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The artwork is a portal made of and for the earth – one that creates a memorable attraction point, such as along the Pilgrimsglede. It is a concept based on historical knowledge and offers enchanting, poetic visual experiences. The makeup of the portal is abstractly based on the personified “being” representing the character of Huldra, which according to folklore, dwells in these forests. Tales of Huldra that drifted through these areas in the past have largely faded away from collective modern memory. The portal artwork serves as a mnemonic device of the existence of this ancient folkloric being gatekeeping the forest. Its curving framework evokes Huldra’s archetypal role as seducer, visually luring those passing by. The potent looking-through properties of the portal aid in sparking the imagination and induce ponderings over such folkloric musings and the landscape’s natural features.
The idea for the portal earth sculpture is a coming together of our interests in making visual art underpinning notions of aestheticism, esoteric knowledge, mythology and ancient history. The morally ambiguous characterization of the huldrefolket, or underground people, that feature in the 19th century published tales – collected in municipalities neighboring the Pilgrimsglede route by Norwegian folklorists Jørgen Moe and Peter Christen Asbjørnsen – serve as point departure for realizing the portal as mnemonic device, as an abstract cultural identity marker of this forgotten tale local to the forest landscapes. For more than one hundred years folkloric tales have played little to no role in everyday societal life in Norway, or the counties where such tales originated from (Holm 1999: 211). The specific ‘being’ we aim to revive in abstract form is the recurring mystical lore character of Huldra, or ‘skogfru’ (forest woman), the shapeshifting creature that often appears as a seductive female nymph. Like the seducing Huldra, the portal lures modern hikers, visually entrapping their gaze to reflect on the landscape they walk through, a landscape that is both beautiful and culturally imbued with the past.
The experience of the portal will be kaleidoscopic – shifting during seasonal and meteorological changes. The viewer is first of all led to see the dynamic outlines of its frame, suggesting the feminine curves of the Huldra. The feminine contours of the designed frame come to life as the viewer walks along or shifts stances. Looking out further beyond the frames, we meet a play on femininity once again as we cast our eyes on the soft rolling hills of the surrounding landscapes. We propose to create the portal from local natural materials which are easily obtained and maintained, such as stone, metal wire, plant and tree material (e.g., bark, roots, and moss). The sculpture’s viewing experience is furthermore supported by several “pouf-sized” stones that form a circle or semi-circle around the portal – serving as seats upon which travelers may rest. Together the seating stones and portal structure convey an integrated concept that can be experienced whether solitary or as a group.
Text written by Jason Falkenburg and Mari Amman who have both lived in Norway. Amman’s previous land art involved Kjerringøy Land Art in 2020 and Oregon Field Sculpture 1999. She completed several public installations, exhibitions, artistic research, and residencies. Faleknburg wrote his doctorate on Norwegian Stave Church Portals, exploring Nordic themes at the intersection of archaeology, history, and anthropology.
Contact for interest: mariammanart@icloud.com
Citation
Holm, I. 1999. Clearance Cairns: The farmers’ and the archaeologists’ views. In A. Gazin-Schwartz and C. Holtorf’s Archaeology and Folklore. London: Routledge, pp. 207-221.
