ISOP
Isop is a Danish artist duo consisting of Sissel Thastum (b. 1987) and Line Thastum (b. 1959). Central to our artistic practice is the sensory, playful, searching, reflective and critical power of art as an evolving value in society. Thematically, we work primarily with the present global ecological crises and human understanding of and relationship to the nature we are part of.
We created artworks, exhibitions, artist talks, symposiums, seminars, workshops, networks, publications and more in Denmark and internationally since 2013.
Exhibitions
2024 ‘Kin’, Kunstpakhuset, Ikast
- Exhibiting artists: Sissel Thastum, Line Thastum
2022 ‘Kinship - Man and Nature’, Tuskær Art and Culture Centre and the following events:
- ‘The imaging bio-crystallisation method’ by PhD agronomist Jens-Otto Andersen
- ‘The life of ants’ by Hans Joachim Offenberg Senior Researcher, BioScience Aarhus, University
- Exhibiting artists: Sissel Thastum, Line Thastum
2021 ‘Gadus morhua - a video poem’ Barent Spektakel’, Pikene på Broen, Kirkenes, NO
2017 ‘We can live here while we wait - voices in the Anthropocene’ Aarhus and Silkeborg. Official project under ‘Aarhus 2017 European Capital of Culture’ and the following events:
- ‘Deep Listening’ workshop with musician Morten Svenstrup
- ‘The Biodiversity Crisis’ Presentation with biologist Lars Brøndum
- ‘Sustainability and hope in the Anthropocene’, presentation and debate with Professor Dr Finn Arler (Sustainability, Innovation and Policy) and Associate Professor Mickey Gjerris M.Th. and PhD in theological bioethics
- ‘Poetic Perspectives in the Anthropocene’ reading with Liv Sejrbo Lidegaard and Theis Ørntoft, facilitator Kizaja URouthe-Mogensen
- ‘Ice Print Performance’ - Artistic experiments with melting ice with visual artist Hardy Brix
- Exhibiting artists: Bärbel Praun, Olafur Eliasson, Sissel Thastum, Adam Jeppesen, Michele Palazzi & Clément Verger.
- Texts Line Thastum
2015 The Independent Forest (Art Event) - planting of 2 ha. forest in Voel, Silkeborg and art events in collaboration with Voel school, local actors and Silkeborg Municipality to compensate for CO2 emissions from air transport and activities.
2013 - 2015 annual exhibitions with international residency/masterclass participants, Silkeborg.
Workshops
2015 - 2022 Photographic & artistic workshops for children and young people in collaboration with various schools and colleges. 2022 Herning Gymnasium // Lemvig Gymnasium // Voel School 2018 // Hindsholm School // Voel School // Ry High School // 2017 Th Langs School // 2016 // Herning Junior High School // 2015 Silkeborg Junior High School.
2021 Útesita - Full Moon workshop and seminar/talks for artists, writers and researchers focusing on listening to and interpreting voices from selected places in nature. With the following seminar/talks:
- Cultural connection to nature, Archaeologist Maria Lisette Jacobsen
- Scientific attachment to nature, Senior Curator Dr Tom White The Natural History Museum London
- Micro-phenomenology-interview workshop, focusing workshop, Phd Guðbjörg R Jóhannesdóttir as. professor, Iceland University of the Art
- New materialism and new community forming processes by Lars Tønder Professor of Political Science Copenhagen University
Network
2018 - 2023 ‘State Of The Art Network - a Nordic Baltic transdisciplinary culture network facing the Anthropocene’.
Founded in 2018 by Isop and developed and continued until 2023 in collaboration with Bioart Society, The Posthumanities Hub and Laboratory for Aesthetics and Ecology.
Symposium and seminars
2018 State of the Art Network - 3-day seminar for Nordic/Baltic artists, writers, researchers and art organisations
2016 ‘Human Ecology Images in the Anthropocene’ Symposium, DOKK1 Aarhus, Denmark
Publications
2024 ‘Connections’ - An artistic workbook with texts, poems, inspiration and guidelines for immersion in nature. Editing and publishing, Isop (Line and Sissel Thastum) Photographs, Sissel Thastum Poems, texts and translation, Line Thastum. Edition 200.
2023 ‘State Of The Art - Elements for Critical Thinking and Doing’ - articles, poetry, images and descriptions of workshops in the Nordic-Baltic artist- and researcher network ‘State of the Art’. Edited and published for the State Of The Art Network by Erich Berger, Mari Keski-Korsu, Marietta Radomska and Line Thastum. English/edition 200 and online.
2017 Anthology: ‘We can live here while we wait - Voices in the Anthropocene’
Danish/English. Edition 200. With contributions from, among others. Timothy Morton, David Abram, Regina José Galindo, Polly Higgins, David Farrier, Peter Wohlleben, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Line Thastum and images by Bärbel Praun, Sissel Thastum, Michele Palazzi & Clément Verger
2017 ‘Handbooks for photographers on sustainability in photography’
Two handbooks for photographers on sustainability in photography. Published by Isop (The Independent Air) Online
1. Options for alternative - Photographic processes
2. Impact and choices - products on the market