Yasmine and the Seven Faces of the Heptahedron

For the fourth edition of Bergen Assembly, curator Yasmine d’O. invites the public to follow another Yasmine, a fictional character, on her quest for a mysterious form, a seven-sided solid body called the Heptahedron. Her search is guided by seven enigmatic characters that she encounters along the way: the Professor, the Bonimenteur, the Moped Rider, the Fortune Teller, an Acrobats, the Coalman and the Tourist.

These seven characters lend their names to seven exhibitions spread across different venues in the city of Bergen from September 8 to November 6, 2022. Each character-exhibition brings together three distinct artistic positions, offering a multiplicity of perspectives on the issues raised by their puzzling titles. After having shared this quest with Yasmine, what remains as memories in each visitor’s mind will give form to as many Heptahedra.

The quest of the Heptahedron is based on a play written by the French author Thomas Clerc after a performance by Saâdane Afif that took place in Marrakech in 2014. The idea sparked by this performance has since migrated from Morocco towards northern Europe. Having encountered different contexts and people along the way, the story has been enriched and transformed to evolve into an assembly in Bergen. 

The exhibition exploring the Professor can be encountered at the Faculty for Art, Music and Design at the University of Bergen, the Bonimenteur at Bergen Kunsthall, and the Moped Rider at Bryggens Museum.

The Fortune Teller will be spread across three spaces in a small side street called Østre Skostredet: Østre, a House for Sound Art and Electronic Music, Northing Space, a multifunctional space aiming to promote and mediate East Asian art and culture in Bergen, and an old residential building.

An Acrobats can be encountered at Kunsthall 3.14, The Coalman at Gyldenpris Kunsthall, and the Tourist at Permanenten as well as Kafé Mat & Prat at Engensenteret Care Home.

Meanwhile, the seven faces of the Heptahedron are explored through Side Magazine published by Wirklichkeit Books in the run up to the exhibition. Each of the seven issues are dedicated to one of the characters. The issues introducing the Professor and the Moped Rider have been released and the Bonimenteur is next.

Bergen Assembly is a perennial model for art production structured around public events that take place in the city of Bergen every three years. Each edition is guided by a convener who is free to invent new ways of conceiving the event, allowing each iteration of Bergen Assembly to take on a distinctly different shape and format.

Bergen Assembly is supported by the City of Bergen and the Arts Council of Norway.

Registration for accreditation will be available in April.

Contact: press@bergenassembly.no