Vanishing points: folding a view
The exhibition Vanishing points: folding a view by artist duo iida-ssi examines how the applied perspective and narrative of unspoiled wilderness have shaped the view of the northern fell landscape.
The 200 km+ distance between the lakes Gátterjávri and Ikkesjávrre is one of the largest areas in Europe without mobile phone coverage. The area is often portrayed as a vacuum, despite being an area of more than two million hectares and having a complex history. Vanishing points: folding a view by iida jonsson & ssi saarinen, iida-ssi, is an examination and reinvestigation of cartography and landscape images as critical infrastructures of knowledge – based on various stages of production of power and political dominance which create operative framed realities.
Vanishing points: folding a view investigates several problematic accounts of the area, that guide us both figuratively and literally, as a result of active framing. By surveying the dominant image of the landscape and creating a counter-cartography, artist duo iida-ssi, presents an alternative representation and a parallel view of parts of this area. Thus the exhibition reconsiders the allure of nature through navigating the landscape beyond the gaze – a way of understanding the vanishing point: folding a view. Both productively and retrospectively.
Vanishing points: folding a view is both part of, and springs out of the artistic research project "DATA FREE ZONE SWE/SÁPMI_1" that iida-ssi have been working on in collaboration with independent researcher Victoria Harnesk and curator Hampus Bergander at Konstmuseet i Norr since 2021. In conjunction with the exhibition, the research project will be issued as a publication.
Artists: iida jonsson & ssi saarinen
Curator: Hampus Bergander, Konstmuseet i Norr
Research: Victoria Harnesk, independent researcher
Graphic design: Catherine Hu
Sound: Hannes Ferm
Colourists: Ona Julija Lukas Steponaitytė
IIDA JONSSON & SSI SAARINEN
iida-ssi is a collaborative duo comprising iida jonsson & ssi saarinen, active since 2013 in the autonomous region of Åland. Jonsson and Saarinen hold a Master's degree from the Dirty Art Department, Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam (2020-2022).
The artist duo's research practice draws on a variety of methods: photography, film, sculpture, cartography, field visits, workshops and interviews. iida-ssi often invite computer scientists, architects or historians to be part of the research process. Their research seeks to reflect and complexify the subjects they are working on, thereby suggesting parallel truths and potential alternative timelines.
VICTORIA HARNESK – RESEARCH
Victoria Harnesk (b. 1972 in Gällivare), based in Porjus, is a Sámi researcher, lecturer, author and copywriter. Harnesk focuses on creating intercultural encounters and communication through art and culture.
Victoria Harnesk has been involved in Sámi community development through chair positions in the Vaisa Sámi Association and the Sámi Association in Stockholm, and as a member of the National Association of the Swedish Sámi (Svenska Samernas Riksförbund, SSR). Harnesk is a member of the Ájtte Mountain and Sámi Museum and chairwoman of the board of the magazine, Samefolket. Harnesk is also the coordinator of Viermie K, the Sámi cultural policy network that works to strengthen professional cultural life in the Swedish part of Sápmi.
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