​Civil Defense/Sivilforsvaret
Act 4: WAR / AKT 4: KRIG
Visningsrommet USF Verftet, 2023
An installation total by Gitte Sætre & Frans Jacobi
Exhibition with seminars and talks

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When discussing war, the focus tends to gravitate towards the grandiose aspects – the enormous budgets, formidable weaponry, and towering figures of leadership issuing grand declarations. The narrative of war seldom delves into the individual experiences of soldiers, the anguish of civilians, or the heartache of grieving mothers. In her book "War is Contempt for Life: An Essay on Peace," Linn Stalsberg illuminates this oversight. It is this perspective that inspired the creation of this exhibition. War is the visceral reality of a body pierced by a bullet, the agony of those left behind on the battlefield, and the haunting memories of those who have taken lives, whether as volunteers or under orders. Its repercussions echo through generations, leaving traumatized bodies long after the elusive promise of peace is declared. Wars may be ignited for a myriad of reasons – be they military, economic, or nationalistic in nature. Yet, regardless of the underlying motives, the buildup to conflict often stirs emotions and fervor, fostering animosity and disdain towards those deemed responsible for perpetuating war. And when the dust settles, the cycle often culminates with a reciprocal exchange of hatred and contempt – sometimes within the confines of familial ties. War, despite its familiarity, remains organized murder in its essence.​

​Sportet by: Bergen kommune, UD gjennom Fredsrådet, Antikrigs-Initiativet, Freds-Stiftelsen

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PRESSRELASE
REVIEW 
​Frans Jacobi & Gitte Sætre transforms the gallery into a physical poem and points to the concept of theater of war.  One scene from a play, a singular image of how the perpetrators of injustice are worldwide and singular.  Making the stories the same.  The young man trudges towards the front, forced to sacrifice his life. This exhibition is dedicated to all these young men. As the title suggests, Forth Act:WAR is part of a series of exhibitions and events that have tried to discuss the reality of war from different points of view. A series that started with the War Theater Trident Juncture at Den Nationale Scene in 2017 and the Anti-War Festival at USF in 2020, as well as the Commission for the Good Solutions at DNS in 2022. In this 'war series', Jacobi & Sætre refer to the term theater of war, a standard term in military rhetoric. The theater of war describes the positions and movements of the warring parties in a geographical space. In this context, the term is used in the space of art; in a theatrical installation, Act Four portrays the deadly consequences of war. A Psychogeography; an emotional discomfort. The exhibition is dedicated to those who have fallen in war. During the exhibition period, various debates are organized under the auspices of the Anti-War Initiative and the International Women's League for Peace and Freedom.

​In a theatrical visual language, the two artists provide a dramatic mood picture of war, as an existential human condition. The exhibition depicts the deadly consequences of war. In the exhibition, a number of everyday materials - plastic bags, mirrors, buckets, asphalt, and concrete - are combined with film clips, sound, and light. In this dystopian scenario, a young man waits and wanders with a dead head under his arm. In the details of the exhibition, Jacobi & Sætre refers to a number of artists; a stack of books and a large stone-like piece of foam are inspired by the German artist Joseph Beuys and his work 'Blizschlag mit Lichtschein auf Hirsch', a film clip shows the title sequence of the film 'Titus' by Julie Taymor, a staging of William Shakespeare's play 'Titus Andronicus ' and the exhibition ends with the watercolor 'The Window', inspired by a scene in Hasse & Tages' film 'Picasso's Adventure', where Pablo Picasso escapes from prison by drawing a window on the wall and crawling out of it. Beuys, Shakespeare, and Picasso – all great male artists who have reflected on the phenomenon of war in different ways. The exhibition points to masculinity, both as a cause of war and the language of war, but also as a stage for young men's claustrophobic role of offering. In this spirit, the exhibition is dedicated to those who have fallen in war.
 
The exhibition ends with the work 'The Window', which metaphorically opens towards a possible exit - out of the dystopia, out of the claustrophobic masculinity. As Lena Lindgren writes in Morgenbladet in a collection of the climate crisis and war politics:
 
"Within this 'fast-closing window of opportunity', an escalating arms race is underway. For the first time since the Cold War, there has been an increase in the number of nuclear weapons, and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is speeding up Nato, and country after country is rearming its defenses to meet the target of percentage of GDP. "Arms are the way to peace", as Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says.
 
Fourth act: WAR is the fourth part of the ongoing 'theatre of war' Civil Defence. Civil Defense is a continuous series of events where visual artists Frans Jacobi and Gitte Sætre, in collaboration with several other artists, activists, and social debaters, reflect on various aspects of today's security policy. In several exhibitions and events, we have tried to discuss the reality of the war from different points of view. First with the War Theater Trident Juncture on the National Stage, DNS in 2017, and the Anti-War Festival at USF in 2020, and finally the Commission for Good Solutions on the National Stage, DNS in 2022. In Civil Defense, Jacobi & Sætre refer to the term theater of war, a standard term in military rhetoric. War theater describes the positions and movements of the warring parties in a geographical space. In this context, the term is used in the space of art; in acts 1 and 3 the art functions as a platform for the exchange of ideas, but in both visual, performative elements are included as a poetic shadow of the rational arguments. Acts 2 and 4, focus more directly on art and the artwork's ability to create images of political events. Images that open emotional, symbolic, and visionary aspects of reality.
In connection with the exhibition at USF, Jacobi & Sætre is publishing a first version of a comprehensive catalog of the Civil Defense project.
 
Fourth act: WAR is accompanied by a debate program where the theme of the exhibition is discussed in light of current events. (See program below). The debate program is organized in collaboration with the Anti-War Initiative and the International Women's League for Peace and Freedom.
 
Program during the exhibition program:
Lecture: Nuclear safety and what do nuclear submarines in Tromsø have to do with the war in Ukraine? By Professor of Nuclear Physics at UiB, Dieter Røhrich. The world has seen a withdrawal from several disarmament agreements, and this has created a new dangerous nuclear reality. In the north, we see signs of this new reality with nuclear submarines in Tromsø harbor and several American bases in Norway. Dieter Røhrich will talk about the extent to which the disastrous war in Ukraine is a consequence of political decisions and technical development in terms of missiles and nuclear warheads. What needs to be done to avoid such or even worse disasters in the future? Dieter Røhrich has worked at Goethe University in Frankfurt, at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the USA, and at CERN. His research interests are basic research in nuclear physics and medical physics.
 
Lecture: Move the money from war to peace!
-about the military-industrial complex and war as a business idea.
What is the military-industrial complex, and how do these entrenched military structures prevent sustainable and peaceful development?
The meeting is part of Global Days of action against Military spending, which from 13 April to 9 May campaigns to cut military spending and invest more in common and human security. Peace journalist, activist, and board member of the International Women's League for Peace and Freedom Åse Møller-Hansen will talk about the military-industrial complex as an obstacle to peace and sustainable development. Åse Møller-Hansen has written the book 'Safety for Who? which gives a good insight into military climate emissions, war as a business idea, and ways to peace.
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