whiteness

Flirting with Disaster

printing

spent most of monday printing icicles at a local place.
pricy but nice to see them re-materialize.

it's a rainy day

accompanied with multiple takras - kaboom!

great news!

I got a letter from NBK (the Norwegian Visual Artists Association) announcing that I am invited to use their Artist Cabin in New Ålesund, Svalbard, for the first two weeks of July!
Polar Bears and midnight sun here I come - this is really exciting!

Midnight Run

a nightly trip to Førde to pick up my man who is coming from New York via Oslo. he's the only person on the bus. he brought a bottle of Jack from Jurate - yeah, thanks! :-D

here comes the sun

and a few minutes later - the snow

and some sun again...

takras

Last night it rained, and today big heavy chunks of snow are falling off the roof in front of the studio. The snow has rained off the trees, and heavy clouds are traveling on the sky.

snow tree

a rare moment

sitting on the couch flooded in sunlight, blinded in fact, drinking toddy – I feel good! JB
went skiing this morning with the sunrise pink on the white snow
thinking about you urban rats, what we're missing.

at night Justina, the Lithuanian intern, invited everybody for potato pie. much appreciated :)

back in the fog

new link: bild-rausch "Networks - sisterhoods"
an international online databank conducted by Prof. Ulrike Rosenbach
a platform whose purpose is to present and network female media artists.

snowing

icicle elephant

ice fire

today Jacob (and Mimir) made a fabulous ice stove. we initiated it with rum and toddy and pop corn at night, and i shot some close-ups:

new Road Movie

another trip to Førde
another postmarked proposal




and back


at night Elisabeth invited for delayed "julebord". she had prepared a delicious meal and served a great Icelandic rein dear-moss vodka… we danced and had a wonderful evening.

snow fog

ferry landing

went for a walk down to the fjord. had skolebolle and solo at the bakery and checked out the ferry to eikenes. it wasn't there

but my mountain was in the water.

elephant mountain

elephant mountain :)

snow

Nature is really showing off - taking us through it's winter vocabulary. Today we have lots of snow, not only in the mountains but down here with us.

Storm and SUN

Two nights of storm has keep me sleepless. The houses here are standing on stilts and it feels like they are about to take off at any time. Thoughts of space travel and foreign planets mix with the sound of the rain hitting the walls and windows. The pine trees are bending violently at the top. In the morning everything is calm. Later on the sun came out - I could see the sun for the first time since I got here, and I stared at it even though I know you're not supposed to: how wonderful! I filled myself with it for the few minutes it lasted, took a picture of my shadow as proof. Later on it snowed, so now everything is white and bright. What a difference a day makes.

Road Movie: Førde

postmarked application to Svalbard
looking to go somewhere even more remote and extreme than here :)

Skype

My first Skype call came in. Ahhh - the wonders of technology! My man from New York right in my studio in Dale. My heart is beating just like when we first met over 10 years ago ;-)

Sun on the Mountain

The mountains from the hill behind the studios.

This morning we had some sunshine - it makes a heck of a difference!
You cannot actually see the sun, it is hidden behind a mountain - but it shines on other mountaintops. I ran to the studio to take some pictures. Here is what happened in the matter of two hours.

My Mountain

When I arrived in Dale, this mountain right away fascinated me.
One of the studios has a view of it, and I pleaded to move in there.
I photograph it constantly as it appears and disappears.

artist presentation

Miko, Denise and I presented our work at the directors house accompanied by a delicious meal.

Cruel Oil

300 tons of oil is leaking onto beaches and a bird reservoir as a 180 m long container ship from Cyprus got stranded and broke in two last night by Hellesøy Light House south west of Dale.

My Friend

I got a mail from a friend in New York, Thomas Phil, who grew up on a farm across the fjord from Dale. I can see the farm from my studio window - it's right under my Mountain. It's a small world (!)

Goat Island

Departure after consultation with the Costal Guard. Beautiful drive to the coast where we got free coffee at the local store in Korssund while waiting for the boat.

Geita Fyr is situated on an island about 15 min by boat from Korssund which is about 40 min drive from Dale. The lighthouse has a beautiful view in all directions. Thanks to unusually calm weather we were able to board the island, the surrounding seas can be rough.



The lighthouse is driven with electricity from solar panels. The house on the island has simple facilities and has not been changed since the last inhabitants left the island in 1982. The interior is authentic and minimal. Off-season visual artists and writers can rent the island.


ride w/Costal Guard


the Horse

Dead Line

First picture of my Mountain.

I've been working on a competition for electronically controlled light art for the new Computer Science building at the University of Oslo. Today was the deadline. Happy and done! Look forward to more sleep and new projects.

arrival

Flying to Dale was a drag... The woman at Widerø's check-in was rude and unhelpful. Said our international connection was not in the system and charged a lot of over-weight. 15 kilos is all you can bring - coming from New York for a 3 months residency this is bad news.
To top it off, the security took my bottle of Jack claiming it was not properly sealed. We flew in a propeller airplane with only 40 seats. I'm nervous in small planes.

On the way from the airport to Dale, the taxi driver said that it has rained for 62 days straight, and it was still raining. He told about diving in the fjord. That there are cactus-like plants under water, big like the once you see on post cards from Arizona. Soon he will go to Thailand to marry his Thai girlfriend and bring her back to Dale.