Anne Mette Bjørnvik Rosø
Dønna, Norway
The Good Friday walk is a part of the local Easter tradition in Northern Norway. When the moon is full the ebb tide is very low. Families with children collect shells and use them for play. The shells symbolize sheep, dogs and cows. The shell picking is a local part of the Easter holiday in the north. The walk is associated with exploring the shore, and forming using sand and shells. Elderly people tell stories of collecting the shells, having an exhibition and keeping them in a small box so that they could play with them later.
This year I went for a Good Friday walk on the beach, spoke with elders, picked shells, studied their forms and shapes and planned to create an artist book that expresses the culture of the children’s activities at the Easter tide.
The artist’s books is a small wooden chest, 16x16 cm, that contains expressions from forming with shells and other natural materials in addition to sketches on paper. Hopefully, it will invite exploration and provide a history of people, places and activities.
The intention is to explore, through practical aesthetic experiences, where the cultural heritage is still relevant. Ingold claims that by living in the landscape, it becomes a part of us, as we become a part of it. Each place has it’s own character, sights, sounds and smell. The tide gives the place the smells of salt, water and moist sand, and when the tide is low, the walks of experiences are long.