Foto: Crispin Parelius Johannessen

Søssa Jørgensen and Geir Tore Holm have run Sørfinnset skole/the nord land in Gildeskål, Nordland for 22 years alongside their own art projects and other collaborations. The projects revolve around reflections on art and nature as a shared space for cognition and interaction. They often work based on social situations and co-creative processes, and will participate as invited artists to do a new project during the Okulus symposium in 2025. The starting point for the project is a slow journey by horse through a section of Gudbrandsdalen, away from today’s traffic and the new roads where traveling is about high speed.

They carry wooden barrels with them and on their journey they collect encounters, experiences and things. The barrels are part of a cultural-historical relationship, where barrels have been used as containers, especially for storing food, but also as a unit of measurement for areas and goods. In language, barrels have given rise to a number of expressions and connect us with the philosopher Diogenes of Sinope (c. 400-325 BCE). He lived in a barrel and is remembered for his independence from external values. When asked what Alexander the Great could do for him, he replied “Yes, step aside a little, so the sun can shine on me”.

The barrels from the journey up the valley become part of a performance and a moving and audible installation in Okulus. An old broken barrel from the Harpefoss hotel is being restored and will be used together with newly made barrels.