Birch Bridge
Land Art Project, Fall, Norway, June 27- July 13, 2014
Materials: birch wood, hemp, wool and found objects
Curator and particpants: Caroline Ho-Bich-Tuyen Dang, Kjell Samkopf Particpants Boyd, Alison Clouston, Kaisu Koivist, Egil Martin
International Land Art, Fall, Norway, 2014 - Sue Pedley
The Land Art Project, generously hosted by Caroline Ho Bich-Tuyen Dang and Kjell Samkopf, was a reunion of Scandinavian and Australian artists who participated in the Burragorang International Artists Workshop in 2003. For seventeen days we were “grounded” in Fall, with daily routines of meals cooked outside on the open fire, meeting local people, working on site specific artworks with increasing momentum and exploring on foot nearby villages, forests and waterways.
Birch Bridge, the title of my artwork, was made in four locations: the stone ramp which once supported the bridge to the top floor of the barn; the top story of the barn; the wall of the barn opposite the ramp; and one external wall of the house. The materials are birch wood, hemp, brooms and pans all found in situ, except for a woollen fleece bought from Tasmania (my birth place) specifically for the project.
A birch tree forest, growing on the hillside next to the barn on public land, was cut down by the neighbor to reveal the view of the fiord and the fields of rye grass and flowering canola. The barn had housed animals through the cold winter months and is in transition to become a studio for sound and visual artists.
A grey stone ramp covered in grass and saplings once supported a wooden bridge to the top level of the three-storey barn where old farm machinery lies covered in dust and left-over grain. My family are Tasmanian islander farmers and seafarers. On the ground floor we coincidentally found an old Tasmanian pear box. Inside the box I cast the fleece of wool and placed it on the ramp in memory of trade between Tasmania and Norway and the farmers and animals of the land.
During the residency I produced a series of one hundred drawings. Carbon paper was used to copy each drawing and rubbing, the carbon copy becoming in turn the foundation for a new work. A number were made in response to sound works by composers in the project and other artists collaborated in making drawings.
The Open Day was an opportunity to present our work to local residents and artists and to draw out ideas relating to Land Art and what is called Environmental Art in Australia. Hans–Jorgen Wallen Weihe gave an insightful response to our work from an anthropological perspective, exploring the relationship between memory and landscape. I enjoyed hearing about his mother and the challenge to communicate contemporary art to creative people from different generations. The Open Day was the start of a commitment by Caroline and Kjell to an ongoing program of residencies that will connect artists from many places to the Fall community, contributing to a sustainable and connected environment.
Kjennskap gir Vennskap (Knowledge gives Friendship) is a well-known saying in Norway and alludes to my experience of participating in the Land Art Project.
The term kjennskap refers to the kind of wisdom you gain through tumbling and fumbling....The result of tumbling and fumbling is that you acquire more and more kjennskap and are developing the ability called “serendipity”. Kjennskap is a way to recognize, come close to, get used to, look and listen, touch and taste - using all your senses. Kjennskap is a way to understand life, and that wisdom can only be obtained by “being in reality”. ...kjennskap teaches us to take care not only for ourselves, but also even more importantly, for nature. (Jensen, 2007, pp. 102 - 103)
Jensen, A. (2007). The value and necessity of tumbling and fumbling. In Henderson, B. & Vikander, N. (Eds.). Nature first: Outdoor life the friluftsliv way. Toronto: Natural Heritage Books.
The Land Art Project, generously hosted by Caroline Ho Bich-Tuyen Dang and Kjell Samkopf, was a reunion of Scandinavian and Australian artists who participated in the Burragorang International Artists Workshop in 2003. For seventeen days we were “grounded” in Fall, with daily routines of meals cooked outside on the open fire, meeting local people, working on site specific artworks with increasing momentum and exploring on foot nearby villages, forests and waterways.
Birch Bridge, the title of my artwork, was made in four locations: the stone ramp which once supported the bridge to the top floor of the barn; the top story of the barn; the wall of the barn opposite the ramp; and one external wall of the house. The materials are birch wood, hemp, brooms and pans all found in situ, except for a woollen fleece bought from Tasmania (my birth place) specifically for the project.
A birch tree forest, growing on the hillside next to the barn on public land, was cut down by the neighbor to reveal the view of the fiord and the fields of rye grass and flowering canola. The barn had housed animals through the cold winter months and is in transition to become a studio for sound and visual artists.
A grey stone ramp covered in grass and saplings once supported a wooden bridge to the top level of the three-storey barn where old farm machinery lies covered in dust and left-over grain. My family are Tasmanian islander farmers and seafarers. On the ground floor we coincidentally found an old Tasmanian pear box. Inside the box I cast the fleece of wool and placed it on the ramp in memory of trade between Tasmania and Norway and the farmers and animals of the land.
During the residency I produced a series of one hundred drawings. Carbon paper was used to copy each drawing and rubbing, the carbon copy becoming in turn the foundation for a new work. A number were made in response to sound works by composers in the project and other artists collaborated in making drawings.
The Open Day was an opportunity to present our work to local residents and artists and to draw out ideas relating to Land Art and what is called Environmental Art in Australia. Hans–Jorgen Wallen Weihe gave an insightful response to our work from an anthropological perspective, exploring the relationship between memory and landscape. I enjoyed hearing about his mother and the challenge to communicate contemporary art to creative people from different generations. The Open Day was the start of a commitment by Caroline and Kjell to an ongoing program of residencies that will connect artists from many places to the Fall community, contributing to a sustainable and connected environment.
Kjennskap gir Vennskap (Knowledge gives Friendship) is a well-known saying in Norway and alludes to my experience of participating in the Land Art Project.
The term kjennskap refers to the kind of wisdom you gain through tumbling and fumbling....The result of tumbling and fumbling is that you acquire more and more kjennskap and are developing the ability called “serendipity”. Kjennskap is a way to recognize, come close to, get used to, look and listen, touch and taste - using all your senses. Kjennskap is a way to understand life, and that wisdom can only be obtained by “being in reality”. ...kjennskap teaches us to take care not only for ourselves, but also even more importantly, for nature. (Jensen, 2007, pp. 102 - 103)
Jensen, A. (2007). The value and necessity of tumbling and fumbling. In Henderson, B. & Vikander, N. (Eds.). Nature first: Outdoor life the friluftsliv way. Toronto: Natural Heritage Books.