Monday Begins on Saturday

Monday Begins on Saturday took its title from the novel by Soviet sci-fi writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky about a fictitious research institute staffed by a motley assemblage of fairytale beings and mad scientists who are trying to solve the problem of human happiness through magic. The project was a critical meditation on the potentials and pitfalls of the ever-more ubiquitous, yet at the same time elusive, notion of “artistic research”.

The first iteration of the Bergen Assembly attempted to “read” this narrative through a literary and intellectual re-working of the novel for today. A montage of newly commissioned artists’ projects and collections of historical material, punctuated with fragments from literature, and quasi-fictional curatorial annotations, Monday Begins on Saturday was conceived as an aggregate or archipelago of fictitious research institutes — nodding to the departments in the novel —“hosted” by existing institutions in Bergen. These were not direct responses to the novel, but rather juxtapositioned in a visual essay of twisted analogies, probing the notion of artistic research from unexpected angles in a way that blurred the distinctions between art history and art-making, artist and curator.

It consisted of 11 institutes: 

Institute of the Disappearing Future

With research and work by Kiluanji Kia Henda, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Konstanze Schmitt, Pelin Tan and Anton Vidokle, Ritwik Ghatak, Uriel Orlow, Ivan Melnychuk and Oleksandr Burlaka—Grupa Predmetiv, Minze Tummescheit and Arne Hector—cinéma copains, Mariusz Tarkawian, artists from the Gnezdo Group, and Soviet photographs made for the press in the 1960’s.

Institute of Anti-Formalism

With research and work by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Aeron Bergman and Alejandra Salinas, Władysław Strzemiński, Ada Rybachuk and Volodymyr Melnychenko, Carlfriedrich Claus, Anna Oppermann, Dmitry Gutov, and Ane Hjort Guttu.

Institute of Tropical Fascism

With research and work by Inti Guerrero.

Institute of Imaginary States

With research and work by Lars Cuzner and Fadlabi, IRWIN and NSKSTATE.COM, Jumana Manna and Sille Storihle, Eduardo Molinari—Archivo Caminante (in collaboration with Azul Blaseotto, Ana Broccoli, Ala Pl.stica, and Hern.n Cardinale), Pavel Pepperstein, Maxim Spivakov, Pyotr Subbotin-Permyak, and the Urban Fauna Laboratory.

Institute of Defensive Magic

With research and work by Dimitri Venkov (in collaboration with Antonina Baever), Pedro Gómez-Egaña, Roee Rosen, Clemens von Wedemeyer, and Stephan Dillemuth.

Institute of Perpetual Accumulation

With research and work by Mrinal Sen, Andreas Siekmann and Alice Creischer, and Yuri Leiderman & Andrey Silvestrov.

Institute of Pines and Prison Bread

With research and work by Aleksandr Rodchenko, Wong Men Hoi, and Imogen Stidworthy.

Institute of Love and the Lack Thereof

With research and work by Chto Delat, Keti Chukhrov, and Francis Hunger.

Institute of Lyrical Sociology

With research and work by Olga Chernysheva, Josef Dabernig, and Dora García.

Institute of Zoopolitics

Held Tilikum by Jan Peter Hammer and the Bergen Assembly Reading Room.

Institute of Political Hallucinations

With a film by Christian von Borries.

2013 Website →

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Running time:
31.8.— 27.10.2013

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Convenors

Ekaterina Degot
David Riff

Contributors

Kiluanji Kia Henda, Ilya Kabakov, Emilia Kabakov, Konstanze Schmitt, Pelin Tan, Anton Vidokle, Ritwik Ghatak, Uriel Orlow, Ivan Melnychuk, Oleksandr Burlaka (Grupa Predmetiv), Minze Tummescheit, Arne Hector (cinéma copains), Mariusz Tarkawian, artists from the Gnezdo Group, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Aeron Bergman, Alejandra Salinas, Władysław Strzemiński, Ada Rybachuk, Volodymyr Melnychenko, Carlfriedrich Claus, Anna Oppermann, Dmitry Gutov, Ane Hjort Guttu, Inti Guerrero, Lars Cuzner, Fadlabi, IRWIN, NSKSTATE.COM, Jumana Manna, Sille Storihle, Eduardo Molinari (Archivo Caminante), Azul Blaseotto, Ana Broccoli, Ala Plástica, Hernán Cardinale, Pavel Pepperstein, Maxim Spivakov, Pyotr Subbotin-Permyak, Urban Fauna Laboratory, Dimitri Venkov, Antonina Baever, Pedro Gómez-Egaña, Roee Rosen, Clemens von Wedemeyer, Stephan Dillemuth, Mrinal Sen, Andreas Siekmann, Alice Creischer, Yuri Leiderman, Andrey Silvestrov, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Wong Men Hoi, Imogen Stidworthy, Chto Delat, Keti Chukhrov, Francis Hunger, Olga Chernysheva, Josef Dabernig, Dora García, Jan Peter Hammer, Christian von Borries.

Sites

Bergen Kjøtt

as the Institute of Defensive Magic

Bergen Kunsthall

as the Institute of the Disappearing Future

Entrée

as the Institute of Political Hallucinations

Stiftelsen 3,14

as the Institute of Perpetual Accumulation

KNIPSU

as the Institute of Love and the Lack Thereof 
 
KODE 4
as the Institute of Anti-Formalism

KODE 1
as the Institute of Imaginary States

Rom8

as the Institute of Tropical Fascism

Visningsrommet USF
as the Institute of Zoopolitics

Østre

as the Institute of Pines and Prison Bread

Bergen Skolemuseum

as the Institute of Lyrical Sociology

Bergen Assembly 2013 Team

Evelyn Holm

Director

Agatha Wara

Head of Project Management

Ida Rødsand

Administrative Coordinator

Per Rutledal

Project Coordinator

Kamilla S. Mathisen

Intern

Ariel Mitchell

Intern

Christoph Platz

Head of Exhibition

Anya Pantuyeva

Curatorial Assistant

Peter Schloss

Technical Manager

Sturla Heggdalsvik

Production Assistant

Clemens Alban Ottenhausen

Production Assistant

Lona Hansen

Intern

Jill Winder

Head of Research and Publications

Anya Pantuyeva

Editorial Assistance and Proofreading
Leah Whitman-Salkin

Editorial Assistance and Proofreading

Henriette Gallus

Head of Communications

Melanie Räuschel

Communciations Assistant

Sivan H. Malberger

Assitant to the Head of Communications

Arash Shahali

Intern

Monika Zak

Intern

Mei Szetu

Events Coordinator

Erling Thorvaldsen

Intern Events

Celine Amundsen

Head of Mediation

Mayra E. Henríquez

Head of Mediation/Artistic Coordinator

Elisabeth Petch

Mediation Assistant

Technical Team

Jacob Alrø
Mattias Arvastsson
Fredrik Berberg
Johannes Engelsen Espedal
Johnny Herbert
Anders Elsrud Hultgreen
Gabriel Kvendseth
Dillan Marsh
Bjørn Mortensen
Nina Skarsbø
Emil Skousen

Advisory Board

Ute Meta Bauer
Ina Blom
Ingar Dragset
Bruce W. Ferguson
Maria Hlavajova
Ranjit Hoskote
Solveig Øvstebø

Executive Board

Petter Snare
Stein Olaf Onarheim
Bodil Friele
Marieke van Hal
Arne Rygg