BOKSEN/MAKING NOISE
On the surface, Oslo seems sanitized, it's not exactly the kind of place where gripping art is expected to emerge.
But if you know where to look, you'd know that Boksen has grown to house one of the city's most significant underground scenes; noise music, raves, and all kinds of unruly artforms. But what does subculture mean in the context of Norwegian wealth and stability? Is there such a thing as a cohesive underground, and what limits are currently being pushed in experimental art?
In our conversation with Morten Kristiansen, founder of Boksen, we seek a clearer view into Oslo's underground.
★★★
Tell us a bit about how Boksen came to be and the people behind it.
I worked at Hausmania organising events before the pandemic and got to know every corner of the building. There were two large halls down in the basement by the river that were abandoned for over 10 years and used as "storage space". In reality, it was a wasteland of garbage and rats. After my time working at Hausmania, we were in need of studio space, so I spent the next two years bugging them about this one room in the corner of the basement, which seemed perfect. Once we secured the space and fixed it up, we occupied a larger area in the halls and opened it up for others to put on events of all kinds. Now, it seems to be one of the few arenas for Oslo's underground scene, making a mark far beyond Norway's borders. With noise music at its core, there are also a lot of other aesthetics and scenes nourishing Boksen.
I was involved with a great project called Hotbox (noise shows in a car) together with Kenneth Korstad, before Boksen became our home. Apart from ourselves, people from the noise scene joined in fixing the place up to its current condition. Hotbox ended and we parted ways and I have been running it ever since, alongside a large number of individuals and their crews who make Boksen what it is today.
What does 'subculture' mean in Oslo now? Does the word still make sense?
Subculture is culture that sets itself apart from the broader culture of the masses; specific interests and beliefs and so on. This is how we humans organise ourselves. And for obvious reasons there's often a notion of struggle in subcultures; poor infrastructure, being a minority, and lack of financing in comparison to the mainstream, and the potential for a revolution creates tensions. Although Norway is blessed with a fairly fair funding system for the arts there are gatekeepers. Their lack of knowledge about subcultures along with political forces that brainwash people into believing that being successful is worth more than being nice etc. The struggle is real.
Is there something that actually feels new and exploratory in experimental music and art right now?
I can only speak for myself, and I don't really know. The question makes me think about all the experiences I have seeing and hearing art/music. I find it very difficult to make a judgement of what's genuinely new and exploratory, especially one that would make sense for others too."The Diffi Cult". My thoughts on the topic are contradictory; be 100% honest and in tune with what you like, and take the liberating action of breaking free from aesthetic rules. I suppose that if you combined the two, you would be making something genuinely new. There's a group of young artists that call themselves "performing group" that are not necessarily doing anything new, but it feels new to me. They are able to convey a large spectrum of feelings, from ice cold and hard,
to overly emotional, to everything in between. They do this while making use of both traditional and experimental musical techniques. It all works side by side, a chaotic mix, an unhinged hunger, and the search for unity. All that being said I will gladly namedrop: Spraint, Spitefug, Herdicide, Probuskus, Koka Nikoladze, Juliana Venter, Ibsen_Minothi, Mike TV, StarBug and many more who all give a strong sense of meaning to my life.
What matters more when you book artists, shared values or a coherent aesthetic? Or something else?
Shared values beat aesthetics any day of the week. I want to be informed and amazed. I yearn to hear something I haven't heard before. My heart is in noise music and general DIY culture as it brings a vast spectrum of people together to do practical things that can serve others– artists and audiences. Meaningful.
I strongly oppose using my own beliefs to police others, and using Boksen to make a statement of them. As long as you are a nice person and care about DIY culture and diversity you are very welcome. Boksen has the power and potential to make a change: be nice and don't lose yourself to things like success and image.
Do you feel scenes like yours influence the larger cultural landscape?
A few years ago there were weekly raves at Boksen, and the scene was flourishing. Once I realised the focus shifted from the music and more over to the drugs, I reduced it to once a month. Since then, the rave scene has been less active, but there's a myriad of new bands popping up instead. This is a theory I have heard from a few people, so don't take my word for it. But I enjoy the feeling of power, haha.
On a serious note, many people are very thankful that a place like this exists in Oslo, because it offers a sense of freedom and the potential to explore yourself, others, and new music. Boksen welcomes diversity in a discreet way. The place is also a bare concrete room with a certain smell that allows for carelessness and taking bigger chances artistically.
What do you feel is missing from mainstream art spaces in Norway?
This hits a spot in me and makes me very engaged. As I see the potential to mix scenes up and ignite a very strong movement. A subculture that can secure money and infrastructure will be able to maintain its position, aesthetic, and vision; protecting itself even at the loss of its vision. There's some kind of no-mansland between the underground and the mainstream, where a bunch of art institutions set their flags and make sure their flags are different. Taking up space, but keeping to themselves. Blocking the potential to ignite a very strong movement, it's all about the money.
And I'm a grumpy guy pushing 50 :-D
What's something at Boksen that would be impossible in a more institutional space?
Smoking indoors is nothing I endorse, but you are free to do it. It's a shitty example, but it says a lot about the kind of freedom we have that other public spaces don't. I'd say artists can be a lot more artistically daring at Boksen, it's both a laid back space for trial and error, and a place where there has been lots of really amazing artistry at play.
Boksen quickly gained a persistent reputation as a place where "anything can happen".
★★★