Poetics of Space presentation, Trondheim Cinematek

On 10th. December, an event was held at the cinematheque in Trondheim to present results of the research project Poetics of Space, led by Professor Michael Francis Duch at the department of music, NTNU. (The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim) The programme included a short live performance, with video projections, of part of a composition for solo double bass, written by composer Michael Pisaro Liu especially for Poetics of Space. This was followed by a short talk by architect Alexander Erikson Furunes about the fortress island of Sant' Andrea in the Venice Lagoon, the location for the final workshop of the research project. Afterwards, in a panel discussion chaired by Cinema & Media Studies researcher Asbjørn Tiller, project participants Michael Duch,  Alexander Furunes, Marianne Badouin Lie and Jeremy Welsh spoke about their various roles in the project and their understanding of Gaston Bachelard's book The Poetics of Space, which was a starting point for the whole project. The event concluded with a film screening documenting three phases of the project, two of these taking place on the islands of Veierland (Oslofjord) and Sant' Andrea (Venice) and the third being a concert in a road tunnel in Trondheim.

A particular focus of the whole project was the relationship between place and sound, where active listening was a core research method. Inspired by Pauline Oliveiros' philosophy of Deep Listening and key works of John Cage, the project became an interdisciplinary exploration of place, sound, image and interaction.

In 2026 comprehensive documentation of the project, including transcripts of group discussions, scores, photographs and video stills will be published in book form, along with a vinyl LP and an online collection of films from the various workshops and performances.

Lemur performing at Sant' Andrea fort (video still)

Michael Francis Duch playing a section of Black Earth, Pink Air at Trondheim Cinematheque

A performance of John Cage's 4'33" at Veierland (video still)

Solo for double bass at Veierland (video still)

Still from film with Lemur performing at Sant' Andrea fort, Venice

Still from film with Lemur performing at Sant' Andrea fort, Venice

UPDATES. December 2025

During a period of intensive activities and travel, there has been a lag on updating information about ongoing projects, so this is something of an overview. Scroll down for some more recent posts.

The research project Poetics of Space, initiated and led by Michael Francis Duch, is coming to the end of its development and production phase. In 2026 comprehensive documentation of the project will be published on several platforms and in book form. A summing up/presentation with panel discussion, screening and concert will take place at Trondheim Cinematek on 10th. December. A recent production workshop in Venice, featuring contemporary ensemble Lemur, is documented here.

A major event in the second half of the year was moving into a new studio space at STUDIO E39 in Eidsvåg, Bergen. This will be my base for the next few years.

As well as working studios, the facility includes a large common area for events. The most recent of these was the one day art sale DUST OFF! which attracted a large public and generated significant sales of artists' work, both by artists who have studios at E39, and others from the Bergen art scene.

Below, some photographs from DUST OFF!

2026 upcoming:  from May to August I will be exhibiting together with Kari Dyrdal (textiles) and Jon Arne Mogstad (painting) at the art museum Kabuso in Øystese, Hardanger. For the show I will be creating new works in video, digital print and silk screen print. As with this year's exhibitions of print work, I'll be producing at Forening Trykkeriet in Bergen, a brilliant facility for fine art print.

Main entrance to STUDIO E39

Evolution: new studio, before and after. STUDIO E39.

My biggest news of 2025 was establishing a new studio as part of the project Studio E39 in Eidsvåg, Bergen. 13 studios and a large common area are housed in a wing of the former industrial building Eidsvåg Fabrikker. As well as individual work spaces housing artists, designers, architects and craft workers, used on a weekly basis, there is a programme of events including pop-up exhibitions, open studios and art sales. The November 2025 art sale DUST OFF! was a successful event attracting a large public and generating many sales of artists' works. Project leader Oda Tungodden secured the premises and is the brain behind DUST OFF! and other initiatives that will make E39 an important location on the art map of Western Norway.

Below are photos, before and after, of the new studio I have established. I hope this will be my working base for several years to come! For the first time in over a decade I have a studio big enough to test out larger projects and installations.

