Letters from Elmine, a theatre play, 2020

Video work for a theater piece about the Kven (national minority in Norway) identity and culture. 

Screened on stage as part of the performance, four videos were illustrating the different stages in the life of Elmine, who traveled from Finland to the north of Norway in the 19th century. The videos were screened on fabrics, giving a nostalgic feel, and I used my own material combined with some historical footage from Digitalt Arkiv.

From the catalogue:  Søren Kierkegaard says: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”.
An ended life seems so coherent and meaningful. When standing in the middle of it, life is often experienced as divisive and incomprehensible. Those who have relatives from Troms and Finnmark have quite often an identity consisting of several cultures, which are both different and overlapping. The play is an attempt to highlight Kven culture as it may look today.

Directed by Ida Løken Valkeapää. Written by Inger Birkelund and Trygg Jakola. Performed by Inger Birkelund Music: Nikolai Äystö Lindholm  Light and sound technician: Tove Rappana Reibo Premiere at Kvenske Dager in Vadsø, 2022, and later on tour in Troms and Finnmark.