JOHANNES BERGMARK

Bergmark playing the Finger Violin. Photo © by Greg Locke, St. John's Newfoundland.

Music with live electronics, instrument inventions and improvisation I play free improvisation solo and in many groups, with a display of unique instruments. I play live electronics, the musical saw, Micro Moog (occasionally also keyboards like the clavinet, clavichord, harmonium, piano or Fender Rhodes), a number of small instruments, sounding objects and original inventions (see gallery pages) such as: The Finger Violin: with five strings from the fingers of one hand, through one and to the other of two violin lids. The Brillolin: a miniature violin with two strings to a spectacle frame tied round the head. The Veloncell Marcel (after Duchamp): a bicycle wheel on a stool - the sound of the dynamo's electricity and of the playing on the spokes with bows etc. is amplified. The Whalefish, a one-man-band instrument with many home-made sound objects, toys and kitchen utensils. I have also sometimes used my voice, processed by electronics, combined with toy winds, or plain with close mic.

Musical Performances, such as The Stringed Stirrups and The Singing Coffin. In the Stringed Stirrups, two piano wires were fastened in the ceiling, and at the lower end in a pair of horse stirrups, in which I stand, hanging in the air with the resonator on my chest. This instrument use some height of the ceiling and is usually played, indoors or outdoors, as a solo performance (10-20 min). However, a duo of this instrument has been heard by Acrobatic Music.

Playing the Stringed Stirrups. Photo © by Gudrun Edel-Rösnes.

The Singing Coffin is a box in body length with me inside. Some strings are strung over the lid. Through a little hole, I sing and the voice directs the tones of the strings. The voice, with a microphone, goes to a mixer and multiplies it to 15 outputs. Small piezo buzzers are connected to the outputs and rest loosely on the strings to excite them by their buzzing. A nice side effect is the feedback between the internal microphone and the sound board.

The Singing Coffin with me laughing. Photo © by Jan Liljekvist.

The collection has been in more or less constant development and change, usually with the Whalefish and electronics as fixed components. The saw is sometimes played two at the same time, with unique clashes of non-harmonic overtones.

Solo playing has sometimes included acting, surrational texts that explored ways of thinking that are beyond the acceptable (or comprehensible); sound poetry, poetic objects or jester tricks.

I have also made sound sculptures, interactive sound installations, electroacoustic compositions, music for site-specific, theatre, dance, slide show, poetry, cd-rom, film, dvd, radio and tv-projects.

Exotic Boulders with Mitchell Brown, analog electronics; Damian Bisciglia, amplified found and modified objects, electronics; Joseph Hammer, real-time tape loops, electronics; since '06. An electronic / amplified objects improvised musique concrète ambient noise group based in Los Angeles.

Duo with Martin Klapper (Cz) (toys, amplified objects, tapes, theremin). A wild and fast sound-exploring duo which was very visual.

Swedish group Smullotron since '02 with Lise-Lotte Norelius and Sören Runolf, all playing live electronics, sound recordings and amplified objects. A composers' collective.

International group SLIP since '03, quartet with Jaap Blonk (voice), Mats Gustafsson (reeds, electronics), Lou Mallozzi (electronics, objects) and me. Premiered on Fylkingen Jibbolii festival.

Think Pink since '04, duo with butoh choreographer SU-EN.

Swedish trio Fågelpingis since '01 with Tomas Halling (voice, percussion, trombone, activity) and Jacob Ullberger (banjo, voice). An improvising group exploring improvised humour and cabaret.

Duet with Hal Rammel (saw and inventions, Wisconsin) since '87. Performances in Chicago (ILL), Madison (WI) and St John's (NF, CAN). Intercontinental duo with my first great source of inspiration for surrealist instrument design and saw playing.

Swedish group Elektroarmén with Johan Söderling, Bo Valpeters, Daniel Älgå and Sören Runolf, all playing electronics.

Swedish-Norwegian group Hunger since '97 with Bendik Hagerup (violin, cello, piano) and Risto Holopainen (prepared piano, keyboards, Hawaii guitar).

