The Arctic was never considered a proper place for women. Throughout history, women have been deemed unfit to deal with the challenges of an autonomous life in the public realm, let alone with the dangers of the isolated wilderness.Non-indigenous people to the Arctic have long conceptualised the polar region as a barren, inhospitable landscape where only the toughest of men could survive. Built into this affirmation of the adventurous and engineering nature of men, is the systematic refusal of women into the arctic world. This frame of mind is also reflected in the body of stories and literature set in the circumpolar region: women are mostly absent, and if they do happen to make an appearance, they are classified as man’s inferior companion, as an exception oras just not in their right mind, or both.
At the sametime the Arctic has traditionally been gendered as feminine in the Western World. Initially, it was regarded a region to be conquered and penetrated; asmale territory that has to be brought into submission. Whereas this view has shifted in post-colonial times, the Arctic is still conceived of as feminine and is now collectively imagined as a pure, pristine place in need of our protection. A barren, virgin land in distress. By imposing on it a passive identity as an object of desire, this one-sided and simplified view is not aligned with reality. The project Only Barely Still aims to propose a different narrative of the Arctic and its collective imaginary. By standing on the axis of two misconceptions – about the Norwegian Arctic on one hand, andthe women in it on the other – it wants to respectfully capture their synergy.
https://catherinelemble.com/projects/only-barely-still
Text and photo: © Catherine Lemblé
Voice: Annie Smith (IA)
This audio is part of the Audioteca Fotográfica, a photographic sound archive that captures the gazes and reflections of those who get behind the camera.
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