"For many, art can be viewed as something foreign and inaccessible. When art can be borrowed on an equal footing with other materials in the library, the experience is made close and personal. We think it will be perceived less scary to explore a performative work in one's own home. In this way the pilot project conveys and democratizes art and cultural experiences through trust, accessibility and co-creation"

Bergen Public Library

Supported by

KOROs Art Programme for Local Communities (LOK)

NLA University College

The artist duo Frantzsen&Mjanger explore the invisible community we all share by breathing in the performance work Lend a Breath/ series 1, which now can be borrowed at Bergen Public Library. The 24 performance sets are each containing a unique Expression of breath, made of glass, and provides a link to audio that guides the audience in performing their performance at their chosen time and place.

"Everyone breathes. We all share the air around us, inside us. What is the shape of the breath? How can the invisible community we share through breathing become visible?"

These are the main questions the artist duo have been working on for the past four years. The audience plays an important role as co-creators in their artistic practice, a challenge when the main rule in the last year has been to keep distance to other people. The collaboration with Bergen Public Library makes it possible to involve the audience in the performance work without the artists being present.

The project runs over one year and is launched on March 22, 2021.

Lend a Breath / Series 1 is available at all branches of the Bergen Public Library during this period.

For lending and to view the launch film (5:12 min, in Norwegian) go to https://bergenbibliotek.no/aktuelt/na-kan-du-lane-kunst-pa-biblioteket