NEW WORK

Bread as Poetry

2012-02-09T16:42:00.000+01:00

In Vadsø Museum on the 9th of January 2012, in the very North of Norway, to give a talk about bread and showing my film Alchemy - the poetics of bread. The bread traditions in this particular area are based on sourdough made from rye flour and originates from Finland.

The Magic Tablecloth

2012-02-07T22:59:00.000+01:00

After one intensive week of filming in Nikel, Northern Russia, and another week of editing day and night my new film The Magic Tablecloth is now ready to be screened at the Barents Spektakel in Kirkenes! It has been a magical journey thanks to the wonderful work of the curatorial team at Pikene på Broen and the wonderful collaboration with Nelly Makeeva and her grandson Gleb and my eminent cameraman and editor Clive Ardagh. A truly joint effort!

Residency in Barents

2011-11-13T23:57:00.000+01:00

On my way to Kirkenes to do a residency and prepare work for Barents Spektakel on the 8-12th of February. Pikene på Broen is organising the residency and have done a marvellous job of composing a very interesting program for my stay. Also going for a couple of days to Nikel across the Russian border. In my childhood I used to visit my grandmother in Bjørnevatn. I walked to a nearby hill where I could see Nikel in a distance, billowing out toxic smoke from its smelting factory. It became a mythical place since the border was very hard to cross in those days. It will be interesting to see and experience what it is like to live here.

Barents Spektakel in 2012 has been given the title: DARE TO SHARE.
The festival will focus on joint management strategies in the borderland, be it strategies for oil and gas, fish, food, wastes, labor force, etc. They invite artists, researchers, musicians, writers, politicians, architects and the public to discuss and try out possible collaborative strategies between the states, regions and stakeholders.

Halikonlahti Green Art "Food Chains"

2011-09-15T13:58:00.002+02:00

Showed my films "Alchemy - the poetry of bread and "AISH - bread as life"

Baked limppu with Finnish sourdough and ryeflour with Mikko Kivelä and an eager crowd of limppubakers.

Made delicious viili with tinkimaito (Finnish for raw milk straight from the cow) and culture.

And gathering traces of viili culture in my blog: http://viiliculture.wordpress.com/

Halikonlahti Green Art

2011-08-31T14:17:00.004+02:00

FOOD CHAINS 10.9 - 30.10.2011
FERMENTING CHANGE - limpuu and viili as cultural aesthetics

by Eva Bakkeslett, artist and cultivator

"Alchemy" 20mins

A poetic evocation on the alchemy of bread brings the act of baking the most basic of staples, into a high art form. Here nature and human culture collude. Hands pounding, mixing, kneading and stretching, reveal the choreographed rhythms and movements of bread making. Alchemy is a beautifully executed and lyrical film about an activity once ubiquitous in almost every household.

"AISH - bread as life" (world premiere)

In Arabic the word for bread and life is the same - Aish. In this film life and bread mixes in a small, communal bakery in the medina in Fez, Morocco. Here the ancient tradition of bringing the leavened bread to a woodfired kiln is still alive. There is magic in seeing the skillful art of baking and recognizing the different owners of the bread.

"Viili -the tracing of an ancient culture"

A visual mapping of this fascinating culture that has deep roots and a long history in Finland. I will collect stories and search for the cultural roots of viili. Through the period I also hope to find an old viili culture that is still kept alive somewhere deep in the Finnish forest! This is a collective work so contributions from the public are welcome in form of stories, pictures or anything else of relevance. A public blog is started for the project: http://viiliculture.wordpress.com

Workshops, talks and performances:

Friday the 9^th of September:

A Limppu starter dough performance.

Reccomended for participants in the workshop on Saturday the 10th

Saturday the 10th of September:

Limppu Limppu!

12.00-16.00 (flexible timing)

Workshop - practical baking and stories of Finnish bread-culture.

“The poetics of bread- Finnish limppu-baking” with Eva Bakkeslett and Mikko Kivelä

This is a workshop that melts bread-making into art. We will sculpt our bread with passion and presence and while the dough rises we will watch films and share stories of bread-culture collected into a bread-book.

