https://lorieballage.com Lorie Ballage Mon, 24 Mar 2025 10:41:56 +0000 https://lorieballage.com en https://lorieballage.com/Home Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:05:52 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Home https://lorieballage.com/About Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:05:53 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/About Lorie Ballage ́s practice emerges from a deep engagement with water—as a transformative element and a metaphor for the fluidity of human experience. It began with a personal confrontation of fear: the vast, unfathomable depths of the ocean. Scuba diving became both a physical and symbolic journey, sparking her fascination with the ways water shapes our perceptions, dissolves boundaries, and invites us into spaces of vulnerability and transformation. In her installations, Ballage works predominantly with ceramic sculptures which are contrasted by recycled industrial materials, narration, and sound to create environments that blur the line between the familiar and the uncanny. These multi-sensory spaces serve as invitations to pause and reflect, revealing the invisible layers of connection between ourselves, our surroundings, and each other. At its core, her work is a quest to open dialogues about the structures that govern our lives and the possibilities that arise when we embrace fluidity over rigidity. By exploring themes of longing, failure, and interconnectedness, she aims to create moments where audiences can engage with their own inner worlds while contemplating their place within the broader environmental and societal context. Lorie Ballage (b. 1994 in Paris) holds an MFA from the Bergen Academy of Art and Design and a BFA from the Art Academy of Dundee. She has exhibited at, among others, Pragovka Gallery (Prague), Kunstnernes Hus, Carl Berner Projektrom (Oslo), Bergen Kunsthall, Kunstgarasjen, KRAFT (Bergen), Studio 17 (Stavanger), and the Mark Rothko Art Center in Latvia. She is based in Bergen, Norway. https://lorieballage.com/Bio Wed, 21 Oct 2020 17:09:36 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Bio &nbsp; &nbsp;CV Education2015-2017 Master in Fine Art at Kunst- og designhøgskolen i Bergen, Norway. 2014-2015 Bachelor in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, Scotland. 2013-2014 Erasmus at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, Scotland. 2012-2013 Bachelor in Fine Art at Les Beaux Arts de Tours, France. 2009-2012 Baccalauréat in Applied Art at Albert De Mun, Paris, France. Upcoming Exhibition 2025 - «Sink &amp; Soap», Buskerud Kunstsenter, Drammen (NO) 2025 - «Le jeu et les couleurs», Group exhibition, Atelier José Vermeersch, Lendelede (BE) Solo Exhibition2025 - «Piscine Municipale», Pragovka Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic. 2024 - «Piscine Municipale», Carl Berner Projektrom, Oslo, Norway. 2024 - «Flooding away», Gallery ASK, Åsgårdstrand, Norway. 2024 - «Flooding away», the Wrong House, Kortrijk, Beligum. 2023 - «Ripples - Rituals», Kunstgarasjen, Bergen, Norway.2023 - «Piscine Municipale», Studio17, Stavanger, Norway. 2021 - «Bath Time», KRAFT, Bergen, Norway. 2020 - Cancelled due to Covid-19, Kiosque Raspail, Galerie Fernand Léger, Ivry sur Seine, France. 2019 - High tide, Isotop, Bergen, Norway. 2016 - «Sailor-Failure», Gallery Fisk, Bergen, Norway. 2015 - Gallery Cabar &amp; Fiodh, Dundee, Scotland. 2015 - SoundScape «Abyss» diffused across Glasgow through «Radiophrenia», Scotland. Group Exhibition 2024 - «Liquid dreams and silent noise», duo show with Robin Vermeersch, the Wrong House, Kortrijk (BE) 2024 - «Høstutstilligen», Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway. 2024 -&nbsp;«Prøverommet», June 3rd, Nordnes Sjøbad, Bergen, Norway. 2024 - «Exhibition Talente - Masters of the Future», Trade Fair Ground, Munich, Germany. 2023 - «Latvia Ceramic Biennale - Martinsons Award», Mark Rothko Art Center, Daugapils, Latvia. 2023 -&nbsp;«CERCO 2023 - XVIII International Contemporary Ceramic Award», Zaragoza, Spain. 2023 - «KERAMIKK», CM7, VISP, Bergen, Norway.2022 - «Høstutstilligen», Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway. 2022 - «FUS», Gallery Kösk, Oslo, Norway. 2022 - «We are vessels», Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, Netherlands. 2021 - CM7,Bergen, Norway. 2021 - «Årsutstilligen», SKMU, Kristiansand, Norway.2020 - «Kunstmesse», Kunstgarasjen, Bergen, Norway.2019 - «Point in Time», Heusden, Netherlands. 2018 - «Initiator», in collaboration with Forlane 6 Studio for Eleusis2021, Elefsina, Greece. 2018 - «Texst Group / Zine #2 Launch», Joy Forum, Bergen. 2018 - «Project Network», Guldagergaard Apple House Gallery, Skælskør, Danmark 2017 - «After School Special», curated by Tariq Hindic, Landmark, Bergen, Norway. 2017 - «Sculpture Park 2017», Gallery Bokboden, Bergen. 2017 - «Vooks are Stupid!», The Library, KHIB, Bergen. 2017 - «Triage», Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway. 2017 - «Texst Group / Zine #1 Launch», Gallery Bokboden, Bergen, Norway. 2016 - «Laboratoire of Failure», curator, KHIB, Bergen. 2016 - «An Echo of the illuminated», curated by Eliyah Messayer, KHIB, Bergen, Norway. 2016 - «Rift», Bergen Kjøtt, Bergen, Norway. 2016 - «Just Landed», An Talla Solais, Ullapool, Scotland. 2015 - «First Proof», Cooper Gallery, Dundee Scotland. 2015 - Bachelor Degree Show, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, Scotland. 2014 - «Unknown World», curator and artist, Cooper Gallery, Dundee, Scotland. 2011 - «Les Jardins d’Eden», group project with Bruno Dieudonné, Arles Photography Festival, France. Residencies2024 - BEK, Bergen Center for Electronic Arts, sounds studio, (one week) (NO) 2023 - BEK, Bergen Center for Electronic Arts, sounds studio, (one week) (NO) 2019/20 - La Céramique Comme Experience CCE, ENSA Limoges, France. 