leftover spaces denordification break down the absolutes

genus loci trajectories multiplicities

mappe mundi

THE ‘FRONTIER’The preconcieved idea of the ‘great north’ a frontier of ‘wild nature’ is in line with what Doreen Massey calls the single narrative and it definitley still hangs around in the Canadian north.

The perspective of the ‘hinterland’ of these northern areas that are to be plundered and ‘conquered’ is one that is inevitably to change. The importance of the Arctic as a global balancer of climate through ocean currents, fishing ecologies as dicussed by Paul Wassmann are only going to become more of an issue in the near future.

McGill Subarctic Reearch Station, Schefferville

Abandoned Iron Ore Mine, outside Schefferville

LANDSCAPES IN CHANGE: EXPECTATIONS‘forventning’

Holt pointing at Schefferville from our study area

Northern Norway and the Kola Peninsula seems to deal with similar issues as northern Quebec such as : the plundering of natural resources, the lack of interest/data in the local cultures and ecologies , lack of regulations, existence of a local peoples with local customs, who are not part of the same mentality as the rest of the country, just to name a few.

I am interest to experience the Norwegian north with an already existing preconception of a Cana-dian ‘north’ in order to break down some precon-ceptions and establish some new ones.

I have in the back of my mind a trip from 2006 which took me to the subarctic in Quebec/Newfoundland. So my men-tal map of the artcic is painted by my experiences on that trip. We went to the abandoned moining town of Scheffer-ville, or Kawachikimak.

Although I expect the difference in the perception and inhabitiaiton of the north is very different in Norway from Canada, I can’t help but expect similair issues are at work.

Case Study

Google Mapsabandoned mine

Town

abandonedsettelment

to Kawachikimak20 km(aboriginal settlement)

Caribou Hunting ‘resort’

Similiarities

measuring river discharge

freeze-thaw studies

biogeography studies

Local Samis

Oil

Iron/nickle ore mines

Reindeer

Fishing

historical borders

Local Inuits

-

abandoned iron mines

Caribou

-

incongrous borders (political)

Norway Canada

EXPECTATIONS

I expect and hope that many of my preconceptions stemming from my previous trip about the subarctic and arctic are changed by the experiences on this trip.

Environmental issues are always of a large concern in areas where the landscape is ravaged for earth’s raw minerals/reserves.

I hope to emmerse myself in the always dynamic and inspirational landscape and di-cover the multiplicities and complexities at play amongst the economies, ecologies and lifestyles of the Kola Penninsula.

The long and complex history of the region especially over the last 100 years has cre-ated an interesting political landscape that I am sure will have an impact on me.

Like in Canada, I expected there to be some social desperation in those remote re-gions, I hope to find that the situation is dealt with in a healthier manner in Northern Norway.

One of many signposts used around the excavated mines to keep (usually intoxicated) locals from driving their skidoos of the edge to their demise

My trip to northern Quebec left a lasting impression on me and I am sure that Northern Scan-dinavia is a landscape of immense complexities that will colour the Studio experience and deepen my interest in the region.