"But this is the first time they will be taking a deep dive into a reindeer's nose. The latest artist commission for the cavernous space by the Indigenous Sami artist Maret Anne Sara invites gallerygoers into a labyrinthine structure based on the scaled-up interior of a reindeer's nasal passages. Once inside they can meander round or chill out on reindeer hides, listening on headphones to Sami elders telling stories and imparting knowledge."
"Why the nose? It might sound whimsical but the installation pays tribute to a little-known natural marvel: scientists have discovered that in under a second, the reindeer's nose can heat the surrounding air it inhales by 80 degrees celsius, enabling the animal to survive in inhospitable Arctic temperatures. Scaling the nose up to larger than human size, Sara says, creates a sense of inferiority that you as a human being are not dominant over nature."
An immersive commission recreates the scaled-up interior of a reindeer's nasal passages as a labyrinthine structure where visitors can meander or rest on reindeer hides while listening on headphones to Sami elders. The installation honors a natural marvel: scientists found a reindeer's nose can heat inhaled air by 80 degrees Celsius in under a second, enabling survival in Arctic temperatures. The oversized nose is intended to provoke humbleness and a sense that humans are not dominant over nature. The artist Maret Anne Sara comes from a reindeer-herding family and has worked as a journalist, children's author and land defender. The work centers reindeer within Sami cosmology and highlights climate threats, land dispossession and colonial pressures faced by roughly 100,000 Sami across Sapmi.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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