A view upon wilderness
posted by Rozan van Klaveren on 24 November 2020

Nine years ago, I have been watching this same view from this same window. At that time, my PhD in the arts was in its first stage. Living and working here in Kilpisjärvi for a full month was supporting my artistic research, and also planted some seeds in me. While I already was in love with the Arctic regions for many years, I more and more developed the wish to grow some of my roots this north. Partly because of this first residency period, Enontekiö became the main focus of my search for my own piece of wilderness.
 
This summer my multiple-year search came to an end when I found and bought a small, old cabin (erämökki) in Leppäjärvi. The timing couldn’t be better. This ownership not only allowed me to enter Finland in Covid-times, but also provided me with a perfect location to sit out my quarantine period before I could start my second working period at the Biological station this autumn.
 
While I finished my PhD some years ago, I am now doing postdoctoral research in the arts. My focus is on the many ideas and experiences of wilderness. Part of this rather broad theme, is my passion for reindeer. It’s hard to find a topic that is less versatile and complex than reindeer. My working period this year helped me to deepen my understanding of how multi-faceted reindeer are connected to so many aspects of living in the so-called wilderness of this region. Besides that, I experienced how weather, especially snow conditions, can be a challenging manifestation of wilderness. And I enjoyed watching the ever-changing views of the lake and the Swedish mountains for many hours.

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Rozan van Klaveren stayed in Ars Bioarctica residency in October 2020.