The Border Cafè
Borders workshop - The Border Café
Kristin Tårnesvik, Pegas For History
In September 2004 I participated in a 12-day workshop in the Barents region, organized by Pikene på Broen in Kirkenes. Together with eleven other artists from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia, we first traveled to northern Finland and Murmansk, before spending the last five days in Kirkenes. There we used a disused furniture warehouse - a raw, open space that served as both workplace and social gathering point. The evenings were filled with artist presentations and lectures, and finally we ended with an exhibition.
My project was based on the Russian sailors on Pegas, a vessel from Murmansk that was docked in Kirkenes. I “boarded” the boat with the intention of making portraits of the crew, but quickly discovered that the role of observer became uncomfortable. I felt like an anthropologist in search of the exotic. That's why I decided to turn the situation around: I let the crew take over the camera and document my presence on board.
Because of the language barriers - I didn't speak Russian and they didn't speak much English - we developed a common set of expressions. Every time a picture was taken, someone said: “For history.” When something moved - physically or mentally - we said: “Change position.”
These expressions began to circulate between us, like little linguistic bridges between Pegas and the artist group.
The sailors came to the café every evening. Eventually they contributed themselves, with melancholy songs and guitar playing.
As my contribution to the exhibition, I printed T-shirts with the words “Pegas”, “for history” and “change position”. Each participating artist and the crew of "Pegas" got their own copy which they wore during the opening. I also showed a large still image of the boat projected on the wall.
Helena Wikström, Borders workshop Kirkenes – 2004
History Never Repeats
(I Tell Myself Before I Go To Sleep)
A mental and social place
History is present to different degrees in different places. On the trip we made from Kirkenes to Murmansk it was very much present, so much so that it sometimes felt like I was in several different time periods at the same time.
I think that if you say the words: "History Never Repeats" enough times, it becomes like a prophecy that might come true, so that terrible things that have happened both in history, but also on a personal level will not be repeated.
Lokofon: Espen Sommer Eide, Anton Nikkilä and Biosphere
BORDERS - A travel and a cafe - 27. August - 8. September, 2004
Participants: Anne Lise Stenseth, Gøran Østerbøl, Kristin Tårnesvik, Dimitry Novitsky, Helena Wikstrøm, Espen Sommer Eide, Oskar Østergren, Leo Ilmari Lenkola. The Samovar Theatre: Bente Andersen, Turid Skoglund. Pikene på Broen: Morten Torgersrud, Hilde Methi
Fr 27.08: Arrival in Kirkenes
Sa 28.08 – Wed 01.09: TRAVEL ACROSS BORDERS. We follow a pilgrim trip organized once a year by the Russian orthodox Skolt/ East Samis. Visit Sevettijervi (Skolt Sami area on Finish side) and take part in a ceremony and a local gathering. Going back to Norway and to the Skolt Saami area Neiden to take part in a ceremony in the Neiden Chappel on Sunday. Further to Russia, through Pechenga for Murmansk city.
2 days in Murmansk: See the city, meet with artists, visit institutions, studios, etc.
We 01.09. WORKING IN KIRKENES
Thu/Fri 03.09. – Mo 05.09. Opening and running of a CAFÈ
Tue 07.09: Presentations of the WORKSHOP RESULTS.
Performances, installations, actions.
Wed 08.09: Departure
CAFÉ: The café will be a social room for people involved in the project and for local people. Anne Lise will be main responsible for the cafe. We have specially invited Russian seamen and people from the refugee centre to contribute. The artists involved will be asked to give “public” artists talks/presentations, some at the café in Kirkenes and in Murmansk. The cafe will be located in an old storage building on the harbour.
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LOKOFON
Avganger fra Lokstallen:
03.09.04. kl. 18:07 og 19:08 Phonophani
04.09.04. kl. 13:03 og 14:08 Biosphere
04.09.04. kl. 18:04 og 19:06 Anton Nikkilä
Et industrielt ”ruinlandskap” vekkes til liv og blir til en magisk kunstopplevelse når Barents` beste elektronika musikere inntar verdens nordligste jernbane. En serie spesialkomponerte og improviserte konserter spilles i samklang men DE100, det gamle malmtoget. Målet er ikke bare å ”redde” toglinjen, men å sette fokus på de endrings muligheter som ligger i fortidens minner og infrastruktur.
Jernbanen har ikke vært i regulært bruk siden 1996, da gruvedriften ved hjørnestensbedriften AS Sydvaranger stanset opp. Sydvaranger AS er i dag eierselskapet til en enorm masse gamle industribygg, herunder også jernbanelinjen. Hva vil skje med ”vår” unike lille jernbane?
Lokofon beviser at jernbanen kan brukes. Målet er å stimulere til kreativt engasjement og framtidig bruk. Mange miljøer i Finnmark og Kirkenes har i flere år arbeidet for en forlenging av jernbane forbindelse mellom Kirkenes og Nikel, på russisk side, en forbindelse som vil knytte Finnmark og Nord-Norge til resten av verden. En forbindelse som vil knytte Norge til en ny verden. Lokofon vil sette fokus på Kirkenes som en fortidig og fremtidig jernbane destinasjon.
Initiativet til Lokofon ble tatt av Espen Sommer Eide. Samspillet mellom lyd og tog og landskapet utenfor vil bli unikt! Opplevelsen kan beskrives som å ta del i en "kollektiv walkman opplevelse" som kommuniserer direkte med stedet og folk som bor her.
Lokofon er i regi av Pikene på Broen og Rural Readers i samarbeid med Sør-Varanger Museum og Malmtogets Venner. Prosjektet er en del av Pikene på Broen og Samovarteaterets workshop ”Grenser” som foregår i perioden 27.08. – 08.09.