Fragment of a journey with
- Laura Schippers
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Nele Brökelmann // July 19 - 23, 2025
On 19 July visual artist Nele Brökelmann embarks at Stora Förö. We meander through the Archipelago of Gothenburg by kayak and with a bit oversized Atlas for this area. We cross the Kattegat in complete calm weather, round the cape of Skagen, and then cross over to Norway. At the start of her journey, Nele intents to be receptive to the upcoming travel experience. Not to pursue a goal to much, but to learn to trust that this experience will find its way into her work somehow. She observes and documents the surroundings from the perspective of the traveling Atlas. During her stay we search for potentially interesting places and circumstances for Nele's work. After a short week, we say goodbye to Nele in Kristiansand.
19 and 20 July 2025, Archipelago of Gothenburg, Kattegat
We meander between the islands and rocks in the last light of the day. We round the most western islet of the archipelago, Vinga. The relatively flat rock in the sea boasts a cluster of peculiar structures, placed close together in an odd fashion. Later, it turns out to be the current lighthouse, the old lighthouse, and a large pyramid-shaped daymark/beacon for shipping. The calm summer evening sky and the stillness of the sea transform this scene into an imaginative, mysterious sight. Anchoring is rather the opposite of this. We underestimated the scale of the anchorages. The spots we had in mind are all too small. We search outside the anchorages, that are indicated on the chart, for a spot that's spacious enough and where we can might expect a sand-mud seabed. Our sea chart generally indicates the type of seabed well, but the map doesn't reveal much about this part of the archipelago. A mostly rocky bottom probably with occasional spots where sand and mud collects among the rocks and islets.
We drop anchor and shortly after we hear a heavy, hollow, creaking sound under the boat. That's for sure a rocky bottom. We lift the anchor a bit tensely. Luckily, the anchor hasn't got stuck between the rocks. Eventually, we find a somewhat cramped spot, a few islands away. But it fits and especially with this calm weather, it's quite a good anchorage. In the morning, we find ourselves smack in the middle of a sort of intersection for boats. Small motor boats circling around us, using us as a kind of roundabout. Most of them look up in surprise at such a large ship in this spot, haha. We wave back with a big smile. That day we crossed Kattegat to Skagen. The usually rough Kattegat was like a mirror. In the middle of the Kattegat we turn off the engine and let ourselves drift for a while in a wonderful silence. Looking, listening, swimming and having lunch together.
Maurik Stomps & Lavinia Xausa // August 1 - 8, 2025
On August 1 designer/artist Maurik Stomps and filmmaker Lavinia Xausa embarking for a journey to the deep Jøsenfjord, our workfield for the coming week. Here, we'll lower six steel cubes to a depth of 500 meters. The objects implode at this depth and be shaped by the immense pressure. In this personal project, Maurik explores: 'pressure', his fear of the unknown and how these aspects relates to each other by means of his family history.
1 to 8 August 2025, Stavanger, Jøsenfjord
We're again grateful with our private quay at Hündvag when Maurik and Lavinia embark with 6 40x40cm steel boxes, a sturdy 500-meter line, and film equipment. After the first few tests, it quickly becomes clear that our hand winch won't be able to bring the cubes up and down to 500 meters depth. We decide to use a winch of our kitesystem instead. That same day, we sailed to the Jøsenfjord, a 3.5-hours trip. The further we travel, the more impressive the scenery becomes. Actually, none of us have any idea what awaits us. We know the fjord is about 600 meters deep and that there's an anchorage nearby. But we have no idea if everything will work out well in practical sense. How long does it take to hoist a object down and back up again? Will the objects really implode? What about the drifting of the ship? And how to deal with other traffic in the fjord?
