“The forest is calling” is a series of conversations, interviews, and films in which we reflect on our contemporary relationship with nature based on a clear art and culture perspective. Selected Nordic guests, representing various branches of art and culture and in particular Sami art and culture, will join us in these discussions.
Joar Nango was the first Sami artist to be chosen as festival artist for the 2020 Bergen International Festival. In today’s conversation, Nango talks about his commissions for the Bergen Kunsthall and the subsequent road movie that emerged as a prologue and by-product of these during the coronavirus pandemic, which now serves as a supplement to the exhibition.
The film is a journey through northern landscapes in a converted Mercedes Sprinter, which serves as both a bivouac and a television studio. In the film, we see a series of personal encounters, interviews, and conversations that take place on the road with friends, experts, academics, activists, and artists.
Under the title “Post-Capitalist Architecture TV”, the guests explore various themes that affect indigenous peoples in the Arctic and the interplay between nature and humankind. After an introduction from Nango himself, we see the second episode of the series, where a contemporary Icelandic archaeologist and a Sami artist and lawyer address the concept of “nomad” and the experience of time and flow. The film has been made in collaboration with Sami filmmaker Ken Are Bongo and can be watched in its entirety at Nordic Culture Point later this year.
Language: Norwegian, with English subtitles
Length: 40 minutes