johannasandels1996@gmail.com
+46 730966882
Johanna Sandels (b. 1996) practice focuses on the process of translation, where she considers sound to be equivalent to language.
She builds recorders, speakers, installations, and set rules for performances where she uses repetition as a means of dissecting sound and meaning.
Her understanding of translation has developed through personal experience – she has moved between United Kingdom, France, Latvia, Sweden, and Norway.
Recent projects include: 1. Carrier (Bärare) – an installation made of crocheted copper wire that is used for sound transmission and recording. 2. The Archive of Unknown Sounds – a short film following an archival agent on a bureaucratic quest to record all noise. It is a part of a larger long-term project that I am working on – a full-length film inspired by the character Tintomara from Drottningens Juvelsmycke, written by Carl Jonas Almquist (1834). 3. Waiting for the Northern Lights / Improvisation Concert Number 3 – a series of concerts where the same background track — the sound from the Waiting Room for the Northern Lights — was used each time, while the instrumentation varied depending on the location. This created performances that had overlapping elements, exploring the effects of chance and repetition on transmission. 4. Waiting Room for the Northern Lights a waiting room (think of a dentist or doctor appointment) this time for northern lights, where she played some recordings that were captured using a self-built VLF (very low frequency) antenna, which may or may not have picked up electromagnetic signals from the aurora borealis.
Education
2023 – 2025 Kunstakademiet Tromsø (MA, Fine Art), Tromsø, Norway
2021 – 2023 École supérieure d'art et de design – Tours (BA, Fine Art), Tours, France
2016 – 2019 SOAS University of London, (BA, international development studies and politics), London, United Kingdom
Selected shows
2025 solo show, DOM Gallery, Riga, Latvia (upcoming)
2025 I can only be thought in relation to we, group show, gallery Kurant, Tromsø, Norway
2025 HMS, group show, Tromsø International Film Festival, Gamla Galleri Snerk, Tromsø, Norway
2024 waiting room for the northern lights, solo show, Gamla Galleri Snerk, Tromsø, Norway
2023 forest-garden, duo performance and installation with Paule Corounne, Hôtel Gouïn, Tours, France
2023 reflection-resonance, sound sculpture with Leah Williamsson, Les Octrois, Tours, France
2021 ström, sound installation made with Konstkollektivetkontakt, Parcours d’art 2021, Avignon, France
2020 Ousia, Passage, group show, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
Albums
2024 silkeskuggorna, Apraviva Recordings, Paris, France
2024 te, duo album as taupe étoile, Chienne dees Ondes, Tours, France
2022 väsen, Apraviva Recordings. Paris, France
Solo and duo performances
2025 warm up before Andrew Keese, solo performance, concert, Riga Reformation Church
2024 waiting for the northern lights and improvisation, solo performance, opening of Laikam at Rainis and Aspazija House. Riga, Latvia
2024 waiting for the northern lights and improvisation, solo performance, Abysse concert, Gallery Abstract Project. Paris, France
2024 waiting for the northern lights and improvisation, solo performance, AUSMĀ concert, Anglican Church, Riga, Latvia
2024 waiting for the northern lights and improvisation, solo performance. Collection Lambert, Avignon, France
2024 taupe étoile concert, duo performance, Super 9. Tours, France
2023 taupe étoile release concert TE, duo performance, 2bis rue de Lucé, 3ème étage. Tours, France
Other projects, talks, workshops
2025 Erica Synths short term residency, Erica Synths, Riga, Latvia
2025 A/B, contribution for album by Ensemble Ex Materia, Apraviva Recordings, Paris, France
2024 City out of Sight, KUNO short term mobility, Trondheim, Norway
2024 Tīrkultūra, guest show on the radio station. Riga, Latvia
2023 Recollection Bureau: An instructive happening, Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga, Latvia
2023 YES Sculpture, Erasmus+ short term mobility, TALM - École Supérieure d'Art et de Design Tours Angers- Le Mans, France
2022 SymbolSourc€book. Brussels, Belgium
2021 Performer, Mission O. Sicily, Italy
2021 Passerelle de Carmignon, inaguration concert of bridge Elgaland-Vargaland. Bagnols Sur Ceze, France
Awards, grants
2025 Insomnia Cloud: Exit talent program award, supported by SNN Samfunnsløftet and Talent Norway, Tromsø Norway
2024 TVIBIT funding for sound systems, Tromsø , Norway
Professional appointments
2024 Intern at Mono+, sound design for churches. Stockholm, Sweden
2023 Field recorder, Banquet festif – Laurent Derobert Beaux-arts de Paris (Mondes Nouveaux). Paris, France
2022 Artist assistant for Daniel Buren, Au detour des routes et des chemins 7 travaux in situ. Ile d’ Arz, France
2022 Artist assistant for Benoit Pype, De rives 5 – Galleri Aline Vidal. Paris, France
Recent press
Et Mykere Vi (June 2025)
https://www.hakapik.no/home/2025/7/17/et-mykere-vi
Silkeskuggorna review on Loop magazine (January 2025)
https://loop.cl/johanna-sandels/