Shield I – III
Glass, electronics, video projections

The work Shield is a series of collaborative works between the visual artist Æsa Björk and musician / performer Tinna Thorsteinsdóttir.

By mapping brain activity with EEG recordings, Æsa and Tinna set out to interpret the border between an intangible emotional state and the physical manifestation of brain activity. The EEG recordings were transformed into sound waves. The fragile glass shields serve both as canvases depicting the physical movements that took place, as well as soundboards for brain activity triggered by emotional responses and movement. The sound manifests itself as vibrations created by the conductive speakers attached to the glass. By forming a chamber of human proportions the glass shields can be seen as a membrane separating the self from the outside while reflecting an inner reality which often remains invisible.

The development of this project was supported by the Norwegian Arts Council (Norsk Kulturråd) in 2016 and it won the grand prize at the Toyama International Glass Exhibition 2018. The works participation in the Toyama International Glass Exhibition 2018 received support from Norwegian Crafts and the Norwegian MFA (UDs frakt- og reisestøtte) 2018 and the City of Bergen (rask respons) 2018. The production of Shield III was supported by the City of Bergen in 2019.

Shield III will be on display in the exhibition Diversity for Peace organized by the Karuizawa New Art Museum Venice Branch May 8th – Nov 24 2019

It is also presented by the streamingmuseum in the project