Fergus Tibbs & Olle Helin

Studio17 Residency is delighted to welcome artists Fergus Tibbs and Olle Helin to Stavanger this season, where each will explore their unique artistic practices within our space.

Fergus Tibbs is an artist, DJ, and cultural producer originally from Glasgow, Scotland, now based in Bergen, Norway. He holds an MFA from the Art Academy Bergen and a BA (Hons) from DJCAD, Dundee.

Fergus’ projects are usually cross-disciplinary and collaborative, incorporating ideas and practices from people of different backgrounds. Central to his work is oral communication and human interaction, often creating situations that encourage conversations and public dialogue. His previous projects include club nights, radio stations, a swimming club, parties, exhibitions, pubs, and workshops.

For the past ten years, he has been DJing and organising parties and club nights in Bergen and across Scotland. He is the co-organiser and resident DJ of the club night ‘Keep it Dark’ at Østre, Bergen. He uses this regular party as a test site for different clubbing ideas, often playing with the physical space as well as light, sound, temperature, and volume.

Hosting has become a key part of Fergus’ work, providing a way to initiate interactions and gatherings. His ongoing project, ‘Hosting Infrastructure,’ plays with the physical architecture involved in gathering human bodies. He creates structures and environments that serve as a substrate for public events, where people can sit, gather, eat, perform, dance, or talk. His approach is fun, often silly, and welcoming whilst always trying to be accessible, drawing in people with a broad range of perspectives.

He will use the residency at Studio 17 to continue working with his ‘Hosting Infrastructure Kit’, looking for new ways to play with and assemble this set of re-usable forms.

Olle Helin explores the fundamental components of painting, and for several years he has devoted himself to making paint from scratch. Instead of buying factory-made paint in the art store, he goes on long walks, mostly in urban areas, and collects raw materials that are transformed into paint in the studio. It is experimental work that often leads to unexpected results. The detours to painting lead to new impressions and new encounters (with people, places, materials), and the resulting works of art carry all this with them. Olle Helin plans to work in an “open studio” setting during the stay, presenting the work in the midst of creation (rather than as a finished work) in dialogue with the local audience and surroundings.

Though Fergus and Olle are each pursuing independent projects, Studio17 is thrilled to provide a space where these two distinct practices can develop side by side. Follow along for updates on their work and events during their time with us!