Wednesday – Saturday, 12:00-18:00 Friday 15.00-16.30 performative presentation
The shortfilm was commissioned by the National Museum of Norway in connection with the event “Hommage á AK Dolven” (June 2025) as a commentary on her film “Moving Mountain” (2004) which was filmed on Vedøya 22 years earlier. Silent Mountain is a tribute to the bird mountain Vedøya on Røst, Nordland/Nordlaándda, which became silent in 2020. It was the last year that the kittiwakes nested on Vedøya and now there are only a few auks, puffins and guillemots that nest mostly in hiding. Vedøya as part of Nykan nature reserve was until recently, one of Northern Europe’s most numerous seabird breeding colonies. Vedøya is part of the many islands, islets, and skerries of the Røst archipelago in the southwesternmost most part of Lofoten/Lofuohtta, Nordland/Nordlánnda. In 1980 there were more than 25.000 pairs of kittiwakes, 12000 pairs of guillemots, and some Brünnich’s guillemots, plus hundreds of thousands of puffins and razor bills, breeding on Vedøya
The decline in seabird populations worldwide is due to overfishing, bycatch, climate change, pressure on habitats and pollution, among other things.
Cinematography; Harald Bredholt, Movement: Katarina Skår Lisa og Yohei Hamada, Sound and soundscapes: Elin Már Øyen Vister Editing: Harald Bredholt med Elin Már Øyen Vister, innspill fra Katarina Skår Lisa og Yohei Hamada.
When nature becomes silent – listening to the birdmountains of the Røst archipelago
Elin Már gives us a performative presentation of the artistic research project Soundscape Røst (2010-ongoing) and the musical theathre piece «Vedøya-Laments to the birdmountain who lost their voice (2026).
Elin Már will talk about their 16-year engagement with the land-and seascapes of the Røst archipelago where they are based, and will present and play a few excerpts of the documentation of the newly premiered Vedøya-Laments to the birdmountain who lost their voice
What is the story of Vedøya? What happened, and what can we do about it? How can we grieve a bird mountain – and loss of nature? In this performative lecture combining deep listening, dialogue and visuals, Elin Már’s ongoing artistic practice and longtime engagement addresses these topics and what it means for Northern Norway / Sábme and beyond.
Elin Már (NO) is a multidisiplinary artist/composer based in the Røst archipelago in the westernmost part of the Lofot/Lofuohhta islands in Sábme/The North of Norway. Their artistic research practice is slow-moving, curious, and site-specific, inspired by Deep Listening, intersectional and eco feminist perspectives, social justice movements and indigenous methodologies.Elin Már has spent the past 16 years listening to and getting to know the seabird mountains of the Røst Archipelago. Elin Már began recording the soundscapes of Røst and interviewing locals in 2010 and eventually moved to Røst, to be present and be a dedicated earwitness in early 2015. Elin Már also founded Røst AiR (www.rostair.com)– an artist residency on Skomvær Lighthouse and Røstlandet in 2012 and they co-run Jiennagoahti – the listening turfhut in Bergen/Birgon.
Galleri 2 Artists Vebjørg Hagene Thoe and Scott Thoe run their gallery in an old laundry on the outskirts of Stamsund, where they also have a studio. Here they show 3-4 exhibitions of invited artists each year, the opening of the Theatre Festival being the season’s highlight. They collaborate with a number of artist institutions: Kunstkvarteret Lofoten, Lofoten Art Galleries, a network of professional galleries in Lofoten, and The cultural napsack for school children (Den kulturelle skolesekken). A number of exhibitions and workshops are offered to school children in the gallery.