Sixten Therkildsen: An Exhibition With Two Video Projects

Opening Friday, October 22, 6 – 9 pm
Through Sunday, October 24
12 – 4 pm

The Story Came Off
A two-screen video using old 8mm film bought on ebay, containing footage of birthdays, weddings, Christmas Eves, and general homeliness from 1960’s America. Sixten Therkildsen has built up a series of narratives around historical facts relating to street riots and civil rights activism from the same period. This information, while at times very violent, is tied to the footage via anecdotal passages composed by the artist, plus some excerpts from an idealistic student manifesto. During the process, Sixten had the luck of finding a woman from the family that made the films and introduced her to the narratives he made for the old 8mm recordings. Her comments on the narratives, and the stories themselves, comprise the soundtrack, which two actors have made into a voiceover.

Recollection Rally
The video Recollection Rally makes use of old press photographs from the US in the 1930’s, showing anti-war demonstrations, strikes, and student protests. On the reverse side of each photo is a very short text explaining the event and naming some of the people and places seen. Sixten tries to imagine how these short captions could be elaborated into stories.