Palle Torsson
Encyclopedia
Palle Torsson is a contemporary artist working with videos
, interactive works, live video games and performance
. He received a MFA
from Royal College University of Fine Arts Stockholm
in 1998, where he also met up with artist colleague Tobias Bernstrup
.
Their project, Museum Meltdown, consisted in a series of site specific computer game installations in European art museums. Using the graphic engine of existing video games such as Doom, Duke Nukem 3D
, Quake and Half-Life they transformed the museum architecture
into violent first-person shooter
games where the museum visitor could wander around inside a virtual
version of the museum killing and blowing up master pieces. Torsson and Bernstrup's early video game based projects and game representations of museums have later been followed by other by artists such as Florian Muser & Imre Osswald, Felix Stephan Huber (Germany), Feng Mengbo (China) and Kolkoz (France).
After his collaboration with Bernstrup, Palle Torsson have continued to work with game related work like Sam exhibited at Palais de Tokyo
, Paris in 2001 and Evil Interiors.
Since 2005, he is also working with the Swedish anti-copyright organization Piratbyrån
, especially with the website Art Liberated.
Video clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
, interactive works, live video games and performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
. He received a MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
from Royal College University of Fine Arts Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1998, where he also met up with artist colleague Tobias Bernstrup
Tobias Bernstrup
Tobias Bernstrup is a contemporary artist working with videos, interactive works, live performances and electronic music...
.
Career
In 1995, Torsson closely collaborated with artist Tobias Bernstrup with whom he got international recognition as the first group of visual artists to use computer games in their art practice.Their project, Museum Meltdown, consisted in a series of site specific computer game installations in European art museums. Using the graphic engine of existing video games such as Doom, Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by GT Interactive Software. The full version was released for the PC . It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II published by Apogee...
, Quake and Half-Life they transformed the museum architecture
Museum architecture
Museum architecture has been of increasing importance over the centuries, especially more recently.A challenge for museum architecture is the differing purposes of the building. The museum collection must be preserved, but it also needs to be made accessible to the public...
into violent first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
games where the museum visitor could wander around inside a virtual
Virtual
The term virtual is a concept applied in many fields with somewhat differing connotations, and also, differing denotations.The term has been defined in philosophy as "that which is not real" but may display the salient qualities of the real....
version of the museum killing and blowing up master pieces. Torsson and Bernstrup's early video game based projects and game representations of museums have later been followed by other by artists such as Florian Muser & Imre Osswald, Felix Stephan Huber (Germany), Feng Mengbo (China) and Kolkoz (France).
After his collaboration with Bernstrup, Palle Torsson have continued to work with game related work like Sam exhibited at Palais de Tokyo
Palais de Tokyo
The Palais de Tokyo is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, near the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs the City of Paris and hosts the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris...
, Paris in 2001 and Evil Interiors.
Since 2005, he is also working with the Swedish anti-copyright organization Piratbyrån
Piratbyrån
Piratbyrån was a Swedish organization established to support people opposed to current ideas about intellectual property — by freely sharing information and culture...
, especially with the website Art Liberated.
Notable works
- (1995) Assvideo http://www.palletorsson.com/assvideo.php videos and video performance
- (1995) Museum Meltdown I http://www.bernstrup.com/meltdown/old/arken.html computer game, Arken Museum of Modern ArtArken Museum of Modern ArtARKEN Museum of Modern Art is a private non-for-profit charity, state authorized, contemporary art museum near Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The museum was conceived and created by Copenhagen County.-Museum:...
(with Tobias Bernstrup) - (1997) Museum Meltdown II http://www.bernstrup.com/meltdown/old/vilnius.html computer game, Contemporary Art Centre of VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, (with Tobias Bernstrup) - (1999) Museum Meltdown III http://www.bernstrup.com/meltdown/main.html computer game, Moderna MuseetModerna MuseetModerna museet, the Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm, Sweden, is a state museum located on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, that was first opened in 1958. Its first manager was Pontus Hultén...
, StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
(with Tobias Bernstrup) - (1999) Minus Porn http://www.palletorsson.com/minus.php photographs and website.
- (2001) Pippi Examples http://www.palletorsson.com/pippi.php censored video based on Pippi Longstocking
- (2001) Sam http://www.palletorsson.com/sam.php Half-Life computer game modification about the five year old girl Sam, Palais de Tokyo, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- (2002) Text Voyeur http://www.palletorsson.com/textvoyeur.php, real-time 24hour streaming-work based on Limewire, Kiasma, HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
- (2003) Evil Interiors http://www.palletorsson.com/evil.php computer game reconstructions from movies like Psycho, Reservoir Dogs and Scarface
- (2005) Artliberated.org http://www.artliberated.org, website for freedom of speech.