Intervals: Creative responses to space with Johan F. Karlsson

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

 

Subscribe using your favourite podcast player or RSS

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts   |  Spotify   |  Amazon Music  |   Android   |   Instagram   |   RSS

Chapters

• (00:00:00) Introduction and acknowledgements
• (00:00:38) Exploring the concept of 'ma'
• (00:01:21) Artistic process and residency experience
• (00:02:43) Creating 'Against the day'
• (00:04:37) Creating 'The space that remains'
• (00:07:53) Reflections on artistic practice
• (00:15:07) Advice for aspiring artists
• (00:16:15) Conclusion and farewell

About Johan F. Karlsson  

Johan F. Karlsson is a Malmö-based artist whose work spans photography, video, performance, and sculptural installations using natural materials. With an MA in Photography from Aalto University and a BA in Culture and Arts from Novia University, his practice explores time, space, and perception through slow, ephemeral processes. Drawing on site-specific phenomena and the transience of materials, Johan's work invites viewers into a deeper connection with the rhythms of nature and the passage of time. His installations often examine how change and duration shape human experience.

Takeaways from this interview with Johan F. Karlsson

The Japanese concept ma as an anchor

“I wanted to learn about the Japanese concept of ma, which is an interval or a brief silence. Ma is the gap between things in a very broad sense, it can be related to both art and daily life in many ways.”

During his residency at the Space Department in Nara, Japan, Johan explored the Japanese concept of ma—the interval or gap between things—as a way of working with time and space. His approach treats ma not just as a spatial principle but as a lived, temporal condition that influences perception, structure, and attention.

Creative process and observation

“I believe in letting the work come to you. Against the Day happened when I was sitting, doing nothing. The light moved, and I noticed it. That became the work.”

Johan doesn’t begin with a fixed idea. Instead, his process is driven by presence and responsiveness. He allows the environment to speak first, using light, space, and daily rhythms to guide the emergence of a piece.

Working with architectural space

“I wanted to let the space talk before I made anything.”

The Space Department—a renovated traditional Japanese house—shaped not only Johan’s work, but his movement and awareness. He describes adapting his body to the building’s architecture, noticing how these adjustments became part of his process. The stairwell became a key site, reinforcing how space becomes both a medium and collaborator.

Time and duration as material

“Time moves through everything we do. It shapes the stone in a sculpture, it edits a video, and it defines how we perceive an installation.”

This quote reveals Johan’s interest in temporal dynamics over material production. His work focuses on experiential conditions that unfold slowly, using medium as a vehicle rather than an endpoint. Time isn’t just a measurement—it’s a subject, method, and partner in his work.

Letting go of fixed outcomes

“In the studio, I often know what I’m doing the next day. But in a residency, you meet people, respond to places, and everything changes.”

The residency context encouraged Johan to work differently. Instead of pre-planning, he allowed encounters and spaces to direct the work. This shift led to experimentation and intuitive decisions—key to both of the works he developed in Nara.

Advice for artists

“Try something outside your comfort zone. Let intuition lead. Don’t feel you have to produce constantly—you are your art.”

Johan encourages artists to explore residencies that challenge their assumptions and routines. For him, growth comes from risk, patience, and observation—not output. Time spent waiting or watching can be as valuable as time spent making.

Links from this podcast with Johan F. Karlsson

• Visit Johan F. Karlsson’s website
• Visit the Space Department website
• Read Robin’s reflection on exhibiting at Space Department – House shows: Reflections on space and interaction
• Learn more about Against the Day
• Learn more about The Space That Remains

Edited transcript of this interview with Johan F. Karlsson

What is the Japanese concept of ma and how is it used in installation art?

Robin: Johan, what was your focus during your time at the Space Department in Nara, Japan?

Johan F. Karlsson: I went there because I wanted to learn about the Japanese concept of ma, which is described as an interval or a brief silence—a gap between things in a very broad sense. It can be related both to art and daily life in many ways. I wanted to understand what it is, and I also wanted to explore how it could become a way of thinking in my practice, especially working with video and installation art. I saw it as a more intuitive approach.

Robin: You gave a definition of ma that really focuses on temporal pauses, these gaps between things. I’ve heard people—Westerners, actually—talk about ma in terms of negative space. It’s about what is not there.

Johan: Yes, that's also an explanation. I think, from a Western perspective, it's often visual—like the negative space in a painting that builds a composition. But I was thinking more in terms of a spatial and temporal quality.

Robin: At the end of your residency, you shared two pieces. What were they like?

How can light and time become material in media installation?

Johan: I did two or three pieces, but two of them really resonated with me. One is called Against the Day. It was interesting because the work kind of came to me by itself. I had planned to spend a lot of time in the house, to see how the space communicated or "talked" in its silence.

Johan: I spent a fair amount of time there reading, and the more time passed, the more I started noticing subtle details—like the shifting of the light during the day. I remember marking where the light hit the ground with charcoal in the courtyard to track how it changed over time. One day, I noticed a strip of sunlight moving across the wall. Some days it was clear, and on cloudy days it disappeared or returned briefly. I was drawn to it. It almost decorated the house for a brief moment each day, connecting the interior with the outside world.