2019 - Sunday Morning Residency, European Ceramic Workcentre (EKWC), Oisterwijk, The Netherlands. 2018 - The Midwater Residency, Poros, Greece. 2018 - Initiator, Elefsina, Greece. 2018 - Guldagergaard's Project Network residency, International Ceramic Research Center, Skælskør, Denmark. Awards, Scholarships and Supports2025 - Kulturådet, three (3) years&nbsp; work grant for established artists.2025 - Bergen Kommune, international support. 2025 - Kunstsentrene, Regionale Prosjektmidler for visuell kunst. 2024 - Kulturdirektoratet, projekstøtte for visuell kunst. 2024 - Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond, projekstøtte. 2023 - Kunstsentrene, Regionale Prosjektmidler for visuell kunst. 2023 - Kulturdirektoratet, projekstøtte for visuell kunst. 2023 - Bergen Kommune,project support. 2020 - Kulturådet, three (3) years&nbsp; work grant for younger, newly established artists. 2019 - Kulturådet, Miscellaneous scholarships. 2018 - Bergen Kommune,travel support. 2018 - NBK, Visual artists' remuneration fund grant. 2017 - Kulturådet, Miscellaneous grants for newly qualified artists. 2015 - Gallery Cabar &amp;FiodhSolo show Award, Dundee, (SCO) Collection2021:&nbsp;Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Trondheim, Norway.2020:&nbsp; Bergen Kommune, Norway. 2018: EKWC, Oisterwijk, Netherlands. 2018: Apple House Gallery, Guldagergaard, Skælskør, Danmark. 2015: East Shore, Alumno Developments, Saint Andrew, Scotland. Member in Artist Organisations Norkse Kunsthandverke, Norske Billedkunstnere, Norsk Billedhoggerforening, VISP, Kunstgarasjens venner. Artist Talk 2025 - Pragovka Gallery, Prague (CZ) 2024 - Norsk Billedhoggerforening, Oslo (NO) 2024 - Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (NL) 2023 - Kunstgarasjen, Bergen (NO) 2021 - Monday Lecture,&nbsp; KMD, University of Bergen (NO) 2020 - Online interview with Artfolk, Bergen (NO) Teaching 2024 - Guest teacher (two days) at Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (NL) Positions at the Faculty for Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen (NO): 01/08/2021 - 31/12/2022: 50% Assistant Professor 01/03/2021 - 01/08/2022: 50% Manager of the Master Program in Fine Arts 01/09/2020 - 31/12/2020: 40% university lecturer 01/08/2020 - 31/12/2020: 50% university lecturer 27/08/2018 - 31/12/2018: University lecturer 01/09/2017 - 01/12/2017: “Vitenskapelig” assistant in the ceramic and clay departement Other2024 - Closed competition for a public comission, Stovner Bad, Oslo Kommune 2021/ Co-Founder of Cone7 - Ceramic workshop AS, Laksevåg (NO) 2017/ Curator and Director of Galleri Kronborg, Bergen (NO) https://lorieballage.com/Contact Wed, 21 Oct 2020 19:50:35 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Contact contact: lorieballage@gmail.com https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-1 Thu, 20 Jun 2024 09:47:00 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-1 PISCINE MUNICIPALE Chapter III Pragovka Gallery23.01.25 - 27.03.25 <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/683b1eabeb10149e8c7e345c05cac1fa9f6e247b8441f191470fe2c76721597a/_MG_9252.jpg" data-mid="228693624" border="0" data-scale="65" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/683b1eabeb10149e8c7e345c05cac1fa9f6e247b8441f191470fe2c76721597a/_MG_9252.jpg" /> Chapter II Carl Berner Projektrom21.06.24 - 15.12.24 <img width="1512" height="2109" width_o="1512" height_o="2109" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7a756c7025cc934679b40f38d94ea0b18d532407dcb6dfbceb8748f82fa9a5bd/Piscine-Municipale---In-the-swimming-pool.jpg" data-mid="213271088" border="0" data-scale="65" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7a756c7025cc934679b40f38d94ea0b18d532407dcb6dfbceb8748f82fa9a5bd/Piscine-Municipale---In-the-swimming-pool.jpg" /> &nbsp;Chapter I STUDIO 1721.04.23 – 23.04.23 <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9f6ec52726a3d7f3157c3ea0ed6431a6effa773399fa444e878fe8038000afa2/13-kopi.jpg" data-mid="213271085" border="0" data-scale="65" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9f6ec52726a3d7f3157c3ea0ed6431a6effa773399fa444e878fe8038000afa2/13-kopi.jpg" /> https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-chapter-I Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:01:07 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-chapter-I PISCINE MUNICIPALE Chapter I STUDIO 1721.04.23 – 23.04.23“One step down the ladder, the water felt colder than expected—an unsatisfactory luck-warm touch on my foot. The chlorine tickles my nose. And a symphony of high- pitched screams and laughter from children playing in the next pool feels like overwhelming rush hours. Another step down the ladder, twisting my hips and holding tight to the sidebars. I am now facing the concrete edge of what separates gravity and unsolidness. The perpetuated movements from all this unsynchronized underwater choreography are rippling to the edges, splashing my collarbones. Third step down the ladder: What am I doing here? Last step left, water up to my neck, a gentle strangling embrace is holding me tight and calling me in. I can feel my ears looking forward to conversing with the water waves, filtering the disharmonies of overexcited