124b.  The 7th Biennial Codex Book Fair and Symposium was held February 3-6 in Richmond, California, with a Nordic focus, including artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Thanks to Codex for making the symposium recordings available to all.

 

From Finland barefoot in snow

Tatjana Bergelt discusses her recent artist book From Finland barefoot in snow, a cassette with two books, edition of 4, Northern Sami / Finnish/ German languages, 2015. Focusing on the existential poetry by Sami activist Nils Aslak Valkeapää, yet deeply differing from Middle European existentialism, this artists' book project respects the very core of Nomad culture of the indigenous people of Europe in its visual form. Sami people have been relatively isolated in the very Northern part of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. They speak 10 different languages but yet still must fight for their rights of land ownership and identity.