The first day here in this residency was also the national Sami day (6.2.) and we travelled to Hatteng (Hattu) in Norway with my local friends to celebrating. It was a nice and small celebration close to Hatteng school.
The second day was incredibly beautiful. I skied from here along the lake up to Saanan vankka (the place between Saana and Korkea Jehkas) for two hours. I also prepared things for next day’s filming. When my friend Meri Nikula, a performance and sound artist, arrived here on my third day we started filming. One of the biggest reason for this residency was to collect filming material for my new video installation. I hope, I can finish this video for my upcoming solo show in Oulu Art Museum 8.4-29.5.2016.
Meri and I were filming for two long days. These two days were very interesting and intensive hard working days. I was lucky, the weather was just like I wanted: quite foggy, snowy and windy. We were shooting in different places like between Customs and Finnish-Norwegian borderline and also here, more close to this station.
I came to Kilpisjärvi 2007 for first time. Since then I have been traveling here every year to treck, ski and meet and help my reindeer herder friends on the reindeer fence. I also lived in Kilpisjärvi during the whole winter 2010, except January when I was living in Lassakammi, Nils-Aslak Valkeapää for a residency in Skibotten, Norway. I am from Tornio, but now I live in Haparanda, Northern-Sweden. Kilpisjärvi is the place where I want to travel every year, if possible. This is the first time for me to stay here in this Bioarctica residency. My art is based on the North and my experiences of Northern reality. I open up to the Nordic aspect through my participation in everyday life here; livelihoods are a part of my work. For example I am fascinated by the authenticity of reindeer herding and its strong relationship with nature. I think that life in the North also clearly illustrates the conflicts between modern life and old traditions. My work includes mostly painting but I am also making some installations and videos.
In addition to this one starting point for my artistic research has been more and more history and mythology of Lapland, especially explorations. The film I am now making is one part of this history research. I like to play with thoughts about explorers who came to Lapland throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Like Maupertuis and Louis Philippe on 18th , La Recherche expedition on 19th and Kaarina Kari on 20th century. So far, during this residency I have start reading these books: -Leena Valkeapää: Luonnossa –vuoropuhelua Nils-Aslak Valkeapään tuotannon kanssa (2011) -Xavier Marmier (suom.Marja Ikonen-Kaila): Pohjoinen maa -1800-luvun Lappia ja Suomea ranskalaisen silmin (1999) -Juha Pentikäinen, Risto Pulkkinen: Lars Levi Lestadius –Yksi mies, seitsemän elämää (2011) -Elina Söderström, Esa Rautiainen: Oraffa & Kurre, Maupertuisin jalanjäljissä –Tarinoita 1700-luvun Torniolaaksosta (2015) -Samuli Paulaharju: Tunturien yöpuolta (1934) -Kaarina Kari: Haltin Valloitus (1978)
Now I am going to ski, make sketches for paintings, read, breath and enjoy of my last few days here in Kilpisjärvi before I drive back home to continue painting for my Oulu exhibition. You are welcome to come to the opening on 8.4.2016 5-7pm! You can see more at www.hannakanto.com.