Swedish-Norwegian group Fretlessarméén with Terje Mentyjærvi and Harald Beckstrøm since '94, all of which have invented instruments and sound sculptures.

Swedish-Norwegian duo with Terje Mentyjærvi: Acrobatic Music, physically involving instruments and slapstick musical comedy. Collaborations with theatre group Stella Polaris and Jaga Jazzist.

Swedish-Norwegian children's theatre group Eventyrteatret since '95, led by Ingrid Brudevoll and directed by Ida Frederiksen, three productions on many tours based on different fairy tales. I was acting, composing etc. in all of them.

Swedish group Cloudchamber since '98 with Martin Küchen (saxophones, fujara, percussion, radios) and Sören Runolf (electric guitar, cello, electronics). An improvising group working with collective layers of sound qualities.

French Surrealist Group Exhibition, Paris '94.
Czech and Slovak Surrealist Group Exhibition, CZ '95.
Autunnale, Bergen, N '95.
London Musicians' Collective-festival Against the Grain, London '95.
Sound Symposium, St John's, NF CAN '96 (review).
Knitting Factory, New York '96.
Workshop and concert, Birmingham Improv 96 AL, USA (review).
Colourscape Music Festival, London '96.
Organizer and performances at OSLO IMPRO '97.
Momentum Nordic Contemporary Art Festival '98, Moss, N (12 performances in 4 projects).
Elektronmusikfestivalen, Skinnskatteberg '98.
Nursery Injection, m/s Stubnitz from Rostock in Stockholm '98.
Copenhagen International Experimental Festival Cief #5 '98.
Arvikafestivalen '98.
Till Tibet från Omberg '98.
Organizer and performances at Eventa 4 Antivernissage Material Music - Nature's Consciousness, Ekeby Qvarn Artspace, Uppsala '98.
Kerava Youth Prison, FIN '98 (workshop and concert).
Telakka Theatre, Tampere, FIN '98.
Ung Nordisk Musikk festival Oslo '98 (lecture and concert).
Tampere Jazz Happening, FIN '98.
Fylkingens Improvisationsdagar '99 (concerts and seminar).
Meeting performance series, Stockholm '99.
The Free Music XXVI festival '99, organized by WIM vzw, Antwerpen, BE.
Mutation I organized by The Nursery, at Kulturhuset, Stockholm '99.
Sounds -99 organized by FRIM and Blue Tower Records, at Fylkingen, Stockholm.
Vårflod -00 organized by FRIM at Fylkingen.
7 + 1 at Teaterhuset Avantgarden, Trondheim (N) -00.
Colourscape Music Festival, Liverpool '00.
Motståndsfestivalen E. Burman, Riddarhyttan, '00.
Stardust festival by Fylkingen and Modern Museum '00.
Logos, Gent, BE '00.
O da Guarda festival, Portugal '00.
Dodorama, Rotterdam '00.
Extrapool, Nijmegen, NL '00.
Kraakgeluiden, Amsterdam '00.
"Wired", University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK '00.
Ljusfest, Fylkingen '00.
Elektroniska Dagar, Fylkingen '00.
Backstage, PerformanceJam '01.
Exit International Festival for Unusual Live Performances, Helsinki '01.
"Ändamålet Helgar Medlen" at Smålands Nation, Lund '01.
Minnesföreställning för Ilmar Laaban, Fylkingen '01.
Vårflod '01 organized by FRIM.
Tre Koreografer, Kulturhuset '01 (music for "Zqne" by Favela Vera Ortiz). PolarEkonsert, Rålambshovsparken '01.
Arvikafestivalen '01.
Colourscape Music Festival, York '01.
Skeppsholmsfesten '01.
Konstkaravanen, 36 places in Uppland '01, organized by SU-EN.
"Nærmest Uplugget", Klubb Kanin, Trondheim '01.
Sleeping Bag Concert, Fylkingen '01.
Ljusfesten, Fylkingen '01.
"NU!", a collaboration with the dance group På Egna Ben and Stefan Lakatos, Fylkingen '02.
Primavera en La Habana, IX Festival Internacional de Musica Electroacustica, Cuba '02.
Showen som gud aldrig bad om, Fylkingen '02.
Ilskans Rätt - Ett göteborgsjubileum, '02.
Arvikafestivalen '02.
¡Virvar/rivrav! international festival, København '02.
Norbergfestivalen '02.
Tour financed by Framtidens Kultur and organized by SEAMS together with Guds Söner to Sverigefinska Folkhögskolan in Haparanda, Lunnevads Folkhögskola in Linköping, Konstmuseet in Örebro and Fylkingen '02-'03.
Solo artist at Ny Musikk, Stavanger, N, '02.
Elsvets at Fylkingen '02.
"NU!", a collaboration with the dance group På Egna Ben and Stefan Lakatos, Fylkingen '03.
Sleeping Bag Concert, Fylkingen '03.
Stockholm Art Fair '03.
Malmö mot rasism, '03.
