In Barents Juxtapose the ceramic artist and photographer Cecilie Haaland takes samples from the Earth`s surface in the border zone and processes them along with clay and glazes. In this process Cecilie reveals new questions connected to pollution, natural resources and industrial development but also reconnects to traditional pottery techniques in today’s Finnmark. Cecilie tries to explore and understand the area by investigating the physical material of the earth, relying on the tangible elements found in the ground. However, minerals are not faithful when burned in the ceramic oven, the burning process changes the minerals’ colors and textures unpredictably.
Barents Juxtapose is an experimental collection of impressions – more like a mood-board than a concluding piece of work. These impressions are visualized with different finishes on porcelain tiles – photographs, pictorial reliefs and surfaces created by samples of sediments. All fragments come together in a larger unity, allowing short glimpses on the invisible atmosphere of the Barents region.
The project adds a new dimension to Cecilie Haaland’s artistic activities, she becomes a geologist who looks into the materials of the mining towns along the border between Russia and Norway.