Intervals: Creative responses to space with Johan F. Karlsson

Intervals: Creative responses to space with Johan F. Karlsson

From Creating New Spaces: Interviews with artists redefining spaces through technology by Robin Petterd

June 3, 2025 · 17 min · Episode 25

About this episode

Johan F. Karlsson discusses his artistic process and the influence of the concept of ma on his site-specific installations.

In this podcast, you’ll learn how Johan F. Karlsson uses observation, intuition, and the concept of ma to shape site-specific installations that reveal subtle changes in space and time. In this interview, Johan F. Karlsson talks about the creative process behind Against the day and The space that remains . The installations are part of the exhibition Forever is nothing , developed during Johan’s residency at Space Department, a Japanese residency program that supports architecture and spatial-based art practices. Johan F. Karlsson is a Swedish artist whose work investigates time, space, and ephemeral processes. His practice spans video, performance, photography, and sculpture. He holds an MA in Photography from Aalto University and a BA in Culture and Arts from Novia University of Applied Sciences. Listen to this podcast to learn about: How the concept of ma guided a process of waiting, noticing, and responding How intuition and site-specific observation replace fixed planning in creative workflows How time becomes both material and subject in durational video installation Chapters (00:00:00) Introduction and acknowledgements (00:00:38) Exploring the concept of 'ma' (00:01:21)…

People in this episode

Host: Robin Petterd

Guest: Johan F. Karlsson

Topics covered

  • site-specific installations
  • artistic process
  • concept of ma
  • ephemeral processes
  • creative workflows

Keywords

  • Johan F. Karlsson
  • site-specific art
  • ma
  • Against the day
  • The space that remains
  • Forever is nothing
  • artistic residency
  • ephemeral art
  • creative process

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Space Department, Aalto University, Novia University of Applied Sciences

Books & works: Against the day, The space that remains, Forever is nothing

Places: Sweden, Malmö

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