Video, sound, performance 9'45''. 2008
(from French ménétrier; a traveller troubadour )
Commission for Valdres Open Air Folk Museum in Fagernes.
Included in The Folk Museum’s many activities is a research and archival-program for Norwegian Folk Music. Folk music is a well integrated part of the museum displays and public program during the year.
The video is a multi-track sound composition based on the popular folk song Per Spelemann (Per the Fiddler). The artist plays the song first on flute and then on a wide range of old objects, tools and kitchen utensils found exhibited in the museums historical buildings. The structure develops from simple to complex, up to 20 tracks simultaneously; the repetitive, rhythmic sound becomes almost industrial in character. Gradually the wooden utensils and metal based tools create a sound that tells a story often neglected in rural folk museums; about modernity and industrial progress.
