILITY AND PERMANENCE. IT IS NECESSARILY PRESENTED IN A STATE OF FLUX: A FLOW STATE BETWEEN THE DIGITAL AND THE MATERIAL; THE WET AND THE DRY. WINGREN EXPERIMENTS WITH THESE IDEAS AND MATERIALS BUT DOES NOT CONTROL THEM.
CARL VICTOR WINGREN HOLDS A BA OF CULTURE AND ARTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY FROM NOVIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND IS CURRENTLY PURSUING A MASTER’S DEGREE IN PHOTOGRAPHY AT AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARTS, DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE.
THIS EXHIBITION HAS RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM THE SWEDISH CULTURAL FOUNDATION IN FINLAND, KONSTSAMFUNDET AND STINA KROOKS STIFELSE. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!
https://www.galleriahuuto.fi/carl-victor-wingren/
