Frozen


series of 31



2013 - 2015

Near our home, somewhere along the West coast of rural Norway, runs a small river, which in wintertime completely disappears; a thick blanket of snow covers the water and stones for a period of almost half a year. The sound of rushing water falls silent and when temperature drops even more and snow freezes up, you can cross the river as if it never has been there. In springtime, when the landscape slowly opens up again, water flows as never before, as huge amounts of melted snow from the mountains are on their way through the valley to the open sea.

Some years ago however, there was but little snow with temperatures far below zero and I had the opportunity to document the many faces of the river’s solid state. As weather conditions in this part of the country never are the same for long, the ice kept changing throughout these winter months. Intriguing formations came to life and disappeared again; beautiful patterns, layer upon layer, mysterious images of strange creatures. Sometimes you could hear the sound of murmuring water underneath the glassy surface, reminding me of the transience character of these crystalline sculptures.

I could muse and wonder for hours while walking along this precious stretch of pure beauty and I like to think of the ice reliefs as desolate shores of unknown, distant places seen from the sky. These aerial views spark my imagination, as they speak to me in a language of their own. They are of a visual quality, so perfect, so imaginative and so rich that I want to be fully absorbed by them. To me, these abstract compositions represent a deep longing inside for dark and secret places of perfect stillness. Places far away from the distractions and ugliness of everyday life, where I can meditate and be alone in peace, where my thoughts and feelings synchronize with the rhythms of winter’s fluctuations in temperature; my whole being in perfect harmony with nature.