kids.” &nbsp; <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9f6ec52726a3d7f3157c3ea0ed6431a6effa773399fa444e878fe8038000afa2/13-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177011025" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9f6ec52726a3d7f3157c3ea0ed6431a6effa773399fa444e878fe8038000afa2/13-kopi.jpg" /> <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4434a759a0579c4b48f312955d3a178a92e02a6b0e2feb8a879a4a2de803b6f7/17-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177010921" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4434a759a0579c4b48f312955d3a178a92e02a6b0e2feb8a879a4a2de803b6f7/17-kopi.jpg" /> <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/98d240c7029b124a0a41690fa929f7b4b739446e172ce75dd5535b2abd60393c/20-kopi.jpg" data-mid="213305614" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/98d240c7029b124a0a41690fa929f7b4b739446e172ce75dd5535b2abd60393c/20-kopi.jpg" /> <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/076356eedeb0cd00475b1de40f4e6915d33b71e49bffbcb61dbbfdbfe3202f8f/25-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177011112" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/076356eedeb0cd00475b1de40f4e6915d33b71e49bffbcb61dbbfdbfe3202f8f/25-kopi.jpg" /> <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c47620ef3dad359791ee052ecf47ddcc85f8a9c864528a90f0869c5218ad4f06/24-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177011110" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c47620ef3dad359791ee052ecf47ddcc85f8a9c864528a90f0869c5218ad4f06/24-kopi.jpg" /> Bouée de sauvetage, (x3) 55cm x 55cm x 7cm, 2023 surface Tension, glazed stoneware, 140cm x 55x 1cm, 2023 <img width="3744" height="5616" width_o="3744" height_o="5616" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/56eb2367d3656daddc64b03624718ca38839a5f90081241338317b9e773ea7f8/26-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177011113" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/56eb2367d3656daddc64b03624718ca38839a5f90081241338317b9e773ea7f8/26-kopi.jpg" />Lane Line 1,&nbsp;glazed stoneware, metal, 13cm x 13cm x 195 cm, 2023 <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e5ce37fa69c605233cabb1c08d4fbee797775a3ec841cfdd921911a712a6921e/11-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177010892" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e5ce37fa69c605233cabb1c08d4fbee797775a3ec841cfdd921911a712a6921e/11-kopi.jpg" /> <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c55ccb7ab59b7c04bcf99dbff4ff8bbf17c1b8e5804a0847a16c547cdaf5e3e3/9-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177010831" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c55ccb7ab59b7c04bcf99dbff4ff8bbf17c1b8e5804a0847a16c547cdaf5e3e3/9-kopi.jpg" /> <img width="5616" height="3744" width_o="5616" height_o="3744" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5a75606afa4fea4aeb095b731beceb43b201bf3d4b3b821550b0d103a4e0f814/7-kopi.jpg" data-mid="177010891" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5a75606afa4fea4aeb095b731beceb43b201bf3d4b3b821550b0d103a4e0f814/7-kopi.jpg" /> Flip, Flop, Spash (KIT 1),&nbsp;glazed stoneware, epoxy, 4,5cm × 54cm x 30 cm,&nbsp;6,5cm x 25cm x 9 cm, 2023 Through a narrated fantasy, “Piscine Municipale” presents a site specific installation inspired by architectural settings. The intention is to create a space where one can feel immersed within a fictious and uncanny approach of a public swimming pool atmosphere by the means of ceramic sculptures and industrial materials. The diversion of spatial functionality from its initial environment and the notion of resistance occurring from the lack of water are the primary parameters of the exhibition. In a grandly dysfunctional variation, all these notions which are an abstraction of a longing can manifest this inherent force which will always exceed us. Documentation:&nbsp;Eivind Egeland Support: Studio17, Bergen Kommune, Kulturdirektoratet. &gt; Chapter II https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-chapter-II Thu, 20 Jun 2024 09:48:09 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-chapter-II PISCINE MUNICIPALE Chapter II Carl Berner Projektrom21.06.24 - 15.12.24 <img width="3000" height="2000" width_o="3000" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a60df4cef8f38de416234e255ddef75a39ff57178a8532256b8137e2e7b61315/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_02.jpg" data-mid="216794490" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a60df4cef8f38de416234e255ddef75a39ff57178a8532256b8137e2e7b61315/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_02.jpg" /><img width="2000" height="3000" width_o="2000" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/58b25a1b94e39d489221ff42353264a4d08cb26f420e3fc8a1a7709ab6cf463f/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_12.jpg" data-mid="216794507" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/58b25a1b94e39d489221ff42353264a4d08cb26f420e3fc8a1a7709ab6cf463f/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_12.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2000" width_o="3000" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cc77e0572aa4e313fd3cc126a90e877d00c7ee9e3015f5893780e8ae9f8082f8/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_08.jpg" data-mid="216794681" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/cc77e0572aa4e313fd3cc126a90e877d00c7ee9e3015f5893780e8ae9f8082f8/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_08.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2000" width_o="3000" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a200a11a085fd960f535d4b506186ef06f394f5b9c293999ff2b4fe1a81d3836/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_04.jpg" data-mid="216794492" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a200a11a085fd960f535d4b506186ef06f394f5b9c293999ff2b4fe1a81d3836/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_04.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2000" width_o="3000" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/aca6e02bf3dfcbc44a50f2c0c52c884bba7e1611aeb5b1e1208875ade51cdb67/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_06.jpg" data-mid="216794494" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/aca6e02bf3dfcbc44a50f2c0c52c884bba7e1611aeb5b1e1208875ade51cdb67/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_06.