On display in the Tower hall, are experimental studies and material outcomes of the work with a group of alien and unwanted plants. Through an open and surprising approach, the prevailing perception of these plants as harmful species is challenged, and the relationship with them is set up against sustainability, production, consumption, and the management of natural resources from our local landscapes. Wilhelmsen has explored these conditions, and the possibilities for change, through mapping, observation, dialogues, and knowledge exchange across disciplines, as well as a number of plant and material studies. The aim has been to investigate methods and strategies for a place-based design practice, as well as the designer's role as a communicator and developer of positive future scenarios and sustainable material culture. The plants carry stories from different places and times, which weave together past and future in the work, and form a canvas to reflect on connections and relationships in the present. "Odd New Spring" invites the public to engage beyond the consideration of the physical objects and appeals to a new type of interaction with the plants and landscapes.
The University Museum's natural history building already contains a multitude of stories about relationships between humans and the living species around us, about climate, landscape and life in change. In the extension of this legacy, the exhibition wishes to unite science, artistic practice, and the general public, through an experimental dissemination of knowledge. The location in The Tower Hall, originally built as a gallery for the museum's art collection, underlines this purpose and forms a suitable setting for the display. It also offers a unique opportunity to experience this space, which is usually only available to the public at events.
"Odd New Spring" presents the doctoral project's artistic results as a whole for the first time. The exhibition consists of materialized formulations, dialogues, comments and proposals, which collectively represent "the odd new spring".