Högriskfestivalen, Malmö, '03.
24 kvadrat, Göteborg '03.
Athens, Greece: MikroMousikoTheatro/SmallMusicTheatre (improv club 2:13) '03.
Experimental cabaret Sätesbjudning at Hagateatern, Göteborg '03.
Trädgårdsföreningen, Linköping '03.
Musica Genera (photos here), Szczecin '03.
Inländer Raus!, Ausland-Berlin '03.
Ljud & Oljud, FRIM-festival '03.
Norbergfestivalen '03.
Interfraction, dance performance at Skulpturens Hus '03.
Aalborg, DK, Kulturnatten '03 at Studenterhuset.
Nutida Musikdagar i Halmstad, Kulturverket '03.
.k N O W H E R E. project with dance and film in Berlin with Rolf Meesters/VLK M (NL) & Pat Hillaire (F/E) '03.
Fylkingen Jibbolii festival '03.
Cloudchamber & Rullbandspelarloopensemblen, Fylkingen '03.
"NU!", a collaboration with the dance group På Egna Ben and Lise-Lotte Norelius, Fylkingen '04.
Sleeping Bag Concert, Fylkingen '04.
Centre for Contemporary Art, Warszawa.
Okno theatre festival at Teatr Kana, Szczecin, PL '04.
Tour with Fågelpingis & Hugh Metcalfe, Sweden/Denmark '04.
Birmingham Improv '04 (AL, USA).
Högriskdagen, Malmö '04.
IAPAO 2nd conference and festival, Bandung, Indonesia '04.
Hällristningens Dag - Dansarens Natt, organized by Dance Group Transparente Blanche, Simrishamn '04.
Art Camp organized by Blue Sun Art Studio & Center, in collaboration with Soil Society, a Swedish-Mongolian Cultural Organization, Mongolia '04.
Performance Art in NRW, Scandinavia Performance Artists - 2nd part, Maschinenhaus Essen in Zeche Carl, Essen (DE) '04 (ASA-European / E.P.I. Zentrum).
66 Minutes Sculptures, Moderna Dansteatern, Stockholm '04.
Tour with Eventyrteatret (NO) '04.
"NU!", a collaboration with the dance group På Egna Ben and Lise-Lotte Norelius, Skulpturens Hus '05.
Künstlerhaus Dortmund (MeX Dortmund), DE '05.
Cuba-Cultur, Münster, DE '05.
Okno theatre festival at Teatr Kana, Szczecin, PL '05.
US West Coast Tour including The Eleventh Annual Olympia Festival of Experimental Musics, Olympia, WA, USA '05.
Klubb Kanin: Sommer 2005 festival, Trondheim, NO; 5 performances and leading Trondheim Improvisasjonsensemble in workshop and performance.
Festival Artistów Ulicy (Festival of Street Artists) organized by Teatr Kana, Szczecin, PL '05.
Performance in Colourdome in Carlisle, England '05.
The Najo Team at Alytus Biennial 1, International festival of experimental art '05, BEWARE! POLITICS!, Alytus, Lithuania '05.
Colourscape Music Festival, London '05.
Se Min Kjole!, Karstein Solli Productions, part of the Glitterbird - art for the very young project, coorganized by Dansens Hus, performances part of Ultima Contemporary Music Festival, at Stenersenmuseet, Oslo '05.
The Najo Team, short film at π Private Impact festival in Świnoujście, Szczecin and Berlin '05.
Se Min Kjole!, Karstein Solli Productions, tour in Hungary: Kolibri Színház, Budapest; Gárdonyi Géza Színház, Eger; Vaskakas Bábszínház, Győr; Ciróka Bábszínház, Kecskemét '05.
"NU!", a collaboration with the dance group På Egna Ben and Lise-Lotte Norelius, Fylkingen '06.
Se Min Kjole!, Karstein Solli Productions, performances at Kolbotn Kulturhus and Deichmanske Bibliotek, Oslo, and Asker Kulturhus, produced by Dansens Hus '06 - '07.
Performance premiere with The Najo Team at The 13th congress for Performance, Sacramento, CA, co-produced by gallery SoToDo, Sol Collective and Bridge to Art, performed at California Stage '06.
Performance with Exotic Boulders at Cafe Metropole, Los Angeles, CA '06.
Performance premiere with The Najo Team at Midway Studios Cafe Space, Boston, MA '06.
Nordic Music Days in Iceland '06.
Glitterbird conference in Paris, performances with Se Min Kjole!, Karstein Solli Productions, at Dunois '06.
"NU!", a collaboration with the dance group På Egna Ben and Lise-Lotte Norelius, Fylkingen '07.
Santarcangelo International Festival of the Arts, Italy, '07, same as above. Dansens Hus, Oslo '07, same as above.
Mini Midi Maxi, Vestlandske Teatersenter, Bergen '07 same as above.
"NU!", a collaboration with the dance group På Egna Ben, Stefan Lakatos and Lise-Lotte Norelius, Fylkingen '08.
Najo Team at ∏ Performance Intermedia Festival organized by Officyna in Szczecin, PL '08.

