Of special interest to this work is the new legislation, “The Finnmark Act”, that in 2006 replaced the state ownership of resources in the county of Finnmark, Norway. People could then celebrate the freedom from the colonizers in the South. On the other hand, this structural change seems to have opened up ethnic tensions as well as leading to a questioning of the democratic aspect of giving some people benefits because of ethnicity. Some argue that the legislation in fact opens up for privatization and the market. This goes for the political left that traditionally has supported the Sámi fight for rights over the past decades.
The artistic research by Geir Tore Holm (Norway) aims at producing a work that reflects upon these issues in relation to culture. How are issues relating to Land and Water rights influencing us as individuals? The research is supported by knowledge from different academic fields, from politicians, administrators, artists, and from everyday users of nature.
Please find more under Material.
Task #2
Land and Water Rights, artistic research
June 10, 2008 - March 10, 2010
Participants:
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Holm, Geir Tore
Geir Tore Holm lives and works in Oslo, Gildeskål and Tromsø. He has been interested in social relations and power structures, often related to his Sámi background; first discussing individual identity, connecting to a larger cosmos, then addressing difficulties in ethnic representations. From 2003 developing the long-term dialogue and ecology project Sørfinnset skole/ the nord land with his partner Søssa Jørgensen in collaboration with Kamin Lertchaiprasert and Rirkrit Tiravanija from Thailand. In 2006 he was engaged as Project Manager for developing the Tromsø Academy Of Fine Art, where he used to be a Visiting Professor. He is now a Research Fellow at the Oslo National Academy for the Arts.