Alexander Salvesen: Ur-skog
Overhead projector, projection paint on glass, 2021
The Swedish word ur- means both a clock and the first most ancient version of something. The prefix ur- can also be used if one wants to emphasize that something is very uttermost, like urgammal (extremely old/ancient) or ursnygg (super gorgeous). Ur-Skog is the primary forest, the idea of the forest, the very-very forest. Ur-Skog also depicts time in the forest, time of the forest, the forest of timelessness, the forest of our time. The natural forest is timeless. At the same time, 500-year-old trees and freshly germinated flowers grow there. In the forest, the experience of time changes. Time passes more slowly in our minds. In the forest we have more time. What do you feel as you move through a timeless forest?