Limited to 10 participants but viewing open to the public. Open to all ages.

17-18 Performance talk:

"Bread as social sculpture - how bread becomes the art of the every day" (in english).

Sunday the 11th of September:

Viili viili!

12.00-12.45 Lunchtalk: "Living cultures - from counteraction to fermentation" (in english).

A story about how human and microbial cultures have a lot in common and how viili can teach us important lessons!

14-15 Viili workshop.

Practical and aesthetic workshop of how to make viili.

Open to public of all ages.

TEDx Tromsø

2011-08-31T14:09:00.001+02:00

"Living cultures - from counteractions to symbiosis"
Talk at TEDx Tromsø, Verdensteateret, 25th August 2011

The word CULTURE comes from the Latin word cultura – meaning to cultivate – to prepare the
ground for something to grow out of. But culture also describes the process of fermentation of food
by activating microorganisms. Humans have over centuries developed different ways of fermenting
foodstuff – partly as a means of preserving food and partly to enhance its taste and qualities. In the
process human culture and microorganisms have developed a symbiotic relationship. The
knowledge and traditions have evolved as a localized phenomena; place specific and always
reflecting the natural resources and identity of the area. With the change to a globalized and
capitalistic world this knowledge is rapidly becoming extinct, and with it goes centuries of
experience and cultural expertise.

Through my work I attempt to revive some of these remaining cultures and cultivate them into living art-works. Not only do I want to give these ancient biological cultures a renaissance. My intention is also to visualise how it is possible to reenergise and revitalise our human culture inspired by the concept of symbiosis. The famous biologist Lynn Margulis claims that it is through symbiogenesis (the merging of two separate organisms to form a single new organism e.g. lichen ) that all innovation is created in nature. It is a primary force in evolution. In this talk I will explore the possibilities of applying the biological principals of symbiogenesis as a model for developing a revitalised and sustainable human culture.

KUNSTGJØDSEL - kultur og natur med bærekraftige forbindelser

2011-06-01T02:07:00.000+02:00

GREP - Ei kunstvandring på Fykse, 4. juni 2011

"KUNSTGJØDSEL - kultur og natur med bærekraftige forbindelser "

Hvordan kan landskapet være en inspirasjon for kunstnere og hvordan kan kunsten forme og berike vårt forhold til naturen? Et innblikk i ulike kunstfomer der samspillet mellom natur og kultur får oss til å oppleve omverden på nye måter.

(Foredrag for nyskjerrige stuegriser, naturelskere, kunstinteresserte, søndagsturister og andre med sans for nye blikk på natur og kultur)

http://fyksesund.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166%3Agrep-ei-kunstvandring-pa-fykse-4-juni-2011&catid=37%3Aaktuelt&Itemid=242&lang=nn

PECHA KUCHA night Tromsø, Norway

2011-06-01T01:58:00.000+02:00

Collaborating with the Norwegian Year of Architecture 2011, and focusing on urban processes, architecture and landscape architecture with several architects, landscape architects and artists on the list of presenters.

I did a swift talk on Cultivating a living aesthetics with 20 slides x 20 seconds each. Great format!

http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/tromso/

CULTIVATING A LIVING AESTHETICS - Talk in Tromsø, Norway

2011-06-01T01:51:00.001+02:00

The meeting between nature and culture in our urban spaces, and the city as a space for action. Artist/architecture initiated projects that affects the way we use our the public spheres and create connections between people and push the boundaries of our urban spaces.

Møtepunktet mellom kultur og natur, og byen som handlingsrom for dette gjennom

kunstner-/arkitekturinitierte prosjekter som påvirker bybruken, skaper møtepunkter mellom mennesker og tester ut grensene til det o ffentlige rom.

