In her objects, photos and installations, Stine Berger investigates the world as an ecological system, i.e. a connected system in which all parts influence each other. In parts, her work is directly related to ecology in the meaning environmentally friendly: the use of organic materials and works that point directly to environmental questions, such as ‘Heal the World’ (2009) or ‘The Melting Antarctic’ (1997). Some works, such as ‘From Another Place’ (2008) and ‘Destination’ (2009), allude to the concept of an ‘elsewhere’ which can be exotic, imaginary and far away, but also very real, such as Northern Greenland and the Seychelles in the photograph ‘Collision’ (2003). That the equatorial islands are threatened with disappearance through the melting Arctic just makes this image even more pertinent. The dialectic between place and people is found both within the works and in the relationship between work and spectator. In the installation ‘Reality Show’ (2009), the visitor is at the same time spectator and participant. Apart from the possibility of seeing in it a commentary on the voyeuristic-exhibitionistic aspects of both reality shows and art openings, the work creates a system – a manipulation of the place and the visitors’ relation to and perception of it. Romanticist art incorporated the spectator into an idealised definition of nature, which was an elsewhere and radically separated from here. All concepts are per se artificial, so also that of nature. A contemporary concept of nature is to see it as an ecological system. This concept is closely linked to the idea of the fragile and endangered nature, and, moreover, one that is necessary in order to react to the environmental problems. It seems that the works of Stine Berger want to draw the spectator into and convince her of this mental image of a globalised network of spaces. This she does by showing the fiction of the separated elsewhere, and also by creating places that invite the spectator to react and thus change the fragile system of that place. Her works attempt a change in the spectator’s perception and interpretation of the relations between spaces and people. Such a change is probably more the job of art than any attempt at direct interventions or didactic instructions for action.
Text by Eva May

Stine Bergers work often tries to persuade the viewer that something is out of place and yet quite comfortable in its surroundings. Sometimes the viewer is misplaced. Mirage is a picture that should be read in a particular way, by touch, and as such places the sighted into the shoes of the blind. The work confidently allows the viewer access. A European Space and A Nordic Space not only allow access, but surprise the viewer with a live view of their involvement using Chroma key magic. Much of her work identifies itself with modernisms clean forms, and the use of materials such as polyester, suggest a conversation with the era. Work made for Hybrid Living literally seems like ‘chips off the old block’, the old block having just exploded. In this catalogue there are two 3D drawings of public sculptures employing similar architectural tactics. The 3D drawing of the concrete sculpture outside Hillerød Townhall encourages passing people to peek inside, where two inner spheres act as a lure. These are things on which children can climb, teenagers can hang out and passers by can rest their bags – should they desire to be the focus of a passing voyeur. They remind us of celestial bodies, and the movement involved when they orbit, which in turn may remind the viewer of his own actions – ‘when was the last time I was here? The drawing of a proposed monument for the Tsunami victims also suggests movement, but in a way that reminds us of a zoetrope. In an attempt to see the centre, we are subject to more barriers, allowing only a shallow glimpse inside, causing the viewer to enter and to be drawn into the centre. There is calm at the eye of the storm, guarded from the eyes of those on the outside. A number of works use the round: the circle, the sphere, that which seems so sure of itself and yet is happy to go with the flow of things. Yet with Pink Planet she removes the objects’ confident presence by confining it in a case. No longer can it spin around in space. Other objects are also placed in cases, isolating them from their environments. From Another Place photographed at a beach, looks like sponge or coral. Its surroundings provide a meaning that could easily be different if transported to a hospital or a factory. Throughout her work there is a sense of place, being present here and now, being somewhere else, you could be on the inside or the outside, but you are still part of what is going on, and this is an artist who would like you to enjoy it, in your own special way.
Text by Simon Wood, artist and writer