UNTITLED / Dead Snow World Systems

　Passing through a glass skywalk, visitors encounter an installation by Børre Sæthre. Approaching the entrance, the door slides open automatically to reveal a space composed all in white. As we enter the room, the door closes behind, drawing us into Sæthre’s world. Inside, the room with its soft, rounded edges and forms is oddly reminiscent of a spaceship interior. The installation features elements such as white acrylic panels, reflections in a huge mirror ball, “reconstructed” imagery of auroras, and music playing in the background. Monitors show electronic signals generated by noise from cathode ray tubes, and on the floor, the pose of a white furry animal seems to suggest something.
　Inspired by classic psychological sci-fi movies such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Andrei A. Tarkovsky’s Solaris, Sæthre produces spatial artworks that accompany the narrative dimensions of his creative universe. Entering into the world of his artwork is like a journey through his imaginative tales, and clues are found throughout the installation. Preferring stories without clear plotlines, Sæthre says he is obsessed with uncanniness and the inexplicable surreal. His work has a certain retro deja-vu sensibility.

Photo: Oyamada Kuniya