Johan: I began video recording this strip of light as it travelled until it disappeared. Later, I used a projector to replay the recording next to the natural strip of light—when it returned the next day. I waited, checking weather apps to time it. It became like a couple walking slowly across the wall until one of them faded away. That work stayed with me because it expressed something about life and relationships—how one fades and letting go becomes natural.

Johan: The second piece, The Space that Remains, was more directly inspired by the kanji symbol for ma. The kanji illustrates two doors with the sun between them. You can imagine the doors slightly closed, just enough to let sunlight through and create a strip of light on the floor. That strong image was my starting point.

Johan: I enhanced the effect by recording dust particles visible in the stream of light—like what you see from a projector beam. The dust drifted through the light, almost like tiny organisms dancing in space. Earlier in the residency, I’d been filming short clips around Nara: a river between buildings, grass growing between stones. These things expressed an energy between objects, where life happens—again referencing ma, the sun entering the space between doors.

Johan: When I presented the video, I placed a screen between two sliding doors that let in light and created this strip. I combined it with images of dust particles. That was the output from my walks and reflections on the kanji.

Robin: You were talking about the temporal aspects of ma.

Johan: Coming from video and photography, I found it fascinating how ma appears in everyday language too. On trains, for example, the announcement before the next station uses the word ma, meaning "soon" or "coming up." It adds a temporal dimension, like transition or change.

Johan: Referring back to the door—it's both a literal and symbolic transition. And the dust imagery relates to time as well.

Robin: I want to go back to the first piece. Where was it installed?

Johan: It was installed in the staircase. The idea came when I was having lunch in a particular spot and noticed the light. I wasn’t doing anything, just observing. It was like the work came to me before I even started thinking of it as a work.

How do artists use observation and intuition to guide creative process?

Robin: Your work spans video, performance, and sculpture. How does your process change across different mediums?

Johan: If the idea feels true and comes from the heart, the medium often follows naturally. They evolve together depending on their qualities. Each medium has its own challenges, and the process shifts with different stages.

Johan: But honestly, I’m not focused on the medium itself. I’m more interested in showing processes or creating circumstances. Time really fascinates me. I aim to express time as a lived experience—whether it's through performance, video, or even using rocks. Time moves through everything we do. It shapes the stone in a sculpture, it edits a video, and it defines how we perceive an installation.

Johan: I like works that look like they created themselves. I want to fit a lifetime into a moment. So, for me, things are often unpredictable, which I think suits my process. I wouldn't want to do the same thing over and over.

Robin: I sometimes wonder about repetition in art. I often repeat myself.

Johan: That’s part of the process too. I admire artists who specialise in a medium, but for me, process is more like driving through the Alps. You have sharp turns, uphills where you push harder, and downhills where you coast. And the scenery—you remember that part. If you just drove a straight autobahn, you might fall asleep.

Johan: So I’m comfortable with process shifts. I’d be worried if everything went smoothly in a straight line.

Robin: That’s a beautiful metaphor—and it shows how slowing down can actually heighten awareness.

Johan: Yes, for me the medium sets the form of the process, and things flow naturally from there.

How does space influence media art and creative decision-making?

Robin: Earlier, you said you let the space talk to you. Was that something new?

Johan: That was part of the plan. I wanted to spend time in the house, to be receptive and see how I adapted to it. For example, I had to duck to enter certain rooms. My body adjusted to the architecture, and that became part of the experience.

Robin: I feel lucky to have spent time in a traditional Japanese house like the Space Department.

Johan: Yes, and I liked that it wasn’t in a touristy area—just a normal residential neighbourhood. Life was happening all around: people going to work, coming home. It felt like actually living in Japan. The nearby shrine added to that grounded feeling.

Robin: Did that experience shift your thinking or your current work?

Johan: Yes, to some extent. I believe we learn by meeting new people. This residency reminded me to trust processes and embrace risk. I used to plan everything, but now I feel more comfortable letting intuition lead. I’ve shifted from focusing on outcomes to valuing experience.

What should artists expect from a site-specific residency in Japan?

Robin: That’s a powerful insight. Residencies allow for risk-taking in a way that standard projects often don’t.

Johan: Exactly. Growth comes through taking risks. You face challenges and learn to solve or accept them. Sometimes accidents elevate the work. And those moments stay with you.

Robin: I had a similar experience. One project I planned didn’t feel right once I arrived, and I ended up shifting focus entirely.

Johan: That’s very natural. You arrive with a plan, but the environment changes you. In a studio, you might know what you’re doing each day. In a residency, you meet new people and see new things—it expands your thinking.

Robin: Final question: what advice would you give to artists thinking about a residency, especially one focused on space or architecture?

Johan: Find a residency that sparks your curiosity—maybe in a culture or setting that’s unfamiliar. Choose something slightly outside your comfort zone. You might be surprised by how it broadens your practice.

Johan: Stay curious and open to the world and the people around you. And don’t feel pressured to constantly produce. You are your art. You set the pace and decide how far to pursue your ideas.