LOCUS est. 2006 by artists Thale Blix Fastvold (b.1978) and Tanja Thorjussen (b.1970), based in Oslo, Norway, works from an ecofeminist perspective with performance and public art in long-term collaborations with the more-than-human cohabitors of the earth like rivers, trees, eelgrass and pollinators.
In an ongoing artistic research, LOCUS sees a strong connection between how we respond to environmental issues like climate change and our renewed spiritual interest and connection to nature.
Working with performance and public art in series over time, and in repetitive actions, the artworks become rituals of care focusing on our interconnectedness with the elements of water, fire and earth.
LOCUS choose materials that are local and sustainably sourced with respect to others – be that other humans, animals, insects or plants, as we all collaborate to envision new futures together.
In the project commissioned by Helsinki Biennial, the artists envisage a hopeful, speculative, utopian future for common eelgrass, which they imagine as blooming and thriving in the Baltic Sea.
The artwork production is supported by The John Nurminen Foundation and OCA – Office for Contemporary Art Norway.
Artwork locations: HAM Helsinki Art Museum and Vallisaari Island
Photo: Ole Løvold