Isortoq Unartoq, 1999

Isortoq Unartoq # 6, 1999, C-print, 73,7 x 89,9 cm

Isortoq Unartoq is a series of images from my two trips to Greenland, summer 1998 and 1999, where I spent ten weeks traversing the dramatic arctic landscape. I travelled mostly alone, camping beside the natural hot springs of the island of Unartoq in the south of the country and visiting the reindeer station of Isortoq at the foot of the inland ice. In my attempt to approach a totally unknown culture, an originally nomadic people with a rich history of norse settlers, the land itself was necessarily portrayed along with its inhabitants. I was interested in how location is reflected in culture, which is particularly evident in this series. The photograph conveys the relationship with the world that each person bears inside themself. In the manner a pose is assumed or not, there is social meaning, custom. Examining the photographic image as a method of documentation, reference and portrayal, these portraits represent a particular presence within a singular terrain. The exotic becomes near and intimate whilst the familiar seems abstract, strange, faraway, creating a sense of both participation and alienation.

Isortoq Unartoq # 11, 1999, C-print, 73,7 x 89,9 cm

Isortoq Unartoq # 12, 1999, C-print, 73,7 x 89,9 cm

Isortoq Unartoq # 19, 1999, C-print, 73,7 x 89,9 cm