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Bjørn Erik Haugen

The Pen is Mightier Than the Word

Vidéo | hdv | couleur | 5:6 | Norvège | 2017

In my video I problematize how how scientific research is published now and the changes and demands it is stands forward on regard to the Open Access-declaration and Sci-hub. I have concentrated my work on the idea of authorship, and in the near future when cognitive or artificial intelligence will curate, compile and find correlations over many research disciplines. This will be possible when research will gain open access. I think that we will see knowledge organized in new ways and in cross-disciplines. AI I have made a paraphrase on the old saying which is "The Pen is mightier than the Sword", that is central to my works proposed for this exhibition. The pen is here a metaphor for the Computer with AI / cognitive computing that can read and compile research material. It is not the person/author that is central, it is the knowledge that other can read/build upon that is important. The video is a mixture between documentary and a power-point presentation. In my works I often make archives, and work with several medias to make installations. Knowledge production, science-sociology and bio-politics are central in my artistic work. And I want with my works to make the viewer reflect on what they see/experience. I look upon art as knowledge-production. The ideological foundation for Open access to research I will focus on is the UN declaration of human rights article 27: "Every has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits." We know see that access to research is expensive and more difficult to access, and the privileged Universities has access while African/Asian and South-American Universities and their researchers and student must resort to criminal activities, copying articles from more privileged colleagues or from Sci-hub. This structure correlate to the same structure of wealth in the world. The video was screened at the Research Pavilion during the Venice Biennial in May 2017.

My name is Bjørn Erik Haugen, and I have an MA from the National Academy in Oslo 2007. Currently I am working on a phd at the Academy of Music in Oslo. I work mainly with sculpture, sound- and video installation. I work from a conceptual platform where the idea to the work comes before the material, media or way of expression. My works has been shown on the annual national autumn exhibition in Norway, and have been screened in Wienna, Barcelona, Sweden, Germany, England and in USA. I exhibited at Transmediale, 2012 I received«Honorary Mention» at Prix Ars Electronica 2012 in the section Digital Musics & Sound Art. One of my videos was screened at Rencontres Internacionales 2012 and at WRO International Media Art Biennale 2013. In 2014 I exhibited at Bucharest Biennial, ISCM 2014 and at Bristol Biennial. Last year I exhibited at Land-Shape, Arhus, Spring- exhibition, Fotogalleriet, Oslo, ISEA 2015, Vancouver and at 28. Festival Les Instants Vidéo, Marseille. In 2017 I had a solo- exhibition at Haugar Art Museum and presented a video-work at the Second Research Pavilion for the 2017 Venice Biennale. Last year I performed at Only Connect Festival, Klang Festival, Copenhagen and Blurred Edges, Hamburg, and participated on a group exhibition at Haugar Art Museum. This year I have a concert at Ultima 2019, and a solo exhibition at Khåk.