Birger Storaas

is a Norwegian artist based in Bergen. He finished his MA in fine arts in 2009. He is working with video, sculpture and sound. Often combined in some way. His videoworks have pop-cultural references, as videogames and music. And the videos are often described as poetical and complex. They also contain a more subtle social and political reading.
For Birger Storaas’s stay at the Sumu Residency (27 April – 28 May) he will mainly work with some new videoworks.

www.birgerstoraas.com

Birger Storaas screening “Playing Soldiers” at SUMU
Playing Soldiers, 2009, 12.12 minutes
Opening: 28 May at 18:00 -20:00, welcome!

“Playing Soldiers” shows a scene from a battle. Soldiers are moving around, never really giving us an indication of whom, or where, the enemy is. The movement of the soldiers are gracious and delicate, almost as if dancing. Like in a computer-game or a horror-movie, the soundtrack is a constant underlying reminder of the potential danger that lies ahead. The video also refers to a child’s way of playing with his toys, creating an imaginary world, where all boundaries and laws are non-existing.

The title; “Playing Soldiers” is taken from a contemporary classical guitar piece made by the Russian composer Nikita Koshkin. It is one of six movements describing a story about a prince and his toys. The prince abuses his toys, which makes the toys rebel against him. They mistreat him, and at the end they turn him into one of them, a toy.