Recollection Project
Blisterpartitur (Score of Blisters)
Type of work: Performance by Joanna Thede and Ia Neumüller
Length: Appr. 25 minutes
Content: Further information after following photos
Photos by Filippa Lilja
At the opening of Blister Sisters’ exhibition “Recollection: Patchworkers” at wip:sthlm, Ia Neumüller and Joanna Thede made the performance “Blisterpartitur” (Score of Blisters) to the sound piece “Magisk ramsa” (Magical Rhyme) by Leif Holmstrand.
The performance starts with the artists handing out lists of contents for medicines. The sound piece with the chanting of side effects, during which the two performers sewed threads with emptied blister packages between each other’s dresses. The performance ends with each artist cutting off the dress of the other person, leaving the dresses with their attached strings as a blister score on the floor.
Blister Squares
Type of work: Series of installation in recycled blister packages, ironed and sewn on machine. Glued onto a piece of plexiglass of 25 x 25 cm, with hanger and wooden stand to put in a window.
Edition: 23 handmade unique pieces
Size: 23 x 23 cm
Information about the art work: The artist is collecting emptied blister packages since 10 years in an ongoing project called “Recollections”. A number of private persons as well as a few hospital wards spontaneously gather and donate used blister packages as recycled material for new art pieces.
“Blister squares” is a series of smaller pieces, which each can be put in a window – either hanging from the frame or standing on the ledge. Natural light shines through the holes where the pills used to be, thus turning the piece into a light installation, everchanging with the rhythm of the weather and the day and night outside.
Patterns
“Patterns” is an artwork within the project Recollections, where the main material consists of collected and recycled emptied blister packages of medicines. The piece is a site-specific light installation using day light and transparency as its main features. Patterns consists of photographs of the artwork “Patchwork”, a handmade window blind of emptied blister packages sewn together by hand. The photos are printed onto adhesive plastic film and fastened onto the glass panes in the gallery space. Patterns is continually changing with the rhythms of day and night light, the weather conditions as well as the traffic outside in the foreground. The size of the piece is 800 x 210 x 10 cm.
Daylight photos by Helle Robertson
Day and night time documentation by Joanna Thede
Click here for short video of Patterns by day
Click here for short video of Patterns by night
Recollections – Postcard
“Postcard” forms part of the project Recollections, where the material consists of recycled blister packages collected from medical users. The work Postcard is sewn by hand and has so far been made into 3 items. One was sent from South Africa to Sweden but it never mananged to be delivered. The second one was sent within Sweden from Helsingborg to Luleå and did arrive. The third postcard was photographed and used as the opening card for the exhibition “Recollections – Patchworkers” at molekyl gallery in Malmö in May 2015.
Years of Recollection
Within the collaborative work with Blister Sisters, with the members Helle Robertson, Leif Holmstrand and Ia Neumüller, the art work “Years of Recollection” has been produced. It functions as a sculpture, a light installation and is also made to be worn.
The material is a huge amount of emptied medicine pill packages, donated by several generous collectors of which one is a nursing home for elders with dementia in Ängelholm. The blister packages are linked together with small metal loops.
Photos by Helle Robertson
Remedy for a Tree
Type of work: Digiprint on half matte paper
Size: 103 x 81 cm
Content: The original art piece “Remedy for a Tree” was a site-specific artwork made for a specific tree in Slottsparken in Malmö. The piece was on display during the public outdoor exhibition Hidden Art / Dold Konst which was dedicated to the saving of trees. The exhibition ran through-out the summer of 2015 and included 120 artists from all over the world. In October 2015, parts of the exhibition continued to Tivoliparken/Sjöcronas park in Höganäs, north of Helsingborg. Within a week, Remedy for a Tree disappeared and its whereabouts still remains hidden.
The art work was made of emptied blister packages, donated by several people, and sewn by hand with nylon thread. Its perimeter was approximately 65 x 50 x 40 cm.
