Nadine Byrne at the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts
A dreamlike tale of loss, memory and dissolved boundaries. It Will Never Not Be Midnight is a new audiovisual work by artist Nadine Byrne.
Hand-coloured photographs and collages from three analogue slide projectors flow in and out of each other. The images are accompanied by newly composed electronic music in a dramatised sound piece in two acts.
Inspiration from the archives
Nadine Byrne has spent one year working on the 30-minute piece, It Will Never Not Be Midnight. Important sources of inspiration include set sketches from the collection at the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts, broadsides from the Swedish Song Archive and stereo cards from the Music and Theatre Library.
“Loss and the memory’s capacity to retain relationships to people, places and things that have disappeared are consistent themes of the work, and access to the collections and archives was crucial to making it. Indeed, their task is to hold on to the past, to stage our history through their selection – just like memories. Gradually, a story began to emerge.”
On display at the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts from 20 April to 9 June
The opening is on Culture Night, 20 April, with free entry to the entire museum between 6:00 pm and midnight.
Elektronmusikstudion anniversary work
It Will Never Not Be Midnight is the official anniversary work of Elektronmusikstudion, EMS, in conjunction with this prestigious Stockholm studio’s celebration of 60 years.
EMS, one of the world’s oldest and foremost hubs for electronic music and sound art, attracts artists and guest composers from all over the world. The studio has become a regular workplace for Nadine Byrne.
“It has been a true honour and a pleasure to create the anniversary piece. EMS is such a unique place and an important asset for cultural life in Sweden and internationally.”
On twice at the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts
Nadine Byrne is also represented in the exhibition Elektronmusikstudion – Art, Technology and Politics, on show at the museum through 1 September 2024.
About Nadine Byrne
Nadine Byrne (b. 1985) is an international artist and composer. She studied at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm and works with everything from sculpture, textiles and photography to video, sound, music and writing. Dreams, memory, loss and limitlessness are recurring themes in Nadine Byrne’s work.