BJÖRN LARSSON, CARL JOHAN ERIKSON

SERIOUS PERSONAL CONVICTION

In Serious Personal Conviction – on measurements of conscience, we encounter two groups of people interviewed on different occasions discussing consciousness and ethics in relation to the military system. One of the groups are men that during the 1970s and ‘80s chose to perform non-combatant service and now reflect on the choices they made as 18-year olds. The other group consists of young people of today trying to answer several questions regarding the right to take another person's life. The exposition is part of the artistic research project Refuse to Kill – stories of the conscientious objectors. Larssons and Eriksons methodology involves a montage of a large number of voices collectively collected through statistical surveys, open-call procedure via advertising in newspapers and the internet, interviews and searches in archives.

Biography

Throughout their respective art careers, Björn Larsson and Carl Johan Erikson have, in a large number of artistic projects, generated alternative narratives and artistic statements on Swedish contemporary history. They have both conducted representative documentary projects spanning long periods, where the ongoing work has been conditional on gathering visual documentation. Both are part of the teaching staff at Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. This exposition is part of the artistic research project Refuse to Kill – stories of the conscientious objectors funded by the Swedish Research Council. The project in ongoing since 2013 and have resulted in several publications as well as national and international presentations and exhibitions.