October, 2021
Our chief technician Thomas Nordin is constantly at work managing our collection and the logistics involved in new acquisitions and lending out works. Since the beginning in 1987, Magasin III’s collection has grown hand in hand with our exhibition program, and the collection currently comprises over 1,100 works.
Thomas Nordin: In my work with the collection, I have the opportunity to cooperate closely with artists regarding technical issues to do with their artworks. Most of the works are like a musical score—instructions that must be followed, and a lot of what we do has to happen in dialog with the artist so that everything is done right. During my years as a technician at Magasin III, I have dealt with many interesting and complex works, such as Tom Friedman’s Up in the Air, a work that contains over 800 individual parts. I also encounter many skilled specialists, such as conservators in fields like painting, paper, and textiles. I really appreciate the knowledge and commitment they bring to the work with the collection, not least because our collection is highly varied in terms of the materials, size, techniques, and installations. This is also what makes caring for the collection such an extensive task. Our lending activities enable the artists’ works to meet a new audience at the institutions that borrow works from us. When we lend works, I sometimes have to go along and be there during the unpacking, installation, and takedown. That is when an exchange happens between the art institutions, which I find to be very valuable.