Blank Space: Blah, Blah

Blokk Forlag is an indie comic book publisher, which was established in 2016. It is co-founded by comic artist Anja Dahle Øverbye and journalist Ingrid Flognfeldt Brubaker. They specialize in comics, fanzines, and artist books. In this episode, we talk about their journey through the indie comic world - from Hobby to Jobby, and what struggles they've overcome. Special thanks to Vakuum Studio for always having our back, and offers up some expert sound tech magic.

This month's episode brings together 4 astonishing children's book professionals from across the spectrum - illustrators, comic book creators, writers, advocates, and in both fiction and non-fiction. Curious about how someone creates a book for kids, as an adult? What is the process, the psychology, the goals? Why is it important, and why do they do it? Our guests: Dag Larsen, author and Education Director from Barnebokinstituttet Øyvind Torseter, author and illustrator Sarah Herlofsen-Herosa, author(http://www.herosa.org/) Malin Falch, author and illustrator of Nordlys And join us for our special halftime show, Episode 2 of "Den Glade Gjengen" - where we have some fun with Dungeons and Dragons in our improvised radio theater. Feeling lost? Check out Episode 22 of the Blah, Blah to see how the story started!

Welcome to episode 22 of Blank Space's podcast focusing on art, design, and all things culture - the BLAH, BLAH. We encourage organic discussion about interesting topics from real players in the field - rather than stuffy lectures that dont connect at all with the audience. This episode we are overjoyed to have with us Mikael Noguchi and Øyvind Holen, the co-creators of Drabant, the award winning comic book series talking about the 90's graffiti scene in Norway and the universal topic of feeling left out and seeking community. Join us as we discuss the process of making these comics, the joys of creating narrative work, and some inner opinions of the street art scene in Norway. ------------- For our halfway break this episode, we are trying something a little different! Since Liz and Ruben are both p-r-e-t-t-y hardcore D&D geeks, we decided to try our hand at making a radio theatre of an adventure - so you can tune in each month to learn what what has befallen our adventurers! Some audience members may find this super weird - so feel free to hop over each break if you find this to be jarring or too silly. For everyone else, enjoy! Kudos to our players, Urda Blichfeldt, Jonas Stava, Ruben Carlsen, and Liz Ramsey. And a major hug / bribe to our DM Sigurd Lange.

Kulturrådet's own Ingrid Aukrust Rones joins us for our 21st episode of the Blank Space: Blah, Blah - one who specializes in their newest financial stipends known as "Creative Industry" grants. We sit down and talk about these stipends, their differences, why they exist, what Kulturrådet is thinking, how these stipends are funded, and how best to apply. Among other "funner" topics. Strap in kids, because this is a more technical ride than we normally do - but probably way more important too. If you are looking for a more formal podcast talking specifically about how to apply, then I recommend checking out our 3rd podcast found here (oh, how young and innocent we were then...)- https://soundcloud.com/blankspaceoslo/money-money-money Ingrid mentioned after recording an AMAZING resource not many know about, so I recommend checking that out too for help with stipend writing: https://einnsyn.no/. Here all public matters are documented and released, so you can apply to get access to a ton of different documents (such as applications for other stipends that DID get funding....nifty!) Kudos to Vakuum Studio, our steadfast partner in crime. Their musical contribution this time around was by ROP, and called "Taper Utskudd" and can be listened to here: https://soundcloud.com/ropproject/taper-utskudd **I mentioned in this episode the that there was a State Secretary for the Minister of Culture I had talked to awhile ago, and I remembered his name after recording: Bjørgulv Vinje Borgundvaag. So there.

Sound Producers Ali Cedroni and Martin Kvale join us for our 20th episode (hip hip, hurrah!). This time, we talk about all the fun and frustrations of creating music and sounds for various productions - We focus on their work with video games and the unique challenges in that field: How do you produce music or sounds for something that can be repetetive without being annoying? And how do you create music that reacts to the player's motions, without becoming disruptive to the overall sound scheme? And how do you work with timing, for example, if a player is busy looting crates while a time-sensitive bomb is going off - how do you incorporate that freedom into a composition successfully? Sponsored by the ever wonderful Vakuum Studio. Music: Orbiter, Mt. Fuzzo, from the album Resist, Submit, Repeat being released early 2019 by Negative Vibe Records, but fully produced by Vakuum Studio.