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2000" width_o="3000" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b8cc008f2c7f23b23af5eb2eaf52163d86d5addc044d3dfa92d000232e6b4601/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_16.jpg" data-mid="216794683" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b8cc008f2c7f23b23af5eb2eaf52163d86d5addc044d3dfa92d000232e6b4601/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_16.jpg" /> <img width="3000" height="2000" width_o="3000" height_o="2000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b131a49a7df305aea0e2396fc4c868eb90db5b29b0da3f3fe0eb46022b42aa3e/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_17.jpg" data-mid="216794684" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b131a49a7df305aea0e2396fc4c868eb90db5b29b0da3f3fe0eb46022b42aa3e/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_17.jpg" /> <img width="2000" height="3000" width_o="2000" height_o="3000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/678f61a9d33cae61ec719186ff8a6323b4c72234e40b6aedbe0a8fb2a1a5d03b/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_19.jpg" data-mid="216794685" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/678f61a9d33cae61ec719186ff8a6323b4c72234e40b6aedbe0a8fb2a1a5d03b/BHF_Lorie-Ballage_2024_WebRes_19.jpg" /> Piscine Municipale (French for public swimming pool) presents a site-specific multi-sensory installation inspired by the gallery’s underground environment. The architectural elements and objects relating to swimming pools have been deprived of their intended functions and only the absence of water remains.&nbsp; In this uncanny scenography, the human flow in the subway station becomes part of the exhibition as a rhythmic activation of the otherwise seemingly abandoned swimming pool. Through a narrated fantasy, the boundary between flow and stillness, becomes fluid – like water. The atmosphere in Piscine Municipale reveals ceramic as the exhibition’s predominant material through a combination of hand-crafted tiles and recycled industrial bricks, whose glazed palette tones explore deterioration inspired by underwater depth and water behavior. The aesthetic has the hypnotic power to induce a scent of chlorine recalling, for many, a nostalgic intoxication. The exhibition’s audio journey, accessible here, dives into a 6 minutes guided visualization set within the backdrop of a swimming pool. Through listening to this simple narration while standing present, Ballage’s piece appeals for a gentle intermission, suspending the subway’s transit tempo into a contemplative pause. documentation:&nbsp;Istvan Virag / KUNSTDOKsupport: production support for visual arts, Kulturdirektoratet &gt; Chapter I https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-chapter-III Mon, 24 Mar 2025 10:41:56 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Piscine-Municipale-chapter-III PISCINE MUNICIPALE Chapter III Pragovka Gallery23.01.25 - 27.03.25 <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f32fd70794fac128be84946ab14c51d24f2d5f012624632773c99b4bbb3d23be/_MG_9252.jpg" data-mid="228692433" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f32fd70794fac128be84946ab14c51d24f2d5f012624632773c99b4bbb3d23be/_MG_9252.jpg" /> <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a2a9a52cff6f32a166878662a706898b16f801e7bb9955e2af68eac443d18fe4/_MG_9196.jpg" data-mid="228692458" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a2a9a52cff6f32a166878662a706898b16f801e7bb9955e2af68eac443d18fe4/_MG_9196.jpg" /> <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/22f45c59a17fdb73741a51190698f16be9d78f04dc0a30705eff1424f6355420/_MG_9214.jpg" data-mid="228692465" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/22f45c59a17fdb73741a51190698f16be9d78f04dc0a30705eff1424f6355420/_MG_9214.jpg" /> <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/860dcd3ecb1453011547f5294d1ce5c329042b6a549484f2a096ff7cbfd730a9/_MG_9197.jpg" data-mid="228692437" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/860dcd3ecb1453011547f5294d1ce5c329042b6a549484f2a096ff7cbfd730a9/_MG_9197.jpg" /> French Norway-based artist Lorie Ballage's exhibition project, Piscine Municipale, transforms the gallery space into a fictional simulation of a public swimming pool. The inherent antagonism of the element - water, which is colourless, odourless, tasteless and essentially ungraspable - carries a heterogeneity that makes it complex, intricately simple and universally fluid: water can be thought of as both a life-giving material substance and the substance on which the most fundamental myths and other cultural expressions are based. Water, in short, always and necessarily evokes powerful contexts, which is linked to the human endeavour to understand, transport and control it. <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/35212be2313f9cbeb45667377916dd1091e5c9fd2c46cf87362b05843949f7bc/_MG_9195.jpg" data-mid="228692436" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/35212be2313f9cbeb45667377916dd1091e5c9fd2c46cf87362b05843949f7bc/_MG_9195.jpg" /> Ballage's installation, consisting of dysfunctional ceramic sculptures, together with chlorine-soaked air, saturated nautical colours and an auditory narrative, creates a poetic (perhaps slightly unsettling at times) scene that reinforces this age-old fascination with the element of water. However, the aspect that emerges most strongly when viewing the installation is the exploration of absence. This absence lies not only in the complete absence of water, but also in the absence of other