Lecturers/Forelesere: Eva Bakkeslett, billedkunstner, kultivator - Norge/UK: "Kultivering av levende estetikk"

Alexander Muchenberger fra Bureau Detours - mangfoldig og dynamisk globalt kulturelt kollektiv:"Trojanske Heste og andre interaktioner i det o ffentlige rum."

http://2011.arkitektur.no/urban-natur-frokostmote#1345

IDÉ FESTIVALEN, UiO, Oslo 21. MAI

2011-05-10T21:39:00.000+02:00

I over tjue år har forskere og aktivister formidlet alvoret i klimautfordringene. Hvordan har det seg da at politikere og folk flest ikke er mer urolige og handlekraftige i møte med klimaendringene?
Hvordan blir klimaforskningen forstått? Har man i for stor grad spilt på frykt og moral, og i mindre grad på hva folk selv kan gjøre? Har klimaendringene blitt redusert til et trospørsmål – enten så tror man eller så tror man ikke – og ikke et spørsmål om hvordan man forstår de observerte endringene? Vi trenger nye arenaer for å kommunisere klimaendringer. Kunst er én slik arena som kan nå nye grupper med nye metoder og nye perspektiver.
Denne sesjonen er en samtale mellom kunst, forskning og forvaltning, der nettopp kommunikasjonsutfordringen blir diskutert.

Eva Bakkeslett / Christian Bjørnæs (CICERO) / Jon Berg (MD)
Ordstyrer: Aleksander Melli

http://idefestivalen.uio.no/events/32/inn-gjennom-hjernen-%E2%80%93-eller-hjertet/

NURTURING NATURE: Artists Engage the Environment

2011-01-18T00:52:00.006+01:00

Showing Alchemy - the poetics of bread at the OSilas Gallery, Bronxville, New York, 10th February - 16th April 2011.

" For the past several decades environmentalists have foreseen an impending disaster of epic proportions if and when the planet becomes truly unable to sustain life. The artists in this exhibition are focused on healing our relationship with the living eco-system, recognizing that our very existence depends upon its survival. Their works attempt to bridge the gap between art and life by raising an appreciation of the natural world and by engaging in a collaborative or nurturing process with nature. This exhibition will focus on various spiritual or ethical traditions in relationship to our care of the planet, what Christianity terms “stewardship”, Tikkun Olam or “repair the world” in Judaism and in Buddhism, “compassion for all sentient beings”."
http://osilasgallery.org/mysitecaddy/site3/exhibitionsupcoming.htm

Gentle Actions

2011-01-18T00:41:00.004+01:00

Gentle Actions was an art & and ecology happening with an experimental visual framework that took place at the gallery Kunstnerenes Hus in Oslo, Norway 23rd of October till 14th of November 2010. It was an interactive meeting place which combined the transformatory power of art with interdisciplinary ecology. Gentle Actions was a social sculpture that gathered people engaged in social transformation within the arts, culture, humanities, social and nature based academia together with cultural activists and an actively engaged public. It was an interactive and collaborative platform that included dialogues and lectures, presentations, workshops, discussions, and an extensive film program curated by Oslo Dokumentarkino in collaboration with Gentle Actions. The exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience was integral to the project and we hope that Gentle Actions will generate new ways of thinking and acting to face the enormous challenges we are facing on earth at this moment.

Gentle Actions was shaped by Anne Karin Jortveit and Eva Bakkeslett, in collaboration with the gallery Kunstnernes Hus and Oslo Dokumentarkino. For more pictures and information go to our website: http://gentleactions.wordpress.com

POTETPERSPEKTIVER

2010-06-08T12:43:00.002+02:00

Gentle Actions har endelig fått sine første synlige manifestasjoner! Søndag den 6. juni var det potetnedsetting i “Kunstnernes Hage” med Åsa Sonjasdotter og elever fra Kunstakademiet i Tromsø. En av studentene vokste opp på gård med potetproduksjon, og bidro med kunnskap han også. Da jorda var steinhard etter langvarig tørke måtte den spavendes. Den innleide jordfreseren ikke hadde sjans. Alle tok i et tak og Linus Elmes, daglig ledeer for UKS, var også med. Linus donerte en potet som hans lille datter fikk da hun ble født (se bilde..) den er plantet i hjørnet ved løvestatuen. Den ble en maskot for hele happeningen!

En fantastisk begynnelse på et fruktbart prosjekt.

Følg med - følg med!

