Landscapes in change: Expectations

Elkem Salten, producer of silicon, is Elkem Salten is located roughly 100 km north of the Arctic Circle. The closest town is Fauske.

¨Olje-loftet¨ a work by artist Jarle Rosseland, in my opinion illustrates my expectations of the trip, inspired by Doreen Masseys book ¨For Space¨; different trajectories in the arctic ¨competing¨ for a place in the future.

On our trip to northern norway I expect to see small clusters of human settlements scattered out through an othervice deserted, raw and immense arctic landscape and hard climate. A place where different interrests meet; cultural, economic, social, political and environmental; samis, ethnic norwegians and immigrants, fishermen, mineworkers, petroleum workers and marine biologists; all with their own ideas about the future of the arctic.

I expect to see historical, modern and utopian architecture mixed together. From deserted cities due to lack of work and to new immerging industry and expanding cities. All of this with the environmental issue at stake, I expect to learn more of how these different trajectories work together and hopefully get new ideas, and also think of completely new possible futures, for the Arctic.

¨The politics of place would involve processes of negotiation- The key s that there are no portable rules because of the uniqueness of place; the negotiation will always be an invention; there will be need for judgement, learning, improvisation¨.

Doreen Massey