Detail from the installation Since Thursday, see more photos after the text

[Excerpt from catalog] In Køster Holst’s work Since Thursday she has elected to re-imagine a vast flock of porcelain birds, moving throughout and landing taut within the stunning setting of the Chapel Royal. From the vaulted ceilings, thousands of silk and cotton threads fall, like rays of light, connecting with each bird. These threads define the formation of this flock of birds, while also interacting with the space and architecture of the Chapel. Køster Holst’s poetic installation was first shown in 2009, after her residency at the porcelain flatware company, Porsgrund Porselænsfabrik. During the residency, Køster Holst was given the opportunity to work with the molds of Fossekallen (the European Dipper, known as the Norwegian national bird), a porcelain souvenir made by Norwegian designer Johan Sirnes (1883-1966) around 1930.

The process brought Køster Holst’s attention to the complex meanings of time, rhythm and deformation during the casting process, and also gave each of her own casted birds their own shape and identity.In this perspective, Johan Sirnes’ focus on the individual European Dipper has turned into a focus on the one vast flock of individual birds, which are constantly on the move to yet another place.

Download the catalogue In the Margins of Our Minds published by Norwegian Craft (pdf)

Curators: Gjertrud Steinsvåg, Director International Projects, Norwegian Crafts and Susan Holland, Education & Outreach Officer, Design & Crafts Council of Ireland dccoi.ie Supported by: The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Norwegian Embassy in Dublin Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and Office of Public Works Date: 8 – 25 September 2014

Dublin Castle, Chapel Royal, 2014

Katrine Køster Holst