Pool V: a week-long workshop with artists Sonja Thomsen & Thom Bridge in Milwaukee WI, USA
Connecting during our global pandemic, Sonja Thomsen (American) & Thom Bridge (Swedish/British) used personal rock collections from Lake Michigan, the Stockholm archipelago and the Jurassic Coast as source material to produce collage, installation and video work under the title pool. Exhibiting iterations in Chicago, İzmir and London, the artists established ‘pool’ as a creative mechanism for opening up dialogues about care, climate, and collaboration. The artists pool not only rock but people, resources, and knowledge—connecting the freshwater coast and across oceans.
In June 2025 Sonja Thomsen & Thom Bridge presented Pool V, a week-long workshop in Milwaukee WI USA. Building on the pair’s history of organising, platforming and mentoring other artists, Pool V was the first iteration of a series of short international regional workshops connecting artists, researchers, citizens and our geographies transnationally. The workshop culminated with a one-night-only exhibition, performances and screenings at Harbor View Plaza in Milwaukee WI. Bringing together music, poetry & readings, installations and kite flying, the evening celebrated the array of responses made by the 12 artists that took part in the workshop along the shore of Lake Michigan, plus a screening of 16mm artist films curated by Ben Balcom in response to the themes explored during the week.
Pool V was generously supported by The Open Fund through the Poor Farm, with funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Ruth Foundation for the Arts.