Created by Ingrunn O. Myrland
Tracks 1 and 2 are inspired by melting glaciers and soil erosion; natural processes that are occurring today to a greater extent and with greater force than before, as a consequence of human actions and man-made climate change.
The earth is us and we are it.
Track 1 is based on an overview image from the top of a perforated ice floe. Ponds of glacial water form when the ice melts, and the water digs its way down through layer after layer. Just as a tree has annual rings, ice also has annual rings that are gradually exposed as the water finds its way through the layers of time, encapsulated history that is gradually washed away. A trickling stream becomes a river that breaks open and tears free.
Track 2 is based on an image of a parched earth surface. Soil erosion is the constant wear and tear and breakdown that occurs on the earth's surface when external forces such as extreme temperatures, running water, glaciers, wind or waves drag and gnaw away rock particles, moving material from one place to another.
In several parts of the world, including the United States, Central America, and Africa, large areas of topsoil are disappearing every year, and agricultural lands are being transformed into barren land and desert. This happens when humans destroy and remove forests, engage in intensive farming, and keep too many animals that trample down vegetation and exhaust grazing areas.
The images are also conceived as wound surfaces; the scars/marks we create in our surroundings, in nature, can also be reflected inwardly within ourselves. We are part of the larger context. Without everything else, we do not exist either.
The installation is composed of two separate works, built up layer by layer, like topographic maps. The technique is machine and hand stitching on cotton textiles. Each layer is cut, sewn and turned inside out before being stiffened and assembled together with hand stitching