bodies. And this, in conjunction with the objects denying their usual qualities and the stylized architecture, creates a confrontation with the expectation of spaces having water as their focal point. <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e9ff711439a8960add02a3f792b39ce4200120f04643b585bcce109062cda5eb/_MG_9201.jpg" data-mid="228692438" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e9ff711439a8960add02a3f792b39ce4200120f04643b585bcce109062cda5eb/_MG_9201.jpg" />In its original form, the environment of the urban swimming pool that Ballage recreates is often associated with personal nostalgia and collective memory originating in the leisure activities of childhood. In this case, however, the artist offers a rather intimate and solitary experience. By reconstructing a community pool setting devoid of the usual cacophony of sounds, movements and interactions, her interpretation becomes a place of individual introspection where the audience is left alone with their sensory impressions, memories and imaginings. The deliberate inclusion of a sensory cue in the form of the smell of chlorine - a pungent, synthetic feature of modern mass water manipulation - highlights the aforementioned paradox: although the water itself is devoid of odour, chlorine has become an inseparable part of the public image of swimming pools, signalling cleanliness, regulation and control. The audio component then further layers this dynamic. In a space where visual, auditory, and olfactory stimuli are mostly prominent, the narrator's voice offers a grounding presence that blurs the boundaries between the internal monologue and the external environment. <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a473fc7c6d24bff2fff0b7b11c2de552818987ff833f71615e9e10a2e06813cc/_MG_9206.jpg" data-mid="228692457" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a473fc7c6d24bff2fff0b7b11c2de552818987ff833f71615e9e10a2e06813cc/_MG_9206.jpg" /> <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9f42d8c6e9657cc6d347f57175ec6eeb02c56f2238dadb67bb5d5814e32ad16d/_MG_9208.jpg" data-mid="228692460" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9f42d8c6e9657cc6d347f57175ec6eeb02c56f2238dadb67bb5d5814e32ad16d/_MG_9208.jpg" /> <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7f65fc6fb602f6e8243e555a3b55981ec8fd7b400acd4fc4f704afbcad1c9a6b/_MG_9209.jpg" data-mid="228692461" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7f65fc6fb602f6e8243e555a3b55981ec8fd7b400acd4fc4f704afbcad1c9a6b/_MG_9209.jpg" /> <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/387f497b103911f1ef4ce8b038fffe0318ce43edd292dd5383e8308e15459593/_MG_9251.jpg" data-mid="228692493" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/387f497b103911f1ef4ce8b038fffe0318ce43edd292dd5383e8308e15459593/_MG_9251.jpg" /> Public swimming pools, as places where water is contained, regulated and experienced by the community, represent a departure from the unrestricted and elemental nature of water in nature. Although Gaston Bachelard condemns public pools in Water and Dreams: an Essay on the Imagination of Matter, he does so precisely because of the impossibility of experiencing this space alone (Water and Dreams, An Essay on the Imagination of Matter, 1983, p. 168). For him, water figures as a medium of dreaming, embodying fluidity, transformation and the unconscious; it has the unique ability to evoke in us the imaginative experience of new space and new images as they are born, and thus to re-experience being itself. However, by removing the actual water from the pool, Ballage's installation reconfiguration prompts us to consider how water, even in its most controlled forms, retains the ability to evoke a space for material imagination, and asks whether it is possible for a space of this type, even in the physical absence of water, to function precisely as a site for imagination. <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/650686def495aaa44002bdf6085c4c3e0bd9501734dc0b1b89ddea0a6dc3cb8a/_MG_9211.jpg" data-mid="228692462" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/650686def495aaa44002bdf6085c4c3e0bd9501734dc0b1b89ddea0a6dc3cb8a/_MG_9211.jpg" /> <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/235b5d848d3da41eefe2ed31aa5a9619be64bb938300ef08652ac475f72e0568/_MG_9650.jpg" data-mid="228692441" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/235b5d848d3da41eefe2ed31aa5a9619be64bb938300ef08652ac475f72e0568/_MG_9650.jpg" /> <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2acde0a6fd06d7363a03f2e10c4d573a5f41bcd38a1b7057e3f3f53a894109ec/_MG_9658.jpg" data-mid="228692442" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2acde0a6fd06d7363a03f2e10c4d573a5f41bcd38a1b7057e3f3f53a894109ec/_MG_9658.jpg" /> The artist's installation also aptly points to the tension between "H2O" and "living water" in modern society. As a site symbolizing urban planning and technical rigid administration, the urban pool exemplifies the reduction of water to a managed resource - a space of regulation, disinfection and control, characterized by rules and systems designed to control the nature of water, resulting in the loss of its symbolic richness and spiritual significance. The artist's exhibition project accentuates these contradictions by stripping the environment of its original functions and activities. The saturated, playful ceramic objects and sterile tile surfaces create a tension between handmade and standardized, between the pool as a place of joy, play and imagination and the domain of the biopolitical systems of modernity. Piscine Municipale, however, with its aesthetic abstraction and sensory provocations, turns the direction of interpretation towards the "water of dreams", which Ivan Illich says is lost in