Patchwork
Type of work: Site-specific day light installation of emptied blister packages in recycled wooden frame
Size: 118 x 90 x 5 cm
Content: “Patchwork” is a site-specific art work made for the exhibition in molekyl gallery in Malmö in May 2015. With the exact measurements of one of the windows: 118 x 90 cm and a side of 5 cm, it fits into the light opening giving day light into the main gallery room. The material is emptied blister packages from medicines, donated by a number of persons. The piece is sewn by hand with nylon thread and fastened onto a frame of recycled wood.
Recollector
Recollector is a piece for gathering emptied blister packages from everyone who wants to contribute. The material is clear uncoloured plexiglass and 4 holes in various sizes at hand level are there for putting in the packages.
Recollector was first activated in the exhibition “Recollections – Patchworkers” at molekyl galleri in Malmö in May 2015.
The size of the piece is 203 x 70 x 30 cm.
Recollections: Blistery Shades
“Skärmhimlar – Blistery Shades” are artworks within the project Recollections, where the main material consists of collected and re-used emptied blister packages of medicine. Together with the designer and tailor Helle Robertson (who runs the design company Robert&Blad), I have produced these lamp where the shades are made of blister packages. The one above is hand-sewn by myself, whereas the one below has a shade made of material which is preholed and linked together with small handmade metal loops, the solution of which is by Helle Robertson.
The light installations are preferably installed close to a corner where the light patterns through the blistery holes are easily experienced.
Recollections: Summer
“Summer” is a photographic artwork in which the artist is wearing a small children’s jumper on the head. The jumper arms form ponytails and the opening for the head of the jumper is covered with an emptied medical blister package through which it is hard to see the outer world. The photograph is taken during summertime and vacation, thus putting the odd clothing in a strange context of familiarity.
Recollections: Blister Sisters
BLISTER SISTERS is a collaborational art project between designer Helle Robertson, artist/writer/musician Leif Holmstrand and Joanna Thede. During 2014 we will investigate the material of emptied blister medicine packages and turn them into lamps, clothes, jewelry, images, sound pieces and performance art.
Blister Sisters is a part of the series Recollections which is supported by The Swedish Arts Grant’s Committee.
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3rd Workshop – June 17th @ Leif’s apartment in Malmö, Sweden
Present: Leif Holmstrand, Helle Robertsson, Ia Neümuller, and Joanna Thede
The third workshop of Blister Sister’s resulted in a lot of planning, coffee drinking and sewing. The art video “Recollection Collection” is made by Leif Holmstrand.
Photos from workshop 3:
Photo: Helle Robertson
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#2:
“IN AND OUT OF ORDER
aka
WHERE DID ALL THE SYRINGES END UP?”
2nd Workshop – June @ Leif’s studio in Malmö, Sweden
Present: Leif Holmstrand, Helle Robertsson, Ia Neümuller, and Joanna Thede
Images from workshop 2 below:
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#1:
“THE BLISS OF SPREADING HORMONES ALL OVER LEIF’S STUDIO
aka
WHAT THE DEPP DOES TO OUR NETHER PARTS”
1st Workshop – May 22nd @ Leif’s studio in Malmö, Sweden
Present: Leif Holmstrand, Helle Robertsson, Ia Neümuller, and Joanna Thede
Sound piece “Blistering number one” by Leif Holmstrand:
https://soundcloud.com/leif-holmstrand/blistering-number-one-by-blister-sisters
Images from workshop 1 below:
Recollections: 56 days
Installation, 2012
Size: 85 x 10 x 0,3 cm
“Recollection – 56 days” consists of several recycled medicine packs sewn together and coated on their printed text side with white paint. The long string is formed as a spiral from floor to wall.
The spiral becomes a counterpart to its own shadow, of which the edges let through the light of the small circular areas where the pills have been. The work draws a memory of a medicating period.
Light laboration through blister packs
Light laboration for coming light installation