Her er link til Åsa Sonjasdotters Potato Perspectives for den som vil utdype innsikten: http://www.potatoperspective.org/
Og her er blog om vårt prosjekt Gentle Actions - høstens store kunst og økologi happening på Kunstnernes hus i Oslo: http://gentleactions.wordpress.com

Kunstgjødsel - fra tanke til en tiger på tanken

2010-05-30T21:57:00.000+02:00

A talk about the creative power of art at the conference "Tenk om" about culture and business in Steigen.

GENTLE ACTIONS

2010-05-30T13:23:00.006+02:00

Gentle Actions is an art & and ecology event with an experimental visual framework that will take place at the gallery Kunstnerenes Hus in Oslo/Norway from 22.10-14.11.2010. It will be an interactive meeting place, which combines the transformatory power of art with interdisciplinary ecology.

The challenge of achieving sustainability, in the face of the complex crisis of civilization combining ecological, social, cultural and economic dimensions, demands integrated understanding and responses. This requires making creative connections across disciplines and boundaries.

Gentle Actions will function as a social sculpture and meeting place for engaged people within the arts, culture, humanities and social and nature-based academia together with cultural activists and an actively engaged public. The exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience is integral to the project. We hope that Gentle Actions will provide ideas and concrete examples for new ways of thinking and acting.

Gentle Actions will be challenging and innovative within the artworld but also establish new connections, create dialogue across disciplines and expand our notions of ecology and sustainable solutions to deal with the enormous challenges we are facing on earth at this moment.

There is no time to lose.

Kunstnernes Hage

2010-05-30T13:04:00.002+02:00

The first step towards this autums big art and ecology event in Oslo: Gentle Actions.
"Kunstnernes Hage" - "The Artists Garden"
Workshop in Oslo on the 16th of June outside Kunstnernes Hus.

BLI MED OG LAG KJØKKENHAGE FORAN KUNSTNERNES HUS I OSLO
Tid: 16 juni kl 17-20
Sted: oppmøte ved Kunstnernes Hus, Wergelandsveien 17
Hvem: Marianne Leisner leder workshopen
Påmelding: mail til info@katjahost.com
Lær om økologi, samplanting av nyttevekster, fletting av pilgjerde, og hvordan lage kompostbinge mens vi sammen skaper Kunstnernes hage foran Kunstnernes Hus. Prosjektet er kunstneren Katja Høst sitt bidrag til utstillingen Gentle Actions som åpner på Kunstnernes Hus 23. oktober. Hagen vil fungere som et forprosjekt til selve utstillingen og den nye restauranten på stedet vil lage mat basert på råvarer hentet fra hagen.
Les mer på: gentleactions.wordpress.com

2010-05-17T11:13:00.001+02:00

"Levende Kulturer - et lite foredrag om yoghurt og kulturer som vandrer og forvandles" på Ungdomshuset i Bø på Engeløya Lørdag den 22. mai kl. 12. Kaféen har åpen 11-14.

KOBRA

2009-12-08T12:28:00.002+01:00

Baking bread as a gentle revolution against capital forces on the Swedish Cultural show KOBRA, 08.12.09 at 21.30. Can also be viewed streaming for a month.

ABRAKADABRA

2009-12-01T19:16:00.007+01:00

Abrakadabra is an ancient magic word. Appearances can be deceptive. By seeing and sensing our world from new perspectives can we expand our own perception. "To see the world in a grain of sand" was the inspiration behind this workshop that I designed for Den Kulturelle Skolesekken in Nordland, Norway. I toured to 10 different schools and met 500 children. We explored micro and macro through microscopes and books, found links between trees and lungs, made our own kaleidoscopes and befriended Leonardo da Vinci - and discovered how nature reveals its beauty and magic like a work of art!

