As summer heat began
the world shrank so small
that its scent could be sensed through the nose...
This marks the start of Irma Salo Jæger's poem of 21 sentences and 21 paintings shown at her breakthrough exhibition at Kunstnernes Hus in 1968.
The poem transports us to a warm summer day, exploring the life and activities of the creeping buttercup. This ground-hugging yellow flower, intricately connected to its neighbor through a network of roots, mirrors the era's interconnectedness.
1968 was a pivotal year marked by the Vietnam War and the tumult of the Paris student revolt, a time of change and protest juxtaposed with technological innovations, particularly in cybernetics—a theory of communication between humans and machines developed by Norbert Wiener. Drawing parallels between the interconnected roots of the buttercup and emerging communication methods, Jæger envisioned a future influenced by new technology, potentially heralding an end to wars and the beginning of global peace. Her poem concludes with three paintings intended as drafts for a world flag.
The 1968 exhibition at Kunstnernes Hus signaled a novel turn in Jæger’s career, transitioning from non-figurative abstract paintings to works engaging with societal change. Recreated at Kunstsilo 57 years later, the exhibition remains as relevant today as it was then, reflecting the current global context.