modernity: “H2O and water have become opposites: H2O is a social creation of modern times, a resource that is scarce and that calls for technical management. It is an observed fluid that has lost the ability to mirror the water of dreams. The city child has no opportunities to come in touch with living water. Water can no longer be observed; it can only be imagined, by reflecting on an occasional drop or a humble puddle.” (H2O and the Waters of Forgetfulness, 1986, epub p. 64.) &nbsp; <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7a85e84f20555ed8c509ad0997e163cef66dc26f62dae10fab2644878c8a46ec/_MG_9229.jpg" data-mid="228692472" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7a85e84f20555ed8c509ad0997e163cef66dc26f62dae10fab2644878c8a46ec/_MG_9229.jpg" /> <img width="3543" height="2362" width_o="3543" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5762d63abc29ff21d4a6828093d67f2a82518661388cd97188b0d938da72209c/_MG_9233.jpg" data-mid="228692473" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5762d63abc29ff21d4a6828093d67f2a82518661388cd97188b0d938da72209c/_MG_9233.jpg" /> And perhaps Piscine Municipale can be seen as a space for imagining the deeper and intangible meanings of water; a commentary on the symbolic relationship between humans and nature, oscillating between absence and presence, individual bodily experience and collective identity, imagination and technocracy; an exploration of how meanings of water are constructed, contested and preserved in a world increasingly defined by its utilitarian manipulation and commodification. The short version of Piscine Municipale’s audio journey is accessible here.text: Eva Slabà&nbsp; curator: Eva Slabàdocumentation: Marcel Rozhon support: Bergen Kommune, Kulturdirektoratet &gt; Chapter II https://lorieballage.com/Ripples-Rituals Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:22:33 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Ripples-Rituals RIPPLES - RITUALS Chapter IKUNSTGARASJEN 17.11.23 – 14.01.24 - Time to brush your teeth:“I entered through this space of intimacy by locking myself in. This simple gesture always felt like entering a new dimension, leaving all stories behind - by the simple act of twisting this lock. The window was kept open, letting in a gentle breeze whispering onto my neck. The rug tickles my toes, but I know that out of this safe island, a cold tiled floor awaits my gravity center. I grabbed my toothbrush, and with a thoughtless gesture, applied the paste onto a forest of little hairs. My hand, my arm, my mouth, in fact my entire body know what to do. It acts its usual choreography, and while my body parts converse with each others, the reflection of my funny faces through the mirror dissolves. My head separates itself by thoughts carrying me adrift. Anywhere but here. From now. For now. And by the time I came back, water was already cascading through the siphon, taking with its flow all my wanders away. Towel kissing my lips, fingertips ready to unlock the door, I am ready to forget, and I know that soon, I ́ll wonder if I already brushed my teeth.” <img width="5392" height="3592" width_o="5392" height_o="3592" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b52eaebcb50e3cbbdf3a00c584225fcbe859267adaf1430d842427d5e2662509/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_72.jpg" data-mid="200837486" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b52eaebcb50e3cbbdf3a00c584225fcbe859267adaf1430d842427d5e2662509/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_72.jpg" /> <img width="5392" height="3592" width_o="5392" height_o="3592" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f3de4f20fda26883f845f014f4ae6a284dbe5d213c2edca3a9a3fca615938266/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_32.jpg" data-mid="200837389" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f3de4f20fda26883f845f014f4ae6a284dbe5d213c2edca3a9a3fca615938266/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_32.jpg" /> <img width="5392" height="3592" width_o="5392" height_o="3592" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/51d4327ebf555625e01a08eefffa1a30da100e5c2aabbe7234204bb4d1718961/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_28.jpg" data-mid="200837388" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/51d4327ebf555625e01a08eefffa1a30da100e5c2aabbe7234204bb4d1718961/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_28.jpg" /> Waterfall, glazed stoneware, synthetic rubber, PVC, 72 x 86 x 13 cm, 2023 <img width="3592" height="5392" width_o="3592" height_o="5392" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d4cc13383b92e3ef61d50ffd5c318312d85a2e7c2f5e569d06629de9a91f4f58/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_43.jpg" data-mid="200837393" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d4cc13383b92e3ef61d50ffd5c318312d85a2e7c2f5e569d06629de9a91f4f58/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_43.jpg" /> System for thought process, glazed stoneware, synthetic rubber, polymer clay, industrial gardening plastic hose, metal, variable dimensions, 2022 - 2023 <img width="3592" height="5392" width_o="3592" height_o="5392" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3ea452ae68934b84ead79690d39d933463b80124c94352b93b380938f2876303/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_48.jpg" data-mid="200837417" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3ea452ae68934b84ead79690d39d933463b80124c94352b93b380938f2876303/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_48.jpg" /> <img