on the roof of border customs at midnight, july09

On the roof, manually filming the midnight sun stream from 10pm-01:30am at the mid/end of july when the sun starts getting lower again on the horizon. The roof placement was provided by the Finnish-Norwegian Border Customs storage building, the food and drink was few times kindly offered by Kauko Kuukasjärvi, who lives in the yellow house.

Here are some impressions of the nights with midnight sun (or sometimes cloudy, although light). The main crew was: Erich Berger, Laura Beloff, Leo Granberg and occasionally some others.

Saana fell with midnight sun between the clouds.

fly

a fly sitting on our midnightsun camera...

at Kalela-”mökki” in the evening

late evening: sun is shining, erich working and ada is going to bed (laura is running around with a camera)

Midnight sun / new location

After troubles with the midnight sun camera, we have decided to change the location of it. We found a perfect spot exactly where the finnish customs border-patroll is located (tulli), and like almost everything seems possible here in Kilpisjärvi, we got a permission to put our camera on the top of the storage building of the border officials. We have been testing the network and the location tonight… it seems to be working. Although tonight no sun was visible, clouds were thick and hanging very low.

Here is Kauko, who is working as a finnish border official.

Kauko in his uniform. Photo by Ada Beloff

norwegian architectural phenomenon

there is a strange phenomenon in Kilpisjärvi with primarily norwegians constructing a convenient vacation cottage:

1) rent for long term a camping wagon place with an electrical pole.

2) construct beside the electrical outlet pole a small hut, small enough that it does not need any licence or permission. the hut gets power from the electrical outlet.

3) bring your camping wagon and attach it to your hut.

4) now you have a nice, powered holiday hut in a perfect place.

Just for outsiders of this community (like me), this may look quite strange area of strangely-shaped miniture huts… I guess one could consider it modular or nomadic architecture (sounds better at least).

note: the importance of the electrical pole!

huts with wagons and without_june09

general view of the area...

discoveries

ada performing as "poro"

reindeer tooth; Ada's treasure