THIS IS A HUMAN BEING
Hilde Kramer and Sebastian Klein 2020 - 2023

This project explores new methods in teaching and relating Holocaust education to prevent racism and antisemitism among young people. It transposes the workshop-based methodology developed in a pilot project in Łódź, Poland. The new project treats the fate of Norwegian Jews deported from Trondheim in 1942. The exploration of drawing as a tool for learning will continue in this branch of the project. When a site-specific methodology is used in a new place; how does that affect the culture-semiotic aspects? Furthering the research by prof. Hilde Kramer and the use of tactility and illustration in investigating the history of the Ghetto in Lodz, Poland, Sebastian Kein has investigated how learning methods of tactility and illustration could be transposed and developed within the context of with similar, but still distinctly different histories relating to the arrest and deportation of Norwegians Jews from central Norway in the period of 1941-45.

Inspired by the work of Canadian researcher and teacher Peter Liljedahl, and his “thinking classroom” Klein studies how the various methods of the project create and uphold engagement with the participating learners.

In relation to Holocaust education, the recommendations for teaching and learning about the Holocaust” (2019) produced by the IHRA (International holocaust remembrance alliance) has, among many salient arguments for teaching about the Holocaust, listed the following:

“Teaching and learning about the Holocaust is an opportunity to unpack and analyze the decisions and actions taken (or not taken) by a range of people in an emerging time of crisis.”

B-O-O-K (Book, Object, Object, Knowledge)
Hilde Kramer and Imi Maufe, 2020-2023

Book of Remembrance is a performative bookwork and exhibition created by Imi Maufe and Hilde Kramer for the B-O-O-K (Book, Object, Object, Knowledge) section of the Artistic Research Project Illuminating the Non-Representable at the Faculty of Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen. B-O-O-K has been exploring experimental artist books and 3D illustration to challenge our expectations of what illustration can be.

Book of Remembrance illustrates and references an event that took place in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto in the Polish city of Łódź between the 5th and 12th September 1942, commonly known as the Wielka Szpera (General Curfew).
During the same dates, eighty years later, Book of Remembrance was performed in various locations in Bergen, Norway to commemorate the victims from the Litzmannstadt ghetto. The performative work includes a ladder and a glass book work, as well as other elements that make up an exhibition derived from this specific historic event. Simultaneously it can be seen as an acknowledgement of victims of past and present who experience crimes against humanity, through forced labour and incarceration, ethnic cleansing and genocide, suffering that is still ongoing in many corners of the world.

SOUND AS ILLUSTRATION
Hilde Kramer, Fredrik Rysjedal and Thanee Andino 2020-2023

This project examines illustrations executed outside its traditional realm. Accepting the obligation to operate in the service of an idea and to communicate something particular, the project seeks to identify a specific illustration methodology and constituted knowledge, and investigate these through the medium of sound, beginning with central topoi in visual storytelling such as ‘character/ actor’, ‘scenography/ environment’ ‘narrative images' ’dramaturgy’/’plot’ and 'style'. May the transposition lead to new understanding of the field of illustration? A series of interviews have been conducted with practitioners within various artistic fields, has guided our work. We especially thank the illustrators who have shared their thought on how they work. Many of these interviews have been published through the podcast Illustratørpodden (2021 - ).

The backdrop of our research is the place Momarken in south-east Norway; an ancient market place and arena for horse racing. Itt had a near escape from becoming the last Nazi-German concentration camp built on European territory. From 1950 it became an annual market place and concert arena with international stars. What are the stories that people in the place have told? Who are in the picture? Who is remembered, and why?

The artistic works made in this work package are: How Long Did You Stay in The Water? (Rysjedal, Carrasco and Hureau 2020), Music from Siberia (Kramer and Andino 2021), Return Ticket to Oslo (Andino and Kramer 2023). Sounds from the Quarry (Kramer, Andino and Carvalho 2023).

The Face between Us shines a light on aspects of our assumptions towards normalcy and otherness by focusing on the face, a symbol of identity, a portal for communication, and an arena for self-representation. We all have a face, this unites us. The face, however, acts both as a canvas for our true, inner-self as well as a mask - protecting our emotions from others. The face unites, divides, reveals, and deceives.

People with neurological diversities experience challenges in reading, interpreting and reacting to facial expressions, often leading to social isolation or poor mental health due to “masking” (the hiding of one's authentic self in return for perceived social acceptance). Can illustration contribute to the understanding of empathic processes, leading to increased compassion and understanding within our interpersonal relationships?

This research project investigates both digital and analog animation techniques alongside traditional craft materials used to create everyday objects, such as textiles and ceramics. May an extended use of illustration, combining time-based media and tactile elements, expand the experience between imaginary storytelling and sensorial physicality?

An essential method and core element in this research project is the aim of understanding the dynamics of the illustration, the illustrated, and the illustrator from an ethical perspective. Utilizing participatory work methods, the project will focus on a personal micro-history. Working from within the frames of critical design theory, the research project aims to contribute artistically as well as ethically to expand the field of illustration.