The Kaleidochord and the Veloncell Marcel were at the Fylkingen exhibition Lydbilleder V at Museet for Samtidskunst, Roskilde, Denmark, '99.
The Kaleidochord at the "Rainbow Realm" exhibit in the Liverpool Museum, Feb - May '00.
The Singing Coffin was presented on Andlig Upprustning, the show of The Surrealist Group in Stockholm at Fylkingen, '00 and exhibited/performed on many occasions after.
The Kaleidochord was exhibited at "Fabulous Sound Machines" in York City Art Gallery Jul-Sep '01.
Basically the same exhibition went on to Croydon Clocktower Gallery Jun-Sep '02;
Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Jul-Sep '03;
Sheffield Millennium Gallery May-Aug '04.
The Veloncell Marcel was exhibited at the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts, Ulanbaatar, in the joint Mongolian-Swedish exhibit in connection with Art Camp, Mongolia Jul '04 and '05, organized by Blue Sun Contemporary Art Studio & Center in collaboration with Soil Society, a Swedish-Mongolian Cultural Organization, and donated to the Blue Sun group.
The Kaleidochord was exhibited again at "Fabulous Sound Machines" in Tulliehouse Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle Jul-Sep '05; in Scarborough '06; and in Kingston upon Hull '07
"Down and Up" sound installation at Musica Genera, Szczecin, PL '05.

Occasional organizer of festivals, concerts and networks for intermedia art, improvised and electronic music.

Lecturer, musical instructor and workshop leader (children, students and adults).

Writer for international music- and surrealist magazines like Rubberneck, Arsenal, The Improvisor, Nakna Läppar, Kristall, Kvicksand, Stora Saltet, Gränslöst, Parergon, Experimental Musical Instruments, Nutida Musik, Merge, Stockholms Fria Tidning, Mannen På Gatan, Noisegate, Nordic Sounds, Ballongmagasinet.

Dancer and musician in SU-EN Butoh Company '91-'94. Tours in Sweden. Afterwards sometimes collaborated as a musician.

