Mimesis (2024)

The work Mimesis touches on land and science, geography and myths, semiotics and power and consists of photographic prints, sculptural objects in wood and brass, and moulded friezes. The works are based on an incident from 1818 - The Bodø Affair - a diplomatic conflict between the then Sweden-Norway and Great Britain.

The Bodø affair started with English businessmen sending three merchant vessels to Norway with the intention of smuggling the cargo ashore and selling the goods duty-free. Norwegian authorities seized the contraband in Bodø, including 3,000 barrels of rye, 100 barrels of syrup, tobacco and rum. The smugglers were later released on bail but demanded compensation for financial losses by producing forged documents. After the British government threatened to limit the important Swedish-Norwegian timber exports, Norway relented and paid a humiliating compensation - a sum equivalent to a third of the Norwegian state budget at the time, which eventually led to end the union between Norway and Sweden.

In the British court papers Bodø is referred to as Thule, from the myth of the land in the far north with 22 hours of sun - a place outside the world's borders, and as a commercial paradise, a lawless area that operates as a contrast to the rest of the commercial world. The work is a contemporary rendering of the many layers of history that tell of the event spread over hundreds of years. Two of the historical layers that form the basis of the works are the drawing De Famøse Bodørottene and the map Carta Marina with the depiction of Thule.

Based on this material, and traces of public artworks and friezes on buildings in Bodø, Marianne Bjørnmyr has cast reliefs in concrete. The reliefs are presented through photographic works and a 3.5 meter cast installation. The works refer to the changes of told history, and broken pieces of historical events re-told.

‘Mimeses’ was originally presented as part of the Bodø Biennale 2024. The work is produced in collaboration with Mats Salberg on 3D modeling and printing.