When we almost arrives at the 500 to 600 meter depth area, we passing a kind of elongated inlet, flanked by high steep, forested cliffs. At the end of the bay, we see a quay with truck tires. We decide to sail to towards it, perhaps we can spend the night there, or at least having dinner there. It turns out to be a mooring quay for a ferry that only will come twice a day, during working days. Perfect, because it's Friday evening. On the other side of our 'work field' there's another quay like this. We can alternate between these quays for the rest of the week and don't have to anchor, thankfully, because a tree or a large branch is lying in the water right at the anchorage. For the next days, we lower one or two cubes each day to a depth of 500 meters. We hear clunking and thumping sounds as they're lowered. And as soon as they're lift back above the water's surface, it's new shape became visible, made by the great pressure at these depths! The shapes of the objects looks a bit similar, yet each one is unique. It makes us curious. What's exactly happening underwater? Will the object suddenly implode or step by step?
I like the fact that the steel cubes, made by Maurik himself, fail at their weakest point first, and that's how their shape is determined. Not knowing exactly what's happening under that deep-black, clear water is perhaps essential to this project. The more beautiful I found this project with Maurik and Lavinia, because we all took on this project with all its uncertainties and that's perhaps precisely why it was ultimately so successful. Everything seemed to fall into place so nicely: artistically and technically, the weather conditions, the location, and the good vibes on board.
Jaseff Raziel Yauri Miranda // August 9 - 16, 2025
From August 9 Jaseff Raziel Yauri Miranda traveled with us from Stavanger to Bergen. For us, our final destination for this year. For Raziel, it marked the beginning of a new project: The Water Archive
9 en 14 augustus 2025, Stavanger, Selen, Sandtorv
Yesterday, Maurik and Lavinia left late in the afternoon, and Raziel already arrives this morning. We were still full of the experiences of last week in the Jøsenfjord, and Raziel had just completed an impressive trip to Asia. The first day is a matter of switching and getting to know each other a bit. We stayed at the quay in Stavanger that day. We do some groceries together and explore various of routes to Bergen. We made a plan to hop from Stavanger to Bergen within a week. Each evening we'll look for an anchorage to spend the night, and if we like the spot, we'll stay there a bit longer. But at the first anchorage, we're called by the Coast Guard, asking us if we have permission to anchor there. We discover that vessels over 15 meters must apply for an anchorage at the CSC (Coastal Operations Surveillance Centre), including ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) and ETD (Estimated Time of Departure). Only after approval you're allowed to drop anchor. After dropping and lifting anchor, you must notify the CSC. And once you're at anchor, you have to provide updates every 12 hours. We're a bit annoyed by this, as it does take away some of the spontaneity. On the other hand, we understand that this allows the Norwegian authorities and emergency services to get a better image of all the ships hanging out around the many islands and in the fjords of Norway. It takes some time get used to it, but we're gradually getting better at it.
On our first day of sailing, we sailed a part that was exposed to the open sea. There were big waves, super exciting. After about 1,5 hour, we dived back behind the islands, which was actually quite welcome by then again ;) We anchored at a small, rocky islet called Selen. Tall, sturdy grass, pinkish-purple heather, and short, sturdy shrubs grow on the island, their shape seemingly determined by the prevailing wind direction in this area. There are a few holiday houses but no one seems to be at home. We wandered around at dusk and it wasn't long before we were chased off the island by the midges again. The next day we sail, nicely protected from the waves, behind the first row of islands further up north. After exploring the relatively low islands close to the sea, with lots of buildings and industry, we decided to head further inland. We sail towards the beginning of the Hardangerfjord. This turned out to be a right decision. We ended up in a beautifully serene spot, where Raziel could really can get a lot out of. We have no obligations. We just observe and experience the water, the nature, the weather, and the night sky. I try to tune in more to Raziel's laid-back vibe. It feels uncomfortable at first, but eventually I can surrender to it a little. At dusk, we set out with the dinghy. We row between and around the islands, listening to the water coming down from the islands, find its way back to the sea. At the same time, it feels like a closure, saying goodbye to this beautiful nature. Because I know, tomorrow the city awaits, and then our bubble will burst.
Comments