The room was formerly a small gym

This part of the building had been a trade school

After the trade school moved it was a day centre for people with disabilities

With a large floor area and high ceilings it will be a good space to work in

A bonus is a direct view to the fjord and marina outside, through big windows

Starting to set up the work space. Storage is essential!

I have designed it to have areas for different activities including video/sound editing
work with print projects, and space for exhibition development

It is important to keep the larger part of the space open and flexible

After painting and some minor repairs to wall surfaces, ready to start moving in

A lot of equipment, materials and older projects have been in storage for about 15 years
and now all of this is accessible again

With good help from my teenage grandson I completed the install in a short time

Testing video from the project Poetics of Space, which has been one of my main
concerns this year. Here from a concert with SITron (Trondheim Sinfonietta) in a road tunnel
at Byåsen, Trondheim.

STUDIO E39, common entrance.

Poetics of Space, autumn 2025

The artistic research project Poetics of Space, led by Michael Francis Duch at NTNU, continued in October with a workshop/residency in Venice, on the former fortress island of Sant' Andrea. During the time on the island sound and video recordings were made, with a solo performance by Michael Francis Duch of a new work by American composer Michael Pisaro Liu, and site-specific improvisations for several locations by Norwegian contemporary ensemble Lemur.

Some of the results of this work are to be featured in an event at Trondheim Cinematheque on 10th. December, while documentation of the whole project will be completed in 2026 with online streaming of film/video work, texts and transcriptions of group discussions, sound recordings of performances and a book to be published in the first half year of 2026.

Photographs below from the recording sessions on Sant' Andrea. Video by Jeremy Welsh and audio recording by Asbjørn Tiller.

Poetics of Space at Trondheim Cinematek, Wednesday 10th. December.

Update - summer and autumn 2025

It has been a busy period with several exhibitions, festivals and projects and also travelling for leisure purposes. From June - September I was showing work in the exhibition 100 years of art in Trondheim at Kjøpmannsgt Ung Kunst. In July, a solo exhibition at Surnadal Billag with graphic works from 2024 and 2025, then in August a brief trip to Italy to take part in Cross Cities Festival where I showed a remade version of my video work Immemorial from 1989. The original was a three screen installation, shown on CRT monitors. For Cross Cities all three video  streams were combined into one projection with a stereo sound track that mixed all six audio channels from the original installation. In between Cross Cities and the next projects. I moved into a new, large studio space at Studio E39, Eidsvåg. This is a recently started project consisting of 13 individual studios plus common spaces. September was an active month with projects in Trondheim, as part of Poetics of Space, and Gulen, where PFBD presented our latest site-specific performance as part of the Wrap satellite series. Images below from several of these projects. The next upcoming event will be a week workshop in Venice, further developing the Poetics of Space artistic research project.

Six Songs, digital print series at Surnadal Billag

Print series A Map of Abandoned Strategies, Possible Outcomes and Lost Causes

Song of Iron 1 and 2. Combined digital and screen print

Tiger Tiger, screen print
Shown at Surnadal Billag and KuK, Trondheim

Three Four Two, digital print

Immemorial. Video projection at Cross Cities Festival
Sant' Agata dei Goti, Campania, Italy

New work space at Studio E39, Eidsvåg
Testing out the video projection

Persistent Disequilibrium #5 (string theories)
The latest work by PFBD (pixels / frames / beats / drones)
Video projections on the wall of a silo

A four day workshop and performance at Kjelbju-Låven, Gulen
A Wrap Satellite Production
Trond Lossius playing back field recordings and sounds from software synths

Tijs Ham performing with a new single-string bass instrument
treated through a modular synth
A short video documentation of the performance here.

A performance of James Tenney's composition In a Large Reverberant Space
Performed by SITron (Trondheim Sinfonietta) in Byåsen Tunnel, Trondheim.
Part of the artistic research project Poetics of Space led by Michael Duch, NTNU
Video of the concert here.