Mette Sanggaard

Statement

Mette Sanggaard is a multidisciplinary artist and designer who works with spatial and sentient topics. Her work explores the interaction between humans and objects in relation to their surroundings and architecture. Through performance and staged scenarios she researches how different landscapes and meetings can affect the action of the body. How does one decide to act, move and choose direction and which transferences will arise?

With a background in graphic design Mette works with repetitious motion, systems and graphic scores as a continuous tool in her way of working and laying out visual and audible narratives.

By using physical props, tactile materials and sound she creates playful layouts that invite viewers, observers, guests, passers to interact and participate. A focus through Mette’s work is an interest in memory and movement and how this is layered information in our bodies. She works with constructing separate universes that occupy their own time and space and aims to challenge our everyday routines by creating a space for new paths and traces to happen.

GlogauAIR Project

My recent work is exploring the relationship between humans and objects in relation to their surroundings and how these elements affect each other. I’m interested in testing the difference between a live movement/performance versus a documentation of it. The documentation gives you the opportunity to see the recording as the artwork, and frame it specifically for that purpose. I would like to work with this by shooting performed movements framed through the lens. I’m interested in mixing the physical installations with both static images but also video projections and sound. I can imagine an installation made of video projections and physical objects that tricks the viewer to interact or that just slightly push people’s minds and illusions. In this case I’m inspired by the german artist Franz Erhard Walter who creates installations with props and costumes that are rarely being used in action but the installations are so inviting that you as a viewer can imagine a performance and a story happening. I’m interested in this tension between object, image, movement and the questions that a scenario can leave. I would like to create an installation that without saying it invite visitors to take part and if not at least makes them take part in their imagination. I want to create and stage a scenario which will be a mix of (potential) interactive installations and video projections of already recorded movements. This should leave a changing installation and possible performance. An installation where the objects might have been moved since last time you passed by cause someone else moved part of the installation. I hope to create a silence collaboration between visitors either at the same time or cause they visit at different times. This will make the installation become alive and questioning who is the creator. Saying that there will be a very important part of the piece that will be controlled to keep a consistant and directed expression. I find it very interesting to work in a frame where I as the artist and director can create and curate a space for special things to happen. In this case Im clearly interested in continuing working with some of the same tools and guidelines as I did in my perfomance Traces in Action.

CV Summary

EXHIBITIONS, PERFORMANCES & EVENTS

• 2019 – 2020
  • Summer course (August 2020) Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, Course: Montage, my beautiful trouble by Eli Cortinas
  • Reframe, Light and soundinstallation at Festival of Endless Gratitude, Cph (FUKK)
  • Assemball at Vega/Arts – A participatory performance game made in collaboration with Kosmologym. My work consisted of graphic design, spatial design, costume design, facilitating and performing, Cph
  • The Long Dash during Kulturhavn Festival. Workshop facilitator and graphic designer during several workshops in collaboration with Kosmolgym.
  • Traces in Action, performance made during residency, Sensing the City, Metropolis, Cph
• 2017 – 2018
  • Meet me in the middle – performance made during residency, Urbino – ISIA
  • Kosmologym, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Cph (FUKK & Camp Little Hope (US/UK))
  • I U WE, interactive VR performance, Festival of Endless Gratitude, Cph (FUKK)
  • Tårnet, magazine release – event at the culture tower, Knippelsbro, Cph
• 2016 – 2017
  • Blue Pulse, Installation at Svanemøllen Strand, Cph (FUKK)
  • Anchor Point, Kulturhavn Festival, Cph (FUKK)
  • Collective Animal, Performance at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Cph (FUKK)
  • Decoration workshop hosted for the electronic festival STRØM, Cph (FUKK & CUP)
  • Erase Yourself, Total performance, Cph (FUKK & CHERYL (NYC))
• 2014
  • Solo exhibition – ‘Tactile Sound’ at gallery VESS
• 2010 – 2007
  • Clash Festival, a clash between art, stage and design
  • Artexchange, The church-Helligåndshuset
  • Fatamorgana summer exhibition, Henningsen Contemporary
  • Fatamorgana winter exhibition, Lauritz Kunsthal

SELECTED DESIGN WORK

• 2018 – 2020
  • Exhibition and graphic designer at Danish Architecture Center (on going)
  • Project manager, graphic designer, scenographer, artist, concept developer, photographer etc at the art project Kosmologym (3 month), Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art.
• 2016 – 2017
  • Graphic designer, co-editor and content contributor for a the magazine, Kulturtårnet (Culture tower)
  • Photographer at the festival Gong Tomorrow
  • Book layout for What is education
  • Visuel identity for Anchor Point, 3-days festival during Kulturhavn Festival 2016
  • Graphic designer at MUST, video and journalism company (Full time for 2 years)
• 2015 – 2016
  • Graphic and motion designer for the exhibition, The Kings Forest at YOKE
  • Poster and signage for the exhibition Hjem made by Johna Hansen
  • Poster and catalogue for the exhibition, The Grass is Always Greener at Museum of Contemporary Art

EDUCATION

• 2017-2018 Graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design
• 2013 Internship at the graphic design studio, Floor5, Berlin
• 2011 Exchange student at Glasgow School of Art
• 2007 – 2008 Fatamorgana – The Danish Art Photography School
• 2007 Photography course at Technical School

Gallery