Joy Forum
Joy Forum is an independent exhibition space organized by students, artists and staff affiliated with the Faculty of Art, Music and Design (KMD) in Bergen. The screening room, which opened in March 2018, is located as a separate unit in the reception area of KMD. The room is made from surplus materials from the faculty's new building. Joy Forum stands out from its surroundings. The outside of Joy Forum is covered in graffiti. Structures and infrastructure that are usually hidden are visible. Inside is a project room. A number of presentations, workshops, exhibitions, film screenings, intimate concerts, poetry readings, studio work and debates have been arranged here. In the ambiguous span between joy, sincerity, beauty and alienation, powerlessness and uncertainty, Joy Forum aspires to become an open platform for exploration. With the aim of being a space where all types of artistic practices can be explored. At the same time, the surrounding institution's flexibility and tolerance are tested and challenged. The actual organization of Joy Forum is an ongoing process where students and professionals are encouraged to contribute through invitations and half-yearly Open Calls. In Kristiansand Kunsthall, throughout January and February 2023, a selection of projects associated with Joy Forum is shown. Some of the projects are new productions specially created for the exhibition, while other projects have been further developed for this new context. The projects have grown out of or are linked to Sveinung Rudjord Unneland's PhD exploration of artistic collaboration, self-organisation and autonomy. The contributions are artistically independent, but relate to each other through the context they engage in and the artistic strategies they use, often with the intention of changing, reflecting or remaking the context by becoming part of it. Joy Forum has been a key partner in The Pirate Academy activities and gatherings taking place in Bergen since fall 2021. We'll be launching a related publication, in collaboration with Sveinung Unneland and contributors to the Pirate Academy, later in 2023 in Berlin.