Project Proposal: Kikki Stromstad
Female identity and the nature of distance.

Mainly I want to look into female artists and writers, and their different ways of portraying the idea of distance. This can be mentally, psychologically, emotionally, physically or geographically distances. I want to do more into the idea of longing for somewhere or something else than your current location, either it comes to a place, a relationship or a state of mind. In order to fully understand the psychology of distance, I will also research the idea of female identity and the conscious and unconscious quest of fining ones identity, sexuality, and ones home.

I want to look into travelling journals, diaries, poetry and novels written about and by women.



I am espesially interessted in finding out more about unknown Nordic female artists.
The bursary will allow me to travel to Norway meet up with some or several of the women i am interessted in talking to. I will also be going to Warsaw, Polen along with all the contributers of the whole pages project. In Warsaw we will try to see as many shows as possible, visiting sights, and hopefully some local artists.

My plan is to spend most of my money on travelling, making use of the opportunity to visit exhibitions and artists abroad or within the UK.
A fair share of the bursary will also go towards books that hopefully will play a significant part of the research.


Set of goals:

Get the experience of interacting and collaborating with professional curators, artists and galleries.
Learn more about research methods, witch will be helpful in relation to my present art practice, as well as my future practice.
Develop a personal method of research
Interact and collaborate with fellow students and tutors
Work and socialise with artists that have the same interests as me.
The ability to visit artists in different parts of the UK or perhaps even different parts of the world.
The knowledge and experience of participating in a project like this

I have a lot of expectation for this project, and I hope it will raise my awareness of research methods both towards my current practice as well as my future art practice. I am hoping that the research for Pages, also will be helpful in relation to my own studio practice and the contextualising of my work.

I will also be using module aims as a vivid part of my reaserch, such as further developing methods of researching, developing processes of self management and developing critical evaluation skills related to my own work as well as others.



The Virago Book of Women Travelers;
Edited by Mary Morris
Virago Press, London 1996

Female Kristin Valla – Norwegian writer.
Came out with her debut novel; Nutmeg in 2000.

Ørstavik, Hanne

Vaa, Aslaug poet
Aslaug Vaa was born in Norway, but spent most of her years studying French litterateur, and art history in Paris and Berlin.

Hege Woxen - poet
Norwegian poet, studied litterateur in Norway and Spain, and spent several year abroad, both in Spain and South America.

Linn Ulvin

Tale Næss

Randi Beck- Norwegian painter and printmaker

Mary Chamberlain
Narratives of exile and return
New Brunswick, N.J. ; London : Transaction Publishers, c2005

Rosemary Betterton
An intimate distance: women, artists and the body
London: Routledge, 1996