South Korea

Golgulsa tempel southern parts and Seoul, hedcapital

Travel 2008

South Korea is a country where old religious (Buddhist, Christian and shamanistic) lifestyle exist parallel with a materialistic modern (atheistic) living, a life were high technological standard occupies a lot attention both in public spaces and in private spaces. However this contradiction in social behavior, religious believes seems to get along in a country with a large number of people (50 million), on a size comparable with the size of a country like New Zealand. It is easy to travel in this country; people seem to move in their own country a lot. Busses and trains are very comfortable and not too expensive. However almost no one speaks English outside Seoul, which makes it a bit difficult to find your way. Signs and timetables are all written in korean and almost no foreigner tourists are traveling in this country. But people are friendly and willing to help you in finding your way almost every were you go -

Dried Cilli at a market in Gangneung and Arahat saint at KiRimSa tempel
- but what I found most challenging was to know what to choose eating at a restaurant! Traditional food in south korea is very different from anything I had experiences before and you cannot really guess what a plate of food is made of here! And even if you do pick up something of what people eat in korea, food seems to vary a lot from region to region. So as a traveler for the first time in this country, you have to get used to the habit of not knowing what you get when you order some food - but do not worry, kitchens are clean and food always well prepared.
Even thought this country has a large population and very large cities, this country offers a lot of national parks, with many opportunities for hiking and camping. The Buddhist lifestyle with large temples and pilgrim visitors is often situated in national parks and its surroundings.

Golgulsa temepl and Lotusgarden in Gyeongju

Myself I chose to make a “tempelstay” during my travel. There is only a few (3-5) Temples were translation to english are being held for visitor at a stay. In a “tempelstay” you commit yourself to monastery life in a Buddhist religious framework of ceremonies, prayers, rites and rules. Priests at this temples and monasteries do expect your attendance on all their activities. Without anyone explaining for you how to attend in this activities, I think it would be quite difficult to make a “tempelstay”, so my advice for a foreigner, is to chose a “tempelstay” were translation to English are being held. I chose to make a “tempelstay” at Golgulsa close to Gyeongju. This is a small scale temple practicing a Zen Buddhist marshal art training as part of their way to attain enlightenment. Besides three hours marshal art training a day, you attained in Zen meditations, walking meditations, buddhist prayers and some working at the temple. The Zen practice (marshal art) is called Sunmudo.

Inkbrushes in stores and in the shape of a sculpture - Seoul

What made me choose to go to South Korea were some personal encounters with ink paintings, films produced in south Korea and Geumgang International Biennale in Art in Nature, were I attended with a proposal at 2006. This made me curious of this country and their citizens and their relation between religious acts, art and nature.

Traveling

ANDALUSIA

making a "paella" for all citizens in village Cutar

Travel 2009
I stayed at this little village on a course, arranged by two Swedish artists/art pedagogues and Tom Sandquist, professor in Art theory (all three teaching at the Academy of University college of Arts, crafts and design in Stockholm). This village was situated in the mountains, far from the coast with a lot of tourism. To reach this village you have to go by car on many winding roads. At this village, just a few people from other countries than Spain have made their stay or bought houses. Andalusia has a special history way back 1000 year, but still somehow present in architecture and stories being told. At that time Andalusia was governed by Islamic culture and as traveling in Andalusia you still find a lot of buildings with Arabic influence in the architecture. Every village has its own story to tell about defending “their village” from intruders all through a long history. Granada is an absolute must, if you want to explore this region. In Granade you have to visit Alhambra. The city is beautifully situates on a slope reaching out over wide stretching mountain plains.

Alhambra, Granada

Desert travel

50 km from Tolar Grande
Travel 2007, ATACAMA DESERT
With 4000 m over sea level, this is the highest desert in the world. Most parts of the desert you will find in Chile, but the desert continues to stretch over the border in to Argentina as well. According to NASA, this desert is the driest one in the world, mostly covered with salt lakes, lava and sand. What make this desert so special is the altitude and the sort of narrowness to the sky. Another thing that I found striking with this desert was the rich variation of soil and minerals, changing from one desert valley to another. In the Argentinean Atacama areas where I travelled, the landscapes were often shifting dramatically in colores
To travel from on valley to another, one in red, than sepia, to green, next in blue, purple, yellow -even white, was an extraordinary experience and nothing that could be compared with any other experiences I have had before.

