The Foreignness of Her, 4 min
video with sound
2012

Despite our patterns,
which are more regular than anything I share with another person,
she still feels unpredictable to me.

Despite our closeness,
I am occasionally thrilled, and even a bit scared,
by the foreignness of her.

(Text exerpt from video)

The Foreignness of Her consists of text and moving images, showing a waterbuck calf trapped inside a structure of high concrete walls. The calf shifts between standing completely still to walking back and forth, as if trying to find a way out, while the camera follows her every move closely. The walls are all too high, and there seems to be no exit. She gets increasingly restless while examining their height. The Foreignness of Her engages to contemplate our relation to living beings, other than our selves. Taking on themes of the potential understanding of something familiar that lies within the emotional closeness with the the nonhuman animal.

stills from video

Sound design - Eivind Henjum
Technical support - Fred Solli

Documentation from Nordic Outbreak, Reykjavík Art Museum

Nordic Outbreak in Reykjavik was a program of Streaming Museum presented in collaboration with the Reykjavik Art Museum. The two screening programs, including a selection of artwork from the Nordic Outbreak exhibition, were curated by Birta Gudjonsdottir and Tanya Toft. The exhibition was supported by the Icelandic Art Center.

The Foreignness of Her was part of this program, with screenings in various countries and exhibitions venues.

Nordic Outbreak toured the Nordic region and internationally, organized by Nina Colosi and Tanya Toft, in collaboration with Birta Gudjonsdottir, Kati Kivinen, Daniela Arriado and Jacob Lillemose.