Actor and musician in professional street theatre group Stella Polaris tour '95 - '97 and '99.
Actor and musician in Fossbryterne canal performance by Skuespillerkompaniet '97.
Actor, composer, musician, dancer and technician in Hans og Grethe, Snødronningen and Smørbukk by Eventyrteatret, NO '95 - '04.

Memberships: The Surrealist Group in Stockholm since its formation in '86. Fylkingen in Stockholm since about '96 (member of the production team '98 -'99; member of the board and production team '01-'02, chairman '02-'04). FRIM '98-'05 (webmaster -'02; member of board of directors '98 - '00; chairman '01-'02). VEMS (Verksamma vid EMS, a couple of years). Musikcentrum. Citizen of The Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland. Member of SKODK (Svenska Konstnärers Organisation för Digital Konst, that runs CRAC (Creative Room for Art & Computing) '00 to '04. SEAMS, Sweden's Electro-Acoustic Music Society '00-'05. RANK (Riksförbundet Arrangörer av Nutida Konstmusik) (secretary of the board '01-'03). Föreningen Svenska Tonsättare (FST), Society of Swedish Composers, since '02. STIM, '03-'06. Part of IAPAO, the International Association of Performance Art Organizers, as a representative of Fylkingen, '03-'05; contact for Northern Europe '04 - '05. Demokratinätet '01 to '04. Passive (support) member of the political activist group Globalisering Underifrån '01 to '03. Part of the civil disobedience campaign planka.nu since '01. Soil Society, a Swedish-Mongolian Cultural Organization '04 - '05. Gröndals Båtklubb '04 - '06. Vetenskap och Folkbildning - the swedish skeptics' society, since '07. Atheist network in Szczecin since '07. Surrealist Group in Szczecin since '07. PSR since '08.

Educations done: piano at Kommunala Musikskolan; Stockholm University, Musicology 1 1/2 years; Lund University, Philosophy 1 year; Hantverkets Folkhögskola Leksand, Piano Technician 1 1/2 years; Musikk Instrument Akademiet, Moss, Piano- and Harpsichord Builder 3 1/2 years. Journeyman as a piano and harpsichord builder in Germany '96. Different courses, including the Electroacoustic Music Composition 2 years education, at EMS (Electroacoustic Music in Sweden), graduated in '00. Among the teachers were Anders Blomqvist, Lars-Gunnar Bodin, Jens Hedman, Pär Johansson, Efva Lilja, Rolf Enström, Erik Mikael Karlsson, Paulina Sundin, Göran Svensson.
Participated in workshops with: John Tchikai, Arne Forsén / Mats Gustafsson, Phil Minton, David Moss, Jaap Blonk, Maggie Nichols, Dorothea Schürsch, Stella Polaris, Theo Loevendie / Guus Jansen, Gino Robair, Cecil Taylor, Kapotte Muziek, Andrea Neumann / Axel Dörner, Rhodri Davies / Ingar Zach, Andrea Neumann / Burkhard Beins, Ingo Reulecke/Thomas Kiesel, Fredrik Olofsson, Jeffrey Morgan.

Grants: Musikaliska Akademiens Stipendier För Instrumenttekniker; Konstnärsnämnden travel grants (numerous times); Sleipnir (twice). STIM work grant '00, '03 & '05. Konstnärsnämnden work grant '01, '02, '04, '07. Svensk Musik travel grant '02. Stockholms Stads Konstnärsstipendium '03. Recreation & travel grants from FST '03. Travel grant, Svenska Institutet '04. Konstnärsnämnden work grant "with a goal" '06.

Prizes and competitions: I refuse to have anything to do with competitions. I don't participate, I don't sit in jurys. Nevertheless, my work for the Swedish Radio Corporation, Tiden Går, was sent as the contribution from the radio to the international competition Prix Italia. It didn't win. I have debated this question in the Swedish Composers' Society. I argued for the closure of the competition of text-sound compositions that EMS ran, and it was closed with the agreement in the EMS-rådet I was a representative in.