5 200 m over sealevel
If you like to visit deserted mines, I guess this must be an ideal place for this kind of adventures!

Salar de Pocitos
Roads are extremely bad and you cannot travel in these areas without a 4 wheel jeep. Even thought you do not meet a lot of cars on these roads, you have to watch out for trucks, transporting minerals on these small dirt roads, this vehicle act as they are the “king of the roads”, and you are the one, expected to step aside. Petrol stations are not to be found in very long stretches and the altitude force you to be careful even with smallest motions in the beginning. You also have to plane where to sleep, there are very few villages, but in some of them you might find simple loggings or a guesthouse. No one speaks English, so
Spanish is almost a must. Prepare yourself with food supply in the car, you might not find a restaurant for a couple of days! It is cold in the night, sleeping in the car might get far too cold. Be aware of the sun, at this altitude the sun is extremely dangerous and you never see anyone without a hat or textile covering their heads and faces at this heights.

Landmark 20 west from Chauchari
To reach Atacama Desert from Argentina, easiest way to go there is to fly to Salta or Tucuman. Flights from Buenos Aires are not too expensive. In Salta you can rent a 4 wheel drive, but book ahead on internet, (they do not have that many). If you want to continue in to Chile and San Pedro de Atacama, the vehicle needs a special registration, to cross the Chilean border. You can also choose to take a bus from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama. There is only one option, starting 7 in the morning, arriving in San Pedro de Atacama in the middle of the night, so you have to book a place to sleep there on beforehand. Busses are not comfortable at all, and the journey takes more than 16 hours and just with a few stops on the way. On the stretch from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama you will travel from an altitude on 1 700 m and pass the highest plateau on 5 200 m, and then move along on the desert plains, at least 6 more hours before you reach the desert city San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. However this might be an alternative to see the Atacama Desert (from a vehicle) since the 4 wheel drive alternative is quite expensive.

Alpaca
If you are lucky, you might see wild Alpacas, and in some of the many salt lakes, you may find a lot of flamingos. Alpacas is one of the few "larger" animals that can live at this altitude.

My personal reason for this desert journey, was to experience a desert on such high altitude and to complete a land art project during. I was also interested to experience high mountains related to a desert.

Pictures of Holiness

Artproject 2009
During a course in Art theory in Spain, Andalusia this summer (2009), I took the opportunity, experimenting with an idea based on my latest and upcoming project. This project is about identity, modern lifestyles and nature. This project examines human beings as “fragile creatures”, in her attempts to relate to "untamed forces" in nature and to her contemporary civilization. The project works with visual symbols like the mask and/or site-specific arrangements.
This three performed photos were inspired by some of the lectures being given at "Pictures of Holiness -Islamic, Christian and Jewish religion, visualized in contemporary art" (held by Tom Sandquist, Helen and Rudy Vegil).

First pictures was inspired from a lecture about Icons and following two inspired by a lecture about Rudolf Otto and "mysterium tremendum".

Title: Icon giving birth



Title: Challenge



Title: Challenging fear


As a performing model, I had the opportunity to work with the Swedish artist Paula von Seth.

Almost like a garden

Summer 2009
I have a small house some 100 km south of Gothenburg in Sweden were I live. I sometimes go to this small house, doing nothing - to clear the mind. Outside the house, there is a garden, but -it is not realy a garden! I never payed the space around my house that kind of attention and dedication that a gardener does and a garden requiers.

Medusa behind a tree - angelface in the rosegarden


vase on a woodefloor

Glas between trees, flowerpots and waterfall
Jet, I like the space around the house and I think of it as a garden in some sence, but with the habit of working with Landart, I kind of treat it in a simular way, - I guess...what I try to create is a space, alomost like a garden, almost like wilderness and almost like a playground for creativety...