We Do Not Dig Where We Do Not Stand
From September 2023. Nydala Lake, SwedenUmeå is built on Samí soil.
With that in mind, we established a group of scientists and professors to investigate a square of exactly 3x3 meters in the forest close to the Nydala Lake in Umeå, Sweden. Due to the site’s quality of natural species and Samí heritage, we could not motivate entering and eventually disrupting the site. Therefore, different departments has been researching and documenting the site from the outside. Pathologists doing samples of fauna and flora in the very periphery of the site or manual satelllites launched to photograph and scan the site are two of many ways to research a site without ever entering.
Findings from the site were presented in a video installation at UMA in Umeå. It included all litterature used for the project, satellite footage, pathological findings and a blueberry cake made on site. The exhibition hosted discussions about how to research without disrupting the area of interest.