350.org’s International Day of Climate Action at ecoartspace NYC

2009-10-23T19:35:00.001+02:00

Alchemy showing as part of Ecoartspace 350 climateactionday event in NYC.
350.org’s International Day of Climate Action at ecoartspace NYC

Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival

2009-10-17T01:08:00.001+02:00

"Alchemy" has been chosen as an official selection for the 8th Annual Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival being held in Nevada City, CA on January 15-17, 2010.
http://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org

DOWN TO EARTH

2009-10-03T20:45:00.008+02:00

Showing Alchemy in Ecoartspace show "Down to Earth: Artists Create Edible landscapes". Open to public on Saturdays 12 - 6pm, 53 Mercer St, NYC

Transformations

2009-09-23T13:49:00.007+02:00

Researchdays (Forskningstorget) 18-19th of September - Tromsø
To communicate climate-change is a matter of transforming our very thinking and changing our actions. This was the focus for my collaboration with PLAN, an interdisciplinary project researching the potentials and limits of adaptation as a response to climate change. http://www.iss.uio.no/forskning/plan/aktuelt/2009/2009-09-23.html

Local Food - how to make it happen

2009-09-04T13:53:00.006+02:00

The Transition Town Movement is publishing a great book on the 17th of September written by Tamzin Pinkerton and Rob Hopkins - the "father" of the Transition Movement. I have also made a small contribution there about bread-making. According to Rob: "Rather than being an intellectual exercise, it is really about the nitty gritty of setting up local food projects, drawing largely (but by no means exclusively) from the successes and failures of Transition initiatives around the world. It is packed with examples, tips, links, ideas and inspiration for rebuilding food resilience where you live. ‘Local Food’ is available from Transition Culture (and elsewhere) from September 17th.
Book launch: Totnes (Devon) on October 1st, and another in London on the 13th of October.

Forskningstorget i Tromsø 2009 - FORVANDLINGER/TRANSFORMATIONS

2009-09-04T12:14:00.007+02:00

"We cannot solve problems with the same mindset that created them" - Einstein

Sustainability and adaptation are the two main threads running through the PLAN-project stand during the Research-days in Tromsø. I am collaborating to make a "transformation" tent and two mind-maps for expansion, playing and thinking about ways of transforming our thinking and actions in order to create sustainable futures for all living creatures on this planet.
18.09.2009 from 11:00-15:00 and 19.09.2009 from 11:00-15:00
Marketsquare in Tromsø
http://www.iss.uio.no/forskning/plan/aktuelt/2009/2009-06-23.html

Cafédialogue about vibrant communities

2009-09-04T11:08:00.007+02:00

It is clear that the big economical, ecological and cultural challenges we are facing today cannot be solved within the framework of our current thinking. In this project we are focusing on the potential for development of a more integrated society. We want to contribute to rising new questions that opens up long-term, global solutions applicable to local and regional levels.

Det er i dag stor forståelse for at mange av de økonomiske, økologiske og kulturelle utfordringene samfunnet står overfor, i liten grad lar seg løse innenfor rammene av etablerte tankemønstre.I dette prosjektet retter vi oppmerksomheten mot det store potensialet for utvikling som ligger i å se ulike samfunnssektorer i en større sammenheng. Vi ønsker å bidra til å stille nye spørsmål som åpner for langsiktige og globale løsninger som kan settes ut i livet på lokalt og regionalt nivå.

Speakers/Inviterte innledere:

Dag Andersen - Redaktør, forfatter og planlegger

Eva Bakkeslett - Kunstner og skribent

Georg Hegglund - Salten Regionråd

Vidar Rune Synnevåg - Økobonde og arkitekt

Berit Woje Berg - Politiker

Facilitators/Møteledere:

Øystein Nystad

Ove Jakobsen

http://www.hhb.no/index.php?ID=16697

Alchemy in Berlin

2009-09-04T11:04:00.004+02:00

Alchemy was showing at the Globians Doc Festival in Berlin on Thursday, 13 August 2009.
http://www.globians.com/Globians/Globians%20Doc%20Fest%20Berlin.html

HAMSUN FESTIVAL 2009

2009-09-02T19:03:00.008+02:00

This years Hamsun Festival was celebrating the renowned Norwegian author Knut Hamsuns 150th anniversary with the opening of the Hamsun Centre in Hamarøy. http://www.stevenholl.com/project-detail.php?type=museums&id=39 I was invited to do a workshop based on his work, and I chose to focus on his passion for nature. From early childhood he went into the woods and mountains to seek peace for his thoughts and observations that he so eloquently expressed in his novels throughout his life. I wanted the children to be right there, in his footsteps. I wanted them to sense the place and discover its treasures. I wanted them to be enveloped in the colours, shapes and tastes - to be part of nature - to be in it. Two days of experiencing, listening, tasting, making colors, houses of natural materials and celebrating the invisible wonders of life!

