THE LOGBOOK

THE LOGBOOK
an art-project about communication and cultural exchange.

In January 2003 ten handmade books started to fly between China and Sweden. The books were made by five Chinese and five Swedish artists. Every time the books arrived the artists set to work in a book of their own choice, adding pictures, sketches, photos and text and then the books were sent back again. So the books wandered during the year of 2003, took on different forms and were filled with different content depending on which artists had laid their hands on them. It’s quite an adventure to leaf through the books and get a slice of the thoughts, memories and everyday life of each artist. And a taste of their different artistic expressions.
Now it’s time for the ten artists to meet in real life, to work together and of course show the Logbooks. On March the19th the opening of the exhibition “The Logbook” will take place at Nordica in Kunming, China.
Within a year from this, the Chinese group will go to Sweden to make a corresponding exhibition there.

THE LOG-BOOK
–an art-project between China and Sweden

We hereby confirm that we are willing to participate in this project.

The working process is as follows:
We are 10 persons, 5 from China and 5 from Sweden. Each and one of us start or gives birth to a log-book. Then all of us will have the chance to decide shape and form and maybe also give it a name. We will then have 10 individual books to send back and forth between our countries. The log-books can be big or small, the number of pages can be decided or not, different colors, different sizes, different paper. It can be with a cover and everyone puts in a loose page, or it can be bound with a fixed number of pages. Or in some other form. Examples: The tall book, The thick and fat book, The sacred book, The scrap book, The mini-book.

The person who starts a book will also decide when the book is finished. Maybe it will become too heavy to send, or the one who started it just thinks it is enough. And then she starts a new book.

The content and messages of the log-books should be as free as possible and therefore it can be important that the form is somewhat fixed and decided. But still all the participants should be able to put in their ideas on how the books should look like.

The artists can write in their own language and the Swedish group will have the texts translated in Sweden.

It is important to send the whole book back and forth, so we, at every moment, have the process before our eyes and we can be inspired from the pages the others have done.

The pages, even if they are loose, should be marked with a number, so we can follow the thread (if there is any). Every time when a book arrives a new page is done and the book is sent again.

The books will be sent back and forth during the year of 2003. The Swedish artists will send their books to Nordica. Li Liu Feng is the coordinator at Nordica, Gudrun Westerlund in Sweden. The Chinese artists can send the books to her art studio address in Sweden.

After this year it is planned that the Swedish group will come to Kunming, China, in the spring of 2004 to make an exhibition at Nordica together with the Chinese participants, showing the log-books and hopefully other art-works inspired by the books.
Within a year from this date it is also planned that the Chinese group will come to Sweden to make a similar exhibition.

The Swedish group will provide the money for postal costs between the countries. They will also apply for contributions and scholarships to provide for travel and other costs. (This part is not yet guaranteed)

We accept these conditions and will make all the effort we can to go through with the project.
–Gudrun Westerlund

Introduction of the “THE LOGBOOK” project:

â–² 2002 February, Swedish artist Gudrun Westerlund visited Kunming, she met with the local female artists and choose 5 Chinese artists to cooperate with the other 4 Swedish artists.

▲ In January 2003, ten handmade books started to fly between China and Sweden. The books were made by five Chinese and five Swedish artists. Every time the books arrived the artists set to work in a book of their own choice, adding pictures, sketches, photos and text and then the books were sent back again. So the books wandered during the year of 2003, took on different forms and were filled with different content depending on which artists had laid their hands on them. It’s quite an adventure to leaf through the books and get a slice of the thoughts, memories and everyday life of each artist. And a taste of their different artistic expressions.

▲ Swedish artists Visit Kunming, and it’s time for the ten artists to meet in real life, to work together and of course show the Logbooks. On March the19th the opening of the exhibition ”The Logbook” was take place at TC/G Nordica in Kunming, China.

â–² 2005 February, Chinese Artist visited Sweden, they had a corresponding exhibition at Uppsala Museum, during they stay, they created new performance.

â–² The project was finished now, the Cooperation between Chinese-Swedish artists will be continuing.

C.V. FOR THE ARTISTS OF Log Book Project

Lei Yan
Works with painting and printing
Exhibitions in Mainland China and Hong Kong

Fu Li Ya
Painter and art-teacher
Exhibitions in China, Canada, America and Germany

Shen Qin born in 1974
Painter and art-teacher
Exhibition in China, Switzland, Sweden

Jiang Jing born in 1978
Painter and art-teacher
Graduated from Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts

Taoyini born in 1978
Sculpture and art-teacher
Study in Germany

Kristina Jansson born in 1946
Painter and sculptor
Exhibitions in Sweden, Finland, Belgium
Public commissions in Sweden

Ragnhild Brodow born in 1955
Sculptor, art-teacher and project-leader
Exhibitions in Sweden, England, Holland and Japan
Public commissions in Sweden

Eva Kallander born in 1957
Works with painting, printing and photography
Exhibitions in Sweden, Finland
Public commissions in Sweden

Annica Danielsson Almen born in 1954
Works with sculpture and ceramics
Exhibitions in Sweden, Finland, Holland and Germany
Public commissions in Sweden

Gudrun Westerlund born in 1953
Painter
Exhibitions in Sweden, Finland, Germany and Japan
Public commissions in Sweden