Songs from the Wood
Irene Haslum                 
25. 01. – 18.03.2018
 
I have, over a longer period, spent a lot of time seeking out and acquainting myself with the forest that always surrounded me as I grew up. I have walked along old trails, walked off the trails, crisscrossing, and seeing places that I have never seen before. Over time, I have built up an overview and an inner map that I never had before, of this forest that has always been there for me, but which I still had never explored. The more I discover, the more I realize that I have yet to discover. The more I explore, the more it feels like I am getting to know myself.
 
With the forest as a metaphor, I am trying to transpose impressions from the forest to my own abstracted, artistic idiom.
The project deals with the humans’ connection to nature and our quest for the understanding of ourselves and our inner, mental processes.
It deals with the understanding that humans are nature, and that everything in nature is connected.
It deals with the importance[T.Ø.1]  of slow time and being present, and the importance of following the cycles and processes of nature in order to be in balance.
I am fascinated by attempting to show the beauty in the things I experience and that many might not be aware of, and I try to see contexts and connections, both on the outer and the inner plane.
-Irene Haslum
 
Irene Haslum mainly works with sculptures and objects made from plywood[T.Ø.2] . In the project Songs from the Wood, the sculpture have grown in format, and she has even employed different techniques such as photography and ceramics.