width="3592" height="5392" width_o="3592" height_o="5392" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/92f5e7bffc4746c91cd16adfae600d726815d60a71b4e5c1d8e230e22b7417ad/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_54.jpg" data-mid="200841579" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/92f5e7bffc4746c91cd16adfae600d726815d60a71b4e5c1d8e230e22b7417ad/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_54.jpg" /> Ploc /Fountain #8, Plic /Fountain #7, glazed stoneware, industrial porcelain sink, polymer clay, metal, speaker, looping sound piece “Plic-Ploc”, 7”20´, 44 x 55 x 47 cm, 57 x 72 x 42 cm, 2022 - 2023 <img width="3592" height="5392" width_o="3592" height_o="5392" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6761cd16bf8650e487fd939d24164f113c8f73a1d5f78c7883be163dc85f7de5/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_53.jpg" data-mid="200841578" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/6761cd16bf8650e487fd939d24164f113c8f73a1d5f78c7883be163dc85f7de5/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_53.jpg" /> Drain for wanders, glazed stoneware, raku-fired casted porcelain, industrial ceramic sink, wood, metal,&nbsp;63,5 x 61,5 x 34 cm, 2023 <img width="3592" height="5392" width_o="3592" height_o="5392" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c106b36c51922c2fa6494dfcf7484c0e7a3d30067d5e05382bf98928b1c69f3f/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_38.jpg" data-mid="200837367" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c106b36c51922c2fa6494dfcf7484c0e7a3d30067d5e05382bf98928b1c69f3f/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_38.jpg" /> Forgotten embrace, glazed stoneware,&nbsp;33 x 43 x 5 cm, 2023 <img width="3592" height="5392" width_o="3592" height_o="5392" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/584aee42b31efa41ffe5859970e1d854910c1853849612e3c6f0a8cf528175d3/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_15.jpg" data-mid="200837369" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/584aee42b31efa41ffe5859970e1d854910c1853849612e3c6f0a8cf528175d3/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_15.jpg" /> <img width="2362" height="3543" width_o="2362" height_o="3543" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/40b08a5b78c9c1934e5cd34f23903c5c160ca4284cbcd462ec2916ed73d1ae91/Lorie-Ballage-Kunstgarasjen-foto-Thor-Brdreskift.jpg" data-mid="213309618" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/40b08a5b78c9c1934e5cd34f23903c5c160ca4284cbcd462ec2916ed73d1ae91/Lorie-Ballage-Kunstgarasjen-foto-Thor-Brdreskift.jpg" /> Pink solace, Lighthouse, glazed stoneware, light bulb, electric cord, acrylic compound, 25 x 70 x 25 cm, 26 × 84 × 26 cm, 2023 <img width="3592" height="5392" width_o="3592" height_o="5392" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5c7a30116b3b9588add66709c3b0f649d373517861d49bd4ad220d185d079a02/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_46.jpg" data-mid="200837399" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5c7a30116b3b9588add66709c3b0f649d373517861d49bd4ad220d185d079a02/Kunstgarasjen-Lorie-Ballage-Foto-Thor-Brdreskift_46.jpg" /> Siphon for warm wishes, Glazed stoneware, concrete tiles, wood, metal, 40 x 50 x 20 cm, 2022 - 2023 <img width="667" height="1000" width_o="667" height_o="1000" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/78933d0bc47d8b5fac7dc8ab9243d2b8129844bda67cb4840e2d7df190e3e9ca/Lorie-Ballage-Kunstgarasjen-foto-Thor-Brdreskift_40.jpg" data-mid="202356807" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/667/i/78933d0bc47d8b5fac7dc8ab9243d2b8129844bda67cb4840e2d7df190e3e9ca/Lorie-Ballage-Kunstgarasjen-foto-Thor-Brdreskift_40.jpg" /> Good Morning &amp; Good Evening, glazed stoneware, (2x)&nbsp;8,5 x 58 x 8 cm, 2023 <img width="3526" height="5292" width_o="3526" height_o="5292" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4c4944c77033195aa8086440412fae97ed3dc7989e85d8c01e71feadf030ae6d/Fluid-communiucation---1.jpg" data-mid="213309836" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4c4944c77033195aa8086440412fae97ed3dc7989e85d8c01e71feadf030ae6d/Fluid-communiucation---1.jpg" /> <img width="2336" height="3502" width_o="2336" height_o="3502" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dd85ef1cf62bdeab0c72dbf9b990d3b5b0ee0719b7eee8096babd6bc6448d090/Fluid-communiucation---5.jpg" data-mid="213309672" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dd85ef1cf62bdeab0c72dbf9b990d3b5b0ee0719b7eee8096babd6bc6448d090/Fluid-communiucation---5.jpg" /> Fluid communication, glazed stoneware, concrete tiles, shower hose, wood, metal brackets,&nbsp;120 x 105 x 22 cm, 2022 - 2023 Documentation: Thor Brødreskift Support: Bergen Kommune, Kulturdirektoratet. https://lorieballage.com/Bath-Time Fri, 10 Sep 2021 12:59:23 +0000 Lorie Ballage https://lorieballage.com/Bath-Time BATH TIME KRAFT16.04.21 – 30.05.21 Thirty minutes in a liquid above my body temperature. Water filled up to the rim, I intentionally forget to subtract my volume so that I can watch the water stretch around my bare skin and see the liquid escape and slip onto the now flooded tiled floor. The rag is soaked and perhaps the flood will spread beyond the bathroom, sneaking under the door. Immersed with my feet wedged under the taps, I fantasize about a bottomless world, where the rain would wet myself and freeze my face a little more. When I look at the waves slowly carving themselves onto my fingertips, I wonder how long it would take me to dissolve. Splashed by the swirl of calm water, I can not resist this untamed force. <img width="2362" height="3539" width_o="2362" height_o="3539" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/66f1ea550f34d39bb4cb73bf9013159bf9f4dc15f7273fe86b0b444b7ab8d1f6/12.jpg" data-mid="118538703" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/66f1ea550f34d39bb4cb73bf9013159bf9f4dc15f7273fe86b0b444b7ab8d1f6/12.jpg" /> Flood /Fountain #1,&nbsp;Glazed stoneware, polymer