Mari Nordén, fashion designer extraordinaire and founder of Fabrikk silkscreen studio in Oslo jumps into the Blah, Blah for yet another fun and intimate discussion about the world of art - how does one make money in a world ruled by "fast fashion", how fashion plays a critical role in society and , and more importantly, that silkscreen is really, really quite cool. As always, huge thanks to Vakuum Studio for their ever present sound skills. This month's music is from Nils Arne Øygarden, and titled "Lyse Opp". Listen here

Blank Space celebrates illustrator Remi Juliebø in a solo exhibition showing off highlighted works in his 10-year career of turning music into images on Friday August 17th 2018. To put a little meat on that bone, we invited him down for a casual talk to chat about his journey through his hard times, his good times, and his determination of never letting go of the dream to live off what he loves to do - draw. As always, thanks to our partners at Vakuum Studios. This episode's musical break is produced, mixed, and all things good by them: Benjamin James, "Woe is Me" https://spoti.fi/2vnrgis

In episode 17 we are joined by Jo-Remi Madsen, "business-handler" and gameplay programmer for D-Pad studio, the developers behind the amazing hit Owlboy, which was released in Nov 2016 and is now available for all major platforms. In the other corner, we have Camilla Kvalheim - renowned gaming nerd and versatile developer, who has worked for multiple companies such as Megapop, D-Pad Studios, Sunnbal, and Black Books. Listen in and learn about the daily life of game development, hear us geek out about the industry, and for some guaranteed incredibly funny jokes.* As normal, huge shout out to Vakuum Studio for putting up with us! And check out this month's featured song, "Bare Mennesker" here: https://open.spotify.com/track/7bIcPeSNGm09Lrc4ltjVhN *jokes not guaranteed to be funny nor incredible

In this episode, we welcome new media designer Rosa Hernández and developer Tommy Svensson, of Logic Interactive. We discuss the background for our most recent exhibition, Digital Playgrounds: The Art of Augmented Reality where art is not a passive experience -audiences are given a first-hand experience to the playgrounds 10 local artists have created just for them. Learn more about the process, the whys and hows, as well as a bit more about the designers working behind this exhibition. Sponsored by Vakuum Studio. Music brought to you by ROP "Whore's Nest" (listen here: https://soundcloud.com/ropproject/whores-nest)

Join Blank Space and Grafill's Lene Renneflott and Marianne Lind as we discuss current topics trending - pricing, respect, rights, contracts, and what it's like being the "parents" for the Norwegian art and design scene. Big thanks to Vakuum Studios for their support and help with this. Music: Mirror Girl, by Andreas Hiltveit

Joining us for episode #14 is Racecar Studios, with Anders Fabritius, Jeppe Grüner, and Jonas Bødtker. We talk about the Hows and Whys of the studio getting started back in 2002, "bread and butter clients", how to manage boring jobs with experimental personal projects, and general motion graphics and animation fun. Kudos to Vakuum Studios for being our knights in shining armor and listening to us blah. Music credit to Kristine Due, and her song "Done". (http://bit.ly/2GmhiSv)

Joining us for our lucky-number-thirteen episode are two of our contributors from Blank Space's most recent exhibition which opened on October 6th, 2017. This exhibition showed the progress and final product of a 3-month long collaboration between 28 artists : 14 visual communicators and 14 musicians. The final goal? To highlight similarities between auditory and visual communication: we are all communicators, just speaking with different tools. Joining us on this podcast to discuss a bit about their experiences and a whole lot of silliness, is Thrilly, aka Tom Jan Hogg Lenartowicz (thrilly.com) and Ida Svanes (svanes.org). And as always, HUGE thanks to Vakuum Studios for being the champs they are, and putting up with our nonsense. Music credited to Ida Savnes.

DARIO FARIELLO was one of many artists invited to participate in Blank Space's newest exhibition opening on Friday, Oct 6th 2017. This is his contribution.

Fridtjof Wesseltoft (https://soundcloud.com/fridtjof)was one of many artists invited to participate in Blank Space's newest exhibition opening on Friday, Oct 6th 2017. This is his contribution - an anthropological sound recording of Rio Polochic. (artwork by Marius Renberg)

Two natural-born talkers join up for one intense session of Blah Blah! Carl Størmer joins us for more than an hour of conversation, where topics wander from his history of working for major corporations, living through improvisational jazz, and being the son of Norway's first female modern artist.

