Ingrid Frivold / Frvldz

Norwegian artist working mainly with sound and music. During her residency in Wroclaw, she works mainly with the materiality and physicality of sound, and as a starting point she has raised questions about how words shape our understanding of the world and give insight into the ways we perceive it. The artist collects words, creates sentences out of them, and then rewrites and changes them, examining how they then interact and what senses they create. The result is to be a soundscape – a marriage of text and music.

Meeting with the artist: artist talk with Ingrid Frivold aka Frvldz

when: September 26, 2023

where: Klubokawiarnia Recepcja at 46a Ruska Street in Wroclaw participation: registration required [https://bit.ly/26_09_artist_talk_with_Frvldz].

language: the talk will be held in English with Polish translation

About the artist

Ingrid studied music at Trinity College of Music in London before returning to her native Norway, where she first played French horn in the Norwegian Air Force Band as a conscript, and then began working in children’s theaters, and was also a brass teacher. From 2004 to 2020, she played in the Oslo-based Frank Znort Quartet and was a founding member of the award-winning Beglomeg ensemble. Her love of improvisation became increasingly apparent during this period.

She has performed as a guest artist with numerous Norwegian and foreign bands and artists, and in 2019 began her solo career as “Frvldz,” combining trumpet and electronics. In 2022, her artistic repertoire grew and expanded even further. She made her debut as a visual artist at the Olsok exhibition in Stiklestad, Norway. Ingrid is also involved in volunteer work. She is an activist on the national board of the People’s Party of Sami.

Summary of residency

Ingrid Frivold was the last resident artist to be hosted in Wrocław during the “Whose Voices Are Being Heard?” programme, and the only one among the entire group who makes music. Ingrid combines brass instruments with electronics, creating cool ambient sounds. She loves to improvise and during her concerts, she stays in tune with the emotions flowing from the audience. In Wrocław, we could experience it live on two occasions. The artist performed in Bemma Bar in a concert organised by No Escape, and also in club café Recepcja, where she presented a fragment of her composition during an artist talk.

That same evening, the guests heard a joik performed by Ingrid. It was a deeply moving and special moment. Joik is a type of Saami traditional singing, that is very different from typical songs. It is improvised and adapted to the situation, has no clear beginning or end, and is based on a phrase repeated in different variations. It forms an important part of Saami cultural identity. For years it was banned from being sung, so it symbolises the struggles for the rights of this minority in Norway. Ingrid recently debuted as a joik performer, which strongly relates to her commitment to activism. For her, music is a way of giving voice to those who don’t have it. She also dedicated her residency project to this cause. She focused on the power of words, and their meanings in different contexts and languages, combining them with the sounds she creates. The artist has made a manifesto about understanding the world through words, which are often negative and subject to manipulation, and which can stigmatise and hurt. In opposition to this, music represents a more direct and sincere way of communication, based on emotions – universal and inclusive.

Throughout her stay, Ingrid devoted herself to composing in the studio, but also painted. For some time now, she has been experimenting with painting on garments. It has resulted in unique pieces of clothing that the artist wears at her concerts. One was featured on the cover of her album “Blitz 191119”, released in 2020. Ingrid’s residency was in September, which is the time when the Avant Art music festival takes place in Wrocław. This year’s edition was largely devoted to sounds from Norway. The artist had the opportunity to meet some friends there, exchange inspirations and impressions, and get to know Polish musicians and see them perform. A similar networking opportunity was Ingrid’s trip to Warsaw to attend the Curating Voices of Otherness symposium held as part of the Sounds Now network, which brings together nine European music festivals and arts centres that promote contemporary, experimental music and sound art.

The final group exhibition at BWA Wrocław Główny will feature a multi-channel sound installation by Ingrid, created during her residency, and a set of T-shirts decorated by the artist.