The Root

2020–2021

The project “The Root” was exhibited in a group exhibition entitled “And the fjord below continues its course towards the ocean, joining all the waters of the world” at Kabuso Art Centre in Øystese, Norway. It is an installation consisting of a video piece entitled “The Root” (HD video, 10:35 min), a series of 8 analogue double-exposed black and white photographs, and various plaster casts from the local sculptor Ingebrigt Vik (1867–1927). The video piece and the photo series was also a part of my solo exhibition “The House and The Root - Memories and Metamorphoses”, exhibited at Kinokino Kunstsal in Sandnes, Norway, November 2021 - January 2022.

My project dwelled on the idea of the root and its multifaceted symbolic and poetic interpretations. The root is an archetype of something that is solid, and a giver of life to all plants. It has vitality, plunging down into the endless depths of the earth, deep in the soil where the dead lie at rest: a robust force of life amid decomposition. Our language has numerous words and expressions denoting the psychologically relevant opposites of being rooted and firm, and the lack thereof, rootlessness.

The video piece explores the underlying psychological and poetic aspects of the root’s internal life, and how this natural phenomenon can evoke so many contradictory ideas. Dark and seemingly lifeless, the root is nevertheless a symbol of colourful flowering. It also represents an axis of depth taking us back to a distant past, to the past of our species. The video was based on a voice-over of a sound recording of fragments from French philosopher Gaston Bachelard´s (1884–1962) 1948 essay “Earth and Reveries of Repose”. Bachelard uses poetic fragments from 19th and 20th century writers to postulate his ideas of the inner nature of the root.

In the photo series “Der Wurzelmensch” (Root Man), which consisted of 8 100x80cm silver gelatine prints, images of roots are combined with the human body by double exposing the negatives. They bear a strong similarity to our human anatomy, our intestines and limbs. The series can be perceived as a life cycle, with the first image expressing the birth of man through roots. In the last image, the figure is fading away and decomposing in the black soil. These transformations resemble the physical transformations of the famous work “The Metamorphoses” by the Roman poet Ovid from 8 AD, where mythological figures are transformed into various trees and plants.

Kabuso Art Centre, where the exhibition was presented, houses a large collection of works by local artist Ingebrigt Vik (1867–1927). His naturalistic sculptures are sensitive and humble in their representation of the human body. By using some of his plaster casts, and elements thereof such as hands and feet, my idea was to add a physical, three-dimensional aspect to the installation which communicated with the limbs shown in the photo series.

Video The Root, HD Video, 10:35 Min, 2020-2021