Lars Aurtande joins the Blah Blah with our eleventh episode. Here we invite audiences to get a behind-the-scene look at the eccentric mind of the artist behind the solo exhibition of "YOU DIG THE NATURE!", which opens Friday August 11th 2017 from 18:00 - 21:00.

"Illustratørene fyller Blank Space" opened on May 5th 2017, and with it we invited illustrators Ingunn Dybendal, Marius Pålerud, and Trude Tjensvold to come and speak about what it is really like being an illustrator in Oslo today. Illustratørene is not just a co-working space, but instead a collective of illustrators that have fun, host parties, and support each other's careers. Located at Grensen 9A in downtoan Oslo, they have a experience across illustration, design, animation, books, advertisement, and more. "Illustratørene fyller Blank Space" is open every day Sunday - Thursday from 11:00 - 17:00 until June 29th 2017. There you will see our guests work, as well as the other 4 illustrators working at Illustratørene: Elisabeth Moseng, Hilde Hodnefjeld, Inger Sandved Anfinsen, and Trond Bredesen. Big thanks to our sponsors at Vaccuum Studios! Music performed by Renate Rubini - Evolution (Midnight Coffee Remix) (http://bit.ly/2qraafQ)

Thomas Alkärr, program leader at NRK, joins us to discuss his recent TV series "Thomas og Den Vanskelige Kunsten" (Thomas and the Difficult Art). The show follows Thomas around the fine art / contemporary art world, as he is an enthusiastic yet complete new beginner into the secret world of art. The show premiered to good reviews in November 2016, and we give him an opportunity to decompress and hear what he learned about being plunged into an otherwise overwhelming journey. Check out the whole show here: https://tv.nrk.no/serie/thomas-og-den-vanskelige-kunsten

Joining the Blah Blah this month is Fellesverkstedet, Oslo's favorite space to make stuff. Graham Hayward (project leader), Jens Dyvik (research and development), and Lars Cuzner (art relations) all sit down on a Wednesday afternoon to drink light beer and talk art. These three jolly dudes cram in more knowledge in 51 minutes than anyone else we've talked to - so sit down and listen about the ideas and morals behind one of Oslo's best creative spaces.

Join Viktor Gjengaard with Urban Samtidskunst, David Stenmarck, and Espen Henningsen as we discuss Blank Space's 4th installment of their annual show "The Dirty Art"!

Martin Whatson (NO) sits down for a silly chat about his role in the often misunderstood world of commissioned street art. His role as one of Norway’s most up and coming names in the fine art scene does nothing to dim the smile on his face as we talk about his background, thoughts on the future, and the ever important role of a healthy work-life balance.

Erik Falk (NO) and Sigbjørn Lilleeng (NO) sits with us to discuss their new opening, Jippi Space, which explores the idea of the inner soul and outer space. Erik Falk, the founder / editor of Jippi Forlag, one of Norway’s oldest and most popular independent comic book publisher, describes the average path of publishing in Norway today, with all the difficulties and rewards that comes with it. Sigbjørn describes his creative process and the challenges of long-term personal projects… Joining us: Erik Falk (NO) Sigbjørn Lilleeng (NO)

Brazilian artist Theo Felizzola joined us for an informal discussion about his work, the place of traditional oil painting in the modern world, and the importance of education. How does a boy who receives a basketball scholarship to an engineering school become a sought after portrait artist? Digressions: Saint Seiya, Basketball

Blank Space: Blah, Blah www.blankspaceoslo.com EPISODE ONE: Rise of the Creatives The discussion begins as an exploration of the word 'creative' and how its usage has risen in the past 5 years. Is there a difference between an Artist, Designer, and Creative?  Joining us: Sam Bannister, Westerdals Kriszti Tóth, MESH Digressions:  Furryporn, Gentrification, Norwegian Nature

Blank Space: Blah, Blah www.blankspaceoslo.com EPISODE TWO: Neil Ross Neil Ross (UK) joined us fora small chat about his work, experience, and thoughts of the future of digital art - can it succeed in a fine art setting? Joining us: Neil Ross (UK) Digressions:  Video games, copycats, The Mona Lisa

EPISODE THREE: Money, money. Money? Kulturrådet and Statens Kunstnerstipend chatted with Blank Space about the misconceptions about the Norwegian stipend process and project support through the  Joining us: Tom Klev, Senior Adviser , Kulturrådet Margrete Slettebø , Statens Kunstnerstipend, Kulturrådet Digressions:  Sadly, not many. These guys meant business.