Messages From
The Artic
"Messages From The Arctic " is an art project where local and native people tell stories about love and connection to its nature. The multidisciplinary artist Vilija Vitkute photographs and bodypaint them into their surroundings and that's where the image of storytelling is being created. The project started recently in 2022 September in the north of Norway and is ongoing project till the year 2024/2025 with the goal to share awareness about arctic life, its nature, and native culture that is under the threat because of the climate crisis. The Arctic’s average temperature has already risen at a rate of almost three times the global average, warming faster than any other region on Earth, suffering from amplified climate crisis effects while also trying to cope with the impacts of a growing global rush for resources, new shipping routes, and opportunities. In the Arctic, changes due to the climate crisis are already causing nature to break down, causing risks to the livelihoods, health and cultural identities of Indigenous and local communities. These changes, many of which are irreversible, will result in a very different Arctic than the one we have been used to.
Message 1
My name is Delphine, I’m from the Alps in France. I came to northern Norway about 10 years ago for a job and stayed. I also spend time in the Svalbard archipelago regularly.
I’m educated as a skipper and bring people to sea on all kinds of expeditions: skiing and sailing, diving with orcas and whales, or just contemplating and exploring.
Blending with nature, trying to understand it and work with it in the best possible way,
is what I do for a living. I love to travel through the unlimited wilderness, it’s a never-ending process of learning, adapting, and becoming one with our environment.
In the nature nothing is constant and everything always changes : seasons, light, colours in the sky… By bringing people at sea I hope to share a feeling of beauty and belonging, I hope it can inspire to understand and respect our environment in new and better ways. Home is where the heart is!
Delphine Garcin / OffTrack Experience
Photography and body painting by artist Vilija Vitkute. Model Delphine.
Year of creation 2022 / Location - Tromso, Norway
Photography and body painting by artist Vilija Vitkute. Model Delphine.
Year of creation 2022 / Location - Tromso, Norway
Message 2
My name is Ingvild. I grew up in the North of Norway and I am now living in Tromsø on a small farm outside the city. I have always felt very close to nature - especially the ocean and the mountains here in the arctic.I want to take part in making sure this beautiful nature will be here for future generations to enjoy and connect with, and I try to do so by engaging in politics and environmental causes - also through music and poetry.
I think it is important that we see nature as a part of us and not something separate from human beings. We are all connected in one big ecosystem, and I strongly feel we need to be more aware of the fact that we must take care of mother earth in order to take care of ourselves - and the other way around.
Photography and body painting by artist Vilija Vitkute. Model Ingvild.
Year of creation 2022 / Location - Tromso, Norway
Message 3
My name is Emma Gunnarsson. I was born in the southern part of Sweden where the coastal landscape is filled with rich nature. I have a degree in Art and Design. Now my residence is in the northern part of Norway. A country in which I have traveled a lot in the last seven years since I moved here. Throughout my artistic career, my practice and passion have been photography, both old and new techniques, and the method of printmaking. Since I moved to Norway I have begun experiencing the landscape on a very personal level. Its unique surroundings have made me think in new ways about how to build art projects. Some of my later projects deal very initially with the north and its mysterious past but also environmental issues and future challenges. Kirkeporten (The church gate) is a natural rock formation shaped like a large gate. Through the gate, you can see across to the North Cape with the characteristic Nordkapphornet (Horn of the North Cape), or "Hornet" as we call it here on the island. Both Kirkeporten and Nordkapphornet were Sami sacrificial places in pre-Christian times. To me, this is a place full of symbolic and mystical beauty. The Sami people and their rich culture never stop fascinating me. I believe that feeling close to nature is something very deep and personal. You connect with places and they stay very dear to you.
Photography and body painting by artist Vilija Vitkute. Model Emma
Year of creation 2022 / Location - NorthCape, Norway
