"Walking With Death" på Gamle Aker kirkegård

Join artistic duo Annike Flo + Lexie Owen in their practice of graveyard wandering with soil scientist Inghild Økland and other guests.

As part of their project Necromantic Kitchen, hosted as part of the group exhibition Hanging Garden at Tenthaus Gallery from Sept 11 - 21st, Flo + Owen are inviting the public to join them on an interdisciplinary wander through Gamle Aker Kirkegård kl.18.00 - 19.30 on September 12th, finishing with an option visit to the exhibition with the artists, with tea and snacks.

Flo + Owen’s joint artistic practice is focused on the meeting points between material death cultures, biological processes of decomposition, and magic. They seek to reclaim the notion of “Necromancy,” understanding it historically as a pejorative descriptor used to vilify pre/non-christian burial and grieving practices. In this notion, the artists find the possibility to develop grieving practices that account the ongoingness of death - both in grief and grieving, and in the recirculation of the energetic potential of our bodies into soil.

During the graveyard wandering the artists will share their research, bringing along interdisciplinary viewpoints of the transformative magic of soil, and the handling of our dead from Inghild Økland, Søren Erik Jakobsen and Kristin Lian

This event is produced in collaboration between Oslo Kommune Gravplassetaten and Tenthaus Gallery, with support from Billedkunstnernes Vederlagsfond. Hanging Garden is curated by Slekke. This event is part of Oslo Kulturnatt.


Artist / Collaborators Bios

Annike Flo + Lexie Owen have worked collaboratively as a duo since 2022, while also maintaining independent practices. Lexie’s practice focuses on social practice, and the development of structures that support collaboration and collaborative actions, while Annike’s is focused on material explorations that unfold relationships between the human and non-human. Together they are interested in understanding how a social practice might work when removed from a focus on the anthropocentric, inviting in the agencies of other entities from living organisms to “inanimate” beings such as rocks. Practically their work unfolds in a variety of manners, including participatory performances, workshops, interactive installations and publications.

Inghild Økland holds a master's degree in paleontology from the University of Oslo and works as a soil scientist at NIBIO, where she has been a consultant on several cemetery projects. In Walking with Death, she shares insights into how the soil's interaction with water and plants affects decomposition, and how this relates to both human practices and society's relationship to death.

Søren Erik Jakobsen is a trained gardener and currently serves as Section Manager at the Cemeteries and Burial Agency of Oslo (Gravplassetaten). He has many years of experience in cemetery operations, covering everything from funerals to urn burials, as well as the maintenance of green spaces. In his daily work, he often interacts closely with bereaved families, both during the early stages of grief and in the years that follow.

Kristin Lian, a funeral consultant, has dedicated her entire professional life to working closely with the final phase of life. With over 27 years in the funeral industry, she now leads M. Jacobsen Gravferd, one of Oslo’s oldest funeral homes, with roots dating back to 1896. Prior to this, she spent 13 years in healthcare, supporting seriously ill and dying individuals who wished to pass away at home. Through her work, Kristin has gained unique experience with grief, rituals, and how people confront death.

You may also like the following events from Tenthaus:

• Next Tuesday, 16th September, 10:00 am, Necromantic Kitchen - workshop with Annike Flo + Lexie Owen in Oslo

Also check out other Arts events in Oslo, Exhibitions in Oslo, Workshops in Oslo.