clay, water, pump, 52cm × 44cm x 23cm,&nbsp;2019, documentation: Bjarte Bjørkum, collection: Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum <img width="2362" height="3539" width_o="2362" height_o="3539" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4853f189b95ce2be74d388970363225b04a94e746438babd16cf221cdff6c6c6/13.jpg" data-mid="118538704" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/4853f189b95ce2be74d388970363225b04a94e746438babd16cf221cdff6c6c6/13.jpg" /> Passage /Fountain #5, glazed stoneware, gardening hose, synthetic rubber, metal, water, pump, 56cm × 45cm x 40cm,&nbsp;2021, documentation: Bjarte Bjørkum <img width="3941" height="4961" width_o="3941" height_o="4961" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dd339608078dd532ea87ed9f300a66a8999479c315d138f78d5bd2ce18532e80/LCXbXcTg.jpeg" data-mid="177005819" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dd339608078dd532ea87ed9f300a66a8999479c315d138f78d5bd2ce18532e80/LCXbXcTg.jpeg" /> Twins /Fountain #4, glazed stoneware, gardening hose, synthetic rubber, metal, wood, water, pump, 55cm × 35cm x 35cm,&nbsp;2021, documentation: Alf-Georg Dannevig / Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (Årsutstilligen 2021) <img width="2000" height="1500" width_o="2000" height_o="1500" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a1fcc45606c0c3836f84ae7772494605186c8aceee0fe2cbe2ffe4b92cbb499b/Eventful-relationship---Oslo-Hostutstilligen.jpg" data-mid="177005811" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/a1fcc45606c0c3836f84ae7772494605186c8aceee0fe2cbe2ffe4b92cbb499b/Eventful-relationship---Oslo-Hostutstilligen.jpg" />Eventful relationship, glazed stoneware, shower hose. 100cm × 35cm x 90cm, 2021, documentation: Høstutstilligen 2022 (above), Bjarte Bjørkum (below) <img width="3539" height="2362" width_o="3539" height_o="2362" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/842f494f11e0f5e38a91cd730712ef5b3d5539db72cb08b8f1b354826a5056eb/15.jpg" data-mid="118538706" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/842f494f11e0f5e38a91cd730712ef5b3d5539db72cb08b8f1b354826a5056eb/15.jpg" /> <img width="1080" height="1080" width_o="1080" height_o="1080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b7293ae468aac65f58d55579d7eecbc065833849fde1470182f409513b377076/4.jpeg" data-mid="177008051" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/b7293ae468aac65f58d55579d7eecbc065833849fde1470182f409513b377076/4.jpeg" /><img width="1080" height="1080" width_o="1080" height_o="1080" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e339baa30dfa79255be8469eba5a2ba5e6f889d6df370b1989af999644dc462b/1.jpeg" data-mid="177006092" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e339baa30dfa79255be8469eba5a2ba5e6f889d6df370b1989af999644dc462b/1.jpeg" /><img width="3651" height="5477" width_o="3651" height_o="5477" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c399dca22e4d4f7fd8aaa059c4dc9bd80895eff99c486ca2e44e6fb94d1f0af6/5.jpg" data-mid="177006337" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c399dca22e4d4f7fd8aaa059c4dc9bd80895eff99c486ca2e44e6fb94d1f0af6/5.jpg" /> Soap /Fountain #6,&nbsp;glazed stoneware, gardening hose, synthetic rubber, water, pump, 58cm × 45cm x 40cm,&nbsp;2021, documentation: Kösk Gallery <img width="2362" height="3539" width_o="2362" height_o="3539" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e4ad49ad6ea9eb1e907ae7182c8fe387ac4e68f9184c573d06637f727b18b40d/18.jpg" data-mid="118538709" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e4ad49ad6ea9eb1e907ae7182c8fe387ac4e68f9184c573d06637f727b18b40d/18.jpg" /><img width="2362" height="3539" width_o="2362" height_o="3539" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d0489516c545102dfbd12e1a2d17beb30fd0db2ade38e5db948956a10af878c9/20.jpg" data-mid="118605970" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d0489516c545102dfbd12e1a2d17beb30fd0db2ade38e5db948956a10af878c9/20.jpg" /> Untitled (On non-existent corners), glazed stoneware, metal, synthetic rubber, 100cm × 90cm x 40cm, 2021, documentation: Bjarte Bjørkum Text:&nbsp;Sara Kollstrøm Heilevang In Ballages universe we are met with failing as a strategy to encounter the unknown. When something has failed, that something is in disagreement with what actually is. To fail can therefore be viewed as an action that seeks to get closer to, or uncover a truth, and makes the premise for how the human kind learns about itself in relation to the world. To embrace failing is in a way like surrendering to the sea. One loses control, overview and points of navigation. But it can also be accepted as an invitation, an opening to experimenting and approaching the potential of material on other premises. In the exhibition different states of water meet in circulation, communicating with one another. Sometimes flawlessly, sometimes dysfunctionally. The molecules of water are attracted to itself, the ones forming the outside surface always trying to get closer to the ones within. This makes water as material always wanting to become more compact, intimate and spherical, struggling to get away from its own surface tension. In larger bodies of water, such as the human body or sculptures made of clay, this tension is overcome by the force of gravity. In her practice Ballage explores her own potential as a body of water, drawn back to the other molecules of water in the sea. This is however putting herself up to fail, as mankind's development of lungs has turned humans into breathing, water carrying vessels, not quite beholden to neither land nor sea. In her works for Bath Time the desire towards water is grounded through ceramic sculptures of glazed stoneware contemplating water circulation and exploring the fountain as an impractical machine.