The Growth of the Soil

2009-06-03T11:19:00.008+02:00

For those of you familiar with Hamsun you will recognize the title. This was a workshop for children catching the spirit of nature through inspiration from the famous writer and poet Knut Hamsun who was brought up around here. His work was hugely inspired (from latin inspirare - to breathe) by the spirit of nature. I wanted to sensitize the children and wake them up to the wonders of their close neighborhood - to smell the moss, taste the bark, have eye-contact with the worms and drink the air! I wanted them to find a special place in the woods and SENSE the place and give it a gift that they thought the place needed. We worked with magnifying glasses, microscopes, ink and twigs and tissuepaper. We borrowed Hamsuns own words and collaged them into new and unexpected meanings, and made pallets covered with natures own delightful colours. On the last of 3 days we made a soup with the growth of the soil - wild delights like nettles and groundelder, and invited parents and friends for a feast!

2009-03-19T22:01:00.004+01:00

BEE THE TASTE

2009-03-16T22:57:00.007+01:00

BEE will be showing in San Fransisco at TASTE 2009, an event curated by Sarah Klein and Root Division. Opening: Saturday, April 11 from 7-10 pm. The show will run till the 23rd when Root Division will host a unique and sumptuous evening celebrating the beauty of art & food in San Francisco. TASTE 2009 will feature 8-10 acclaimed local chefs, 16 visual artists, and live tunes by Eggplant Casino, for a night of inspired food, drink, art, & music.

MIXED GREENS

2009-03-16T22:48:00.004+01:00

Alchemy will be screening at: Mixedgreens - a selection of food-themed films from Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival on the 27th of March at 6:45pm, Gardiner Museum, Toronto.

ALCHEMY AT MoMA NEW YORK

2009-03-16T22:26:00.009+01:00

Panel discussion after screening at MoMA with curator Candida Paltiel and Catherine Van Campen.

Alchemy screened on the 20th of February at MoMA in duo with Eternal Mash by Catherine van Campen (http://www.zuidenwind.nl/films/?taal=en&id=69). The films complemented eachother very well, both dealing with the poetry of life and the dying connection between nature and culture. New Yorkers make great and observant audiences with poignant questions. The response was constructive and delightful! Thanks to curator Sally Berger and Candida Paltiel for a great event.
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/660

BIOTECH ART MASTERCLASS

2009-01-14T22:44:00.003+01:00

BIOTECH ART MASTERCLASS
Organized by i/o/lab and run by SymbioticA’s director, Oron Catts and laboratory research scientist Katharine Adcroft.
Stavanger, November 2008

I participated in the intensive four day workshop dealing with hands on exploration of biological technologies and issues stemming from their use. The practical components included DNA extraction and fingerprinting, genetic engineering, plant and animal tissue culture and basic tissue engineering techniques. These tools of modern biology were demonstrated and performed through artistic engagement, which in turn opened discussion about the broader philosophical and ethical implications into the extent of human intervention with other living things. Emphasis was placed on developing critical thought, ethical issues and cross-disciplinary experimentation in art.

Broadcast on national TV - Culturenews
http://www1.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/151457

Documentation on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/iolabmedia

Reportage in Billedkunst (Art magazine – in Norwegian only)
http://www.billedkunstmag.no/Content.aspx?contentId=1507

ALCHEMY AWARDED JURY PRICE

2009-01-14T13:03:00.008+01:00

Alchemy was awarded the jury price at the exhibition Nordnorsk Kunstutstilling. The show opened in Bodø on Saturday the 17th and will be touring to various places in Northern Norway.

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nordland/1.6431708
http://www.an.no/kultur/article4051629.ece
http://www.bodokunst.no/?a_id=720&PHPSESSID=5f2e6780acdf3efacb533dbe455a7e63
w.ab24.no/default.asp?page=5349&item=37766,1&lang=1

ALCHEMY TO NEW YORK

2009-01-14T12:56:00.009+01:00

Alchemy has been selected to show at MoMA, New York during Documentary Fortnight 2009.
Friday, February 20, 2009, 6:00 p.m., Theater 1, T1
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/660

See also the blog for Alchemy on: http://poeticsofbread.blogspot.com/

ALCHEMY IN TORONTO

2009-01-14T12:50:00.005+01:00

Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, Toronto, October 2008
http://planetinfocus.bside.com/2008/films

"A poetic evocation on the alchemy of bread brings the act of baking the most basic of staples, into a high art form. Here nature and human culture collude. Hands pounding, mixing, kneading and stretching, reveal the choreographed rhythms and movements of bread making. Alchemy is a beautifully executed and lyrical film about an activity once ubiquitous in almost every household."

See also the blog for Alchemy on: http://poeticsofbread.blogspot.com/

JOIKING THE SEA

2009-01-14T12:26:00.004+01:00

...making the invisible visible
A circular conversation between joik and the ocean. Performance with Johan Anders Bær, International Conference on Globalization and Challenges for Oceans and Marine Regions organized by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Oslo, August 2008

"Our earth consists of 71% water and yet we call it earth, says the Swedish writer Isabella Lövin.
We humans also consist of around 70% water.
It is not a coincidence.
We are born from water and depend on it for our survival.
Without water we cannot live. We are inseparable."

DIRECT CONNECTIONS

2009-01-14T12:03:00.010+01:00

Direct Connections – a circular conversation between joik and aesthetics by Eva Bakkeslett and Johan Anders Bær.
Art of Adaptation, Fritdjof Nansen Institute, Oslo June 2008

"When I first met joik,
I mean the very moment I realized with my body and soul what joik really is,
I started sensing the coming to knowing from another perspective.
I became aware of a different way to perceive the world.

I understood the difference between being separate from nature and that of being inseparable – a part of – to be connected.

Joik is not ABOUT – it IS.
An amplification of relationships.
A direct connection with no beginnings or ends.
A circular conversation."

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

2009-01-14T11:40:00.011+01:00

Ethical and aesthetical perspectives on nature as resource
25.October 2008, Kunstkvarteret Lofoten
Seminar curated by Eva Bakkeslett in collaboration with Kunstkvarteret Lofoten featuring Maasai artist Riziki Kateya, Eirik G. Jansen, Dr. Philos in Social Anthropology and cultivator Eva Bakkeslett.

http://www.kunstkvarteret.no/Prosjekter/AfricaNowIndex.html

People define nature as a resource. What does this really mean?
Has profit replaced sustainable management and have we lost our respect and humility for the beauty of nature? How is it possible to approach nature with new eyes and review our present attitude of seeing nature merely as source for human explotation? This seminar will look at ethical and aesthetical perspectives on this subject in Norway and Tanzania, through the eyes of two artists and one social anthropologist.

THE WISHING TREE

2009-01-14T01:55:00.014+01:00

Collaboration with PLAN at the University of Oslo
during the Research Open Days (Forskningsdagene,
Oslo, September 2008.

Workshop aimed at children between 4 and 12 about visioning the future. All the stories about the devastating effects of climate change can be paralyzing, and we wanted to go beyond the fright and reach out to catch glimpses of the children´s hopes and wishes for the earth. We created an environment to inspire new perspectives, with a great selection of books looking at the earth from a micro and macro view, a corner of cushions to think and read and a table of two microscopes and things to look at like leaves and bark and moss. " It is a landscape on Mars!" - one boy said while gazing at a piece of birch bark.
We also had a selection of "fly eye specs" to inspire future vision. People wrote their wishes on multi-coloured strips of cloth and tied it onto an ashtree that finally was planted in a park in Oslo by the mayor and a group of children.

http://www.iss.u io.no/forskning/prosjekter/plan/nyheter/2008-09.26.xml