Ditte Ejlerskov

Works 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006

Absence (with verifications)
Entering only to leave
Essential academicism
Formatted Contract Asleep
Formatted Contract in Poses
Formatted Contract in Pastels
Formatted Contract while Fading
Formatted Contract in Gaze
Leaving the scene
Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting
Unbreak my heart (encyclopedia)

Unbreak my heart, say you’ll love me again
(filed in alphabetical order)

As many encyclopedists in history have probably realized, there are several problems with any approach one might choose as one’s encyclopedic system, including how to decide what to neglect, how to structure knowledge that resists structuring and how to cope with the influx of newly discovered knowledge and the effects it has on prior structures. These dilemmas became the foundation for my education and are dealt with in this piece.

The final encyclopedia consists of about 350 books and 25 paintings. Each file is 22 cm x 21 cm and becomes a little twitter about a theme. It does not provide a broader perspective on the particular theme and can seem almost irrelevant. But as a whole – all books collectively in the encyclopedia bookshelf – the viewer will experience a melody in all the twittering. The complete piece allows the viewer to interact, as it is my hope that the books will create interest and will be read. But even though this project was not made in order to become an artwork I have accepted its qualities as a sculpture that people might not touch. The books are notes and sketches rather than long reports on the different subjects. Some of them will suggest explanation to a problem. Others are mere ramblings. They files are all the same size and the viewer will never know which elements of the encyclopedia is a book or a painting unless he interacts and pulls out a title from the rest. The paintings also have titles on the backs and are placed in the bookshelf structure.