at toga árina gjøgnum tann tunga sjógvin
noyða sjógvin at gevast á hondum
noyða hann at boyggja seg
bukka fyri mær
klappa fyri mær
sum sjógvurin hevur klappað steinunum
á herðarnar (2020)
/
to change what was intended
to tug an oar through the heavy sea
to force the sea to succumb
force it to bow itself
yield to me
clap for me
like the sea that clapped rocks
on its shoulders
while the pilot-whale fog approaches
(2020)
Wool, fishing line, wire and stones.
Exhibited at Conversations about Art in the Faroe Islands in the 21st Century at Nordatlantens Brygge in 2020 as well as at the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands in 2021 and Hafnarborg, Centre of Culture and Fine Art in Hafnarfjørður, Iceland in 2022. The work has since been acquired by The New Carlsberg Foundation.
Sigrún Alba Sigurðardóttir:
“In the work to change what was intended … Alda works effectively with both the cultural heritage and nature of the Faroe Islands. The work is made of linen, silk, wool, steel threads and string and levitates in space like a living being, insisting on its right to exist, while also directing the viewer’s attention to the fine threads from which nature is woven and culture is spun. The poem, which is an inseparable part of the eponymous work, tells of man’sattempts to subdue the forces of nature; to subject the ocean to obey the human being who pats the sea with his oars, just as the sea pats the stones, while the fog closes in on the shore.”
Kinna Poulsen:
“The pilot-whale fog (in Danish grindetågen) is a dense fog, which can lead to pods of pilot whales getting lost among the islands. In the past, the pilot-whale fog would raise expectations for a catch, and for the whale meat and blubber that were not only (and still are) popular foods, but that were also necessary for sustaining existence in the Faroe Islands. That is no longer the case and, with the rise of marine pollution and ecological awareness, there is an increasing number of particularly younger people who refuse to eat them. As the text indicates, Eyðunardóttir’ s work relates to nature, which is personified and forced to conform to the poetic self. The text features quite a number of verbs: change/tug/force/yield/clap, forming a dynamic, almost seditious entity. According to the artist, the work is based on the idea that our culture tries to curb our nature or, as she expressed it (in an email to me): “I think we humans have tried to control nature and have forgotten that we are a part of it. The feeling of having to fit into society, while the function of psychology is to make sure that natural emotions are retained or subdued so that we can function as useful citizens in society. The feeling of having to change character every time you enter a new room. Thoughts of not stooping and just being human/vulnerable/Faroese...”
Link to catalog.