A week of chock full of solidarity, creativity and possibility beginning with Göteborg’s May Day Parade when each faction of the the left wends their own route through the city with much banner-waving, call and response chanting (“Nu! Nu! Nu!”, uplifting marching band music mixedwith Clash-y punk anthems, and gifting of red roses. Thank you Cousins Jessika for welcoming us into the Vänsterpartiet for the day… Your dedication to the fight for justice, equality and the needs of working people is truly inspirational!
Next: Pack up the Volvo, it’s time to hit the road… to the North! North! North!
Pristine lakes and giant cheese slicers! Renewable energy fields and smoke-belching factories! Nature preserves and clear cuts! Cappuccino-serving cat-averse Ikeas! Big birds, gorgeous reindeer, foxy foxes and even a lone lady moose right next to roads where giant cargo trucks truck on by! Candy World and Microsoft! Aurora Borealis and Midnight Sun! It’s a land of extremes and contradictions but one thing’s for sure: the North is a place of warm welcomes and new friends who moments after meeting you are generously sharing their knowledge of all things art environment, their passion for community, and their cultural and literal homes.
Thank you dear Bibbi for introducing us to Åsa! Thank you dear Åsa for inviting us to Havremagasinet and Sámi artist Katarina Pirak Sikku’s powerful exhibition Dollet Almmiravdii – Bortåt Himlens Rand (Beyond The Edge of the Sky), for combining art and activism to upend oppressive forces against people and landscapes, and for connecting us to Northern Sