Vägrenens diva / Diva of the roadside

Video installation, 05:02 min, straps, fabric, 4x1.5 m, loop, 2019. Shown during the music festival Insomnia at DRIV, Tromsø.

Along many roadsides and railway tracks around Sweden and Norway, lupins grow, beautiful to the eye but devastating to nature. Lupins (Lupinus polyphyllus) are a so-called invasive species, which means that they can eradicate other vegetation and damage the ecosystem. It has an ability to bind nitrogen and thus fertilize the soil, which makes it compete out nutrient-poor plants, such as meadow flowers. This affects both pollinators, insects and other plant species. In the film, a beam of light explores the seductive world of lupins on a walk along a paved road. When the days get shorter and the darkness descends over northern Norway, the headlamp becomes a faithful companion. It reduces our field of vision and we can zoom in on things we may not have noticed before.