You are unmistakable
Your deepest desires remain unknown
Last observed nesting in Sweden in 1967
You were spotted on a barren hilltop
Soon to forsake this land altogether
You fly across economical and country borders
Yet the reason for your disappearance is uncertain
Is it the operation of biocide biotopic changes
Or is cultural boredom the reason you left intolerant Europe?
Searching for the European Roller is a long-term research project that involves lecture performances, video and installation. Central to the project is the bird, The European Roller (in Swedish Blåkråka). A bird that used to live and breed in northern Europe but no longer does. The last time the bird was seen nesting in Sweden was in 1967 on the island of Fårö. Recently there has been several initiatives to get The European Roller back to Sweden. Landscapes have been chopped apart, re-arranged and designed specifically to lure the bird back. Why? Through mapping and exploring the whereabouts, emotions and migratory patterns of the bird the project has sought to understand the desire for the reintroduction of specifies and the construction of nature. Why are certain species more desirable than others? Who or what belongs where and who or what does not belong?
Installation from Neu Now Festival, Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam. Photo credits: Hillside Projects and Iris Duvekot courtesy of Neu Now.