Samtid (2019)
Performance at PAO Steilene
Samtid askes the question: What happens when you get to know a place through the species occupying it, instead of humans, their monuments and products? While making the performance for Island of Steilene, I used the maps provided by Artsdatabanken (The Norwegian Biodiversity centre) instead of google maps. Artsdatabankens maps show the different species spotted on the island, many of which were redlisted, instead of shops, monuments and various other information favoured by googlemaps. Artsdatabanken spoke to me about possible futures for the island, how it will be shaped by the introduction of new species (such as the canadagoose) and the disappearance of many native ones. This inspired by to tangle the maps together with the idea of tarot cards, that connecting the audience to the past, present and future of the island through its species.
Dressed as a (past, present, future?) creature of the island (or perhaps an alien) camouflaged by the flowering vegetation, I invited the audience to pick a card each which showed an X marked on various points on the Island. Reaching the various locations the audience found booklets and cards dedicated to various species, in the places they have been spotted and registered by scientists.