TiO2 Prøvefelt

TiO₂ Prøvefelt displays a collection of historical and contemporary methods for observing and discussing the white pigment Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂). During two weeks, ROM for kunst og arkitektur transforms into a trial field: we will present a collection of interdisciplinary research-in-progress to emphasize that research does not emerge in a single body alone, but takes form through collective processes. TiO₂ Prøvefelt consists of artistic experiments, historic archival material, presentations from fieldwork, and public debates.

Background

The TiO₂Project studies a Norwegian innovation; the white pigment titanium dioxide (TiO₂) through a historic, aesthetic and critical lens—focusing on how the pigment transformed surfaces in art, architecture and design.

The TiO₂Project is divided in two sub-projects; the artistic research project 'TiO₂: The Materiality of White' (MoW) funded by the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme (2022 - 2026) and ‘TiO₂: How Norway Made the World Whiter' (NorWhite) funded by the Research Council of Norway (2023 - 2028).

TiO₂ Prøvefelt is a part of an experiment in public participation in arts-based and art historical research that investigates how research can engage with public opinion in a way that nuances and complicates the research hypothesis. The public will be introduced to the research project not a finished result, but rather part of an ongoing investigation that takes shape in the exhibition space.

Dias from Kronos Titan’s archive (ukjent årstall), Østfoldsmuseene, **TiO2 Prøvefelt** (2023). Foto: Marte Johnslien.

Research Team:

Marte Johnslien (leader of MoW), Ingrid Halland (leader of NorWhite), Tonje Haugland Sørensen (senior researcher), Helene Birkeli (postdoc) Julia K. Persson (research assistant), Linda Flø (MoW MA-student group), Silje Kjørholt (MoW MA-student group), and Kshitija Mruthyunjaya (guest researcher).

Main institutional partners:

The University of Bergen and the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Project partners: Jøssingfjord Science Museum, Dalane Folkemuseum, Østfoldsmuseene, The Norwegian Mining Museum, Velferden, and ROM for kunst og arkitektur.