Emma Rönnholm: Serve Somebody

The light installation Serve Somebody is a mosaic made from melted and melded plastic bags and LED lights that changes colour. The motif is from mediaeval glass paintings in the cathedrals of Chartres and Strasbourg, and she describes the work as a “DIY cathedral”. The result is both magical and melancholy, kitschy yet ascetic. The images convey various narrative and symbolic meanings, addressing cultural strata, temporal perspectives, and our links to the past. The interaction of light and material becomes tangible when the transparent coloured plastic, in the flow of light, forms a physical totality with a plethora of possible interpretations; including associations to the sacred, contemplative and spiritual spaces of the church, and references to saintly halos and light as a symbol of perfection and divinity. Other perspectives relate to the physical properties of plastic, a manmade material that is produced prolifically and is symbolic of the market and consumerism. The title, Serve Somebody, raises questions such as what is our role in the prevailing system and in private, who do we serve, and why. The work also has obvious connections to contemporary commercial signage, which has similar traits and serves as a platform to rhetorically communicate specific commodities or lifestyles. Rönnholm is fascinated by the polarising concepts of good and evil and how sins and virtues are defined in different periods. (text: Caroline Gustafsson / Borås Art Museum )