Christian Houge

Untitled 3, Norway

2011

All available sizes & editions for each size of this photograph: 90 cm. x 120 cm. Edition AP 1 `Residence of Impermanence` 2017-2019 My performance series, `Residence of Impermanence`, explores our relationship to animals, fire and nature. Through the element of fire, I have found a way to express myself in totemic ritualistic performance by burning decaying trophy animals. The element of fire is very symbolic. It represents both destruction and creation. Animals and fire have, in many ways, formed our culture since the dawn of Mankind. They have also served as essential symbols in myth, spirituality, art and religion. Fire has protected us and given us hope. Given us a means to evolve in all culture. In Greek mythology, remember Prometheus. In the hand of Man, fire can be anything. It is our ethics that define it. We have always mirrored ourselves in Nature. What we see staring back at us may not be the image we were hoping for. This series is a reminder to where we have come regarding our relation to Nature and the huge effects of climatechange in the Anthropocene. My work often juxtaposes the visually aesthetic and uneasiness. An underlying feeling of that which is lost often plays an important role. I like to explore work themes that emanate a cognitive dissonance in the viewer to reveal more profound truths. I regard trophy animals as symbols of Man´s vanity and presumed victory over Nature. To me, they also serve as symbols of our general attitude towards Nature. The flames gives each animal a last breath of life as it creates a new portrait. The animal is set free again, ending a symbolic circle of life. A closure if you will, both physically and existentially. The English-inspired wallpapers represent imperialism and a colonial idea from a time when we were obsessed by conquering Nature and other lands. These too are burned with the animals symbolizing a protest toward our autocracy towards Nature itself. The repetitive performance of burning each animal serves as both an offering and a liberation. This is a violent act, but also a meaningful and beautiful act to me. The animals` personality changes dramatically throughout the burning process. This cannot be planned and therefore the animals give off a sense of further individuality. In the process of burning animals, I am also taking an object of desire off the market for further sales. An act that hopefully will spark dialog our use of Nature, as well as where we want to be heading in the near future. Dialog foments change and action. I spent seven years collecting old trophy animals and taxidermy of different sorts. Many were bought through auctions, while others were given to me by hunters` or the widows of hunters for this specific project. During the following three years, I went through a somewhat cathartic process of burning and obsessively exploring the symbolism of fire and our relation to animals with my performance. The intention with my series is to connect the public to the crucial matters at hand through something tangible, personal, and symbolic. These three years of working with this series has made me so much more conscious of how delicate nature is and how we have taken it for granted for too long. A reminder of how crucial both animals, fire and nature, for our so-called progress in survival and progress. Through this process, exploring new questions and inviting a larger audience to ask their own crucial questions in the massive global changes we all are witnessing, is what I strive for. Loss of animal diversity, poaching and massive forest fires are increasing so rapidly that Nature itself is at a major turning point. A call for action is needed. Working so close to the animals in my project has been as uplifting as it has been obsessive and heartbreaking, as the animal's eye connects with you on a personal level as a human does in non-verbal communication. In 2016, the government in Kenya burned poached ivory worth an estimated 130 million dollars, making a clear statement that these tusks should only belong to a living animal. This dramatic action created meaningful dialog around the world beyond news and statistics. Fires are destroying critical areas of much-needed land vegetation, thus creating considerable effects on climate change. The meeting between Nature`s fragility and Mans` ego has shown that forests disappear, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising and species become extinct. Humans have too easily exploited all parts of nature with our own culture and growth. In this short process, we have lost the very essence of what we are a part, and thus forget the very nature in ourselves. What can photography do to create questions regarding climate change, and help us move towards a sustainable future? In photography, we can ask important questions about changes in our surroundings and who we are—Man’s condition. Background: `Residence of Impermanence` has been exhibited at five museums and several galleries already (including a big solo show at Fotografiska, Stockholm (2019), and Arles Fotofestival (2019). Work from `Residence of Impermanence' is currently exhibited at the UCR: California Museum of Photography in Los Angeles with the exhibition `Facing Fire,` Art, Wildfire and The End of Nature in the New West.` This exhibition explores the ever-worsening Californian forest fires due to climate change. My previous environmental work has been nominated for the Prix Pictet Award twice before with my previous series for both Earth and Power themes. In 2005, my series `Arctic Technology` was shortlisted for the BMW Prize at Paris photo (through Scout Gallery, London). My other series has been shown in museums, including a symposium at Johnson Museum, N.Y. and been part of travelling exhibitions with WHATCOM (Museum of Washington) with the exhibition `Vanishing Ice` and a China tour on environmental issues with Three Shadows Photography...

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