2007
edition: 100
4 color offset printed map
exhibition: sleppet – the sound of norwegian spring
various sites, oslo & bergen, norway
in the fall of 2007. i was initially invited to norway to record the sounds of glaciers, lakes, mountains, birds, etc. towards a sound installation related to edvard grieg on the 100 anniversary of his death. at the beginning of the journey, each of us were given a map of the general area we visited (gloppen), which for some reason i never really had to use. the map though, was a constant companion, and i did enjoy reading the place names aloud in my small cabin at night. as with much of my text translation work, it was the sound of the words that really began to work on me, until i decide to translate all of the place names into english using the sound and visual nature of the words, with no real knowledge of the norwegian language.
it began rather simply, with the word gloppen becoming “open glow” due to the fact that it sounded a bit like open, and began with “glo”. as i moved through the map i realized there were a lot of words that were repeated in names, and unlike much of my works in this manner, i decided to build a dictionary key for all the words that were repeated in more than one name. this led to some difficulties in terms of a fixed meaning for one word in a name and trying to find a companion word that felt right with it. of course, it also led to some wonderfully poetic word combinations i could never have come to on my own. below the detail images below is a list of all of the double use words – original and translation.
key for some of the terms that are part of larger names (these terms are consistent througout the map:
als = mountain (alps)
berg = ice
boten = boat
brekka = broken
bust= dust
dals = nest
dalen = silent
dammen = soften(ing)
dimma = dimmer / soft light
egge = edge
fjellet = field
foss = frost/snow
fossen = forrest
gamle = camel
gloppen = open glow
hammaren = humming
hol = hollow or holy
hole = hole
jard= word
kleive = clay or earth
kulture = cold turns
kvile = village / group
leir = leaves
mar = sea (mer)
minnest = smallest
nes = net or new
neset = network
nibba = nothingness, nebulous, clouds
rossk = rust
ryss = roses
sandal = mountain of sand
stad = hand
stoylen = speakings or stories
stoyva = stones
stranda = standing
svatna = seen /visible
svarte = stars
svine = vines
varden = garden
vatnet = vastness, vast net
vegen = vegetation
veten = vision or 10 views
vik = voice