Explorations in Ocean Space IV- Non-extractive architecture – Indigenous Perspectives investigates the land- and seascapes of Porsangerfjord (Finnmark), an important area for the Sea Sámi (Søjsámi) and hosting Mearrasiida (Indre Billefjord)- a centre of culture, research and contemporary art to support and further develop Sea Sámi language and culture.
The urgent challenges of the Anthropocene and of practicing non-extractive architecture invite us to look into other ways of knowing. Traditional Sámi architecture is non-extractive by definition– traditionally using only readily available materials with zero waste. But Sámi spatial practices and understandings are also characterised by fluidity between architecture and landscape, land- and seascape, physical and metaphysical elements, and different temporal /environmental conditions – they embrace situated and radically relational ways of knowing:
“The land- and seascape are perceived as living entities, continuously transforming and unfolding and actively nurturing relations between humans, spirits and other living creatures, linked to specific places” (Helander-Renvall,2008).
The symbiotic relationship between indigenous cultures and the natural environment may provide solutions to environmental sustainability, as confirmed by the promotion of indigenous people’s rights relating to the environment at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit).
What could it mean to actively award land-and seascapes the same rights and respect as a living being as in the 2017 precedent of the Whanganui river in Aotearoa/New Zealand?
Our previous studies have shown the extent of exploitation of marine resources and the persistence of the extractive industries in their post-oil race to extract and mine, for example, the deep sea floor. Coastal Sámi have expert environmental knowledge, mostly transmitted verbally, but together with other small-scale local fishers, experience the threats of commercial fisheries, aquaculture and energy construction projects encroaching on their local natural resources. Porsangerfjord has experienced a succession of environment crises, rendering it virtually dead, and severely affecting the surrounding sociocultural life.
At a time when the ecological crisis is a global preoccupation, different forms of narration are needed to recount today’s most critical story. Multiple voices have asserted that the current ecological crisis is accompanied by a crisis of the imagination. The fluid, intersecting “unfoldings” of time and place (Joks & Østmo, 2020) of Sámi ontology connect to the way we explore ocean space, offering an inspiring dialogue and challenging our creative potential. Alongside applying the artistic and technical tools we are more familiar with, this course will engage with stories, places and ways of making inspired by indigenous perspectives.
The urgent challenges of the Anthropocene and of practicing non-extractive architecture invite us to look into other ways of knowing. Traditional Sámi architecture is non-extractive by definition– traditionally using only readily available materials with zero waste. But Sámi spatial practices and understandings are also characterised by fluidity between architecture and landscape, land- and seascape, physical and metaphysical elements, and different temporal /environmental conditions – they embrace situated and radically relational ways of knowing:
“The land- and seascape are perceived as living entities, continuously transforming and unfolding and actively nurturing relations between humans, spirits and other living creatures, linked to specific places” (Helander-Renvall,2008).
The symbiotic relationship between indigenous cultures and the natural environment may provide solutions to environmental sustainability, as confirmed by the promotion of indigenous people’s rights relating to the environment at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit).
What could it mean to actively award land-and seascapes the same rights and respect as a living being as in the 2017 precedent of the Whanganui river in Aotearoa/New Zealand?
Our previous studies have shown the extent of exploitation of marine resources and the persistence of the extractive industries in their post-oil race to extract and mine, for example, the deep sea floor. Coastal Sámi have expert environmental knowledge, mostly transmitted verbally, but together with other small-scale local fishers, experience the threats of commercial fisheries, aquaculture and energy construction projects encroaching on their local natural resources. Porsangerfjord has experienced a succession of environment crises, rendering it virtually dead, and severely affecting the surrounding sociocultural life.
At a time when the ecological crisis is a global preoccupation, different forms of narration are needed to recount today’s most critical story. Multiple voices have asserted that the current ecological crisis is accompanied by a crisis of the imagination. The fluid, intersecting “unfoldings” of time and place (Joks & Østmo, 2020) of Sámi ontology connect to the way we explore ocean space, offering an inspiring dialogue and challenging our creative potential. Alongside applying the artistic and technical tools we are more familiar with, this course will engage with stories, places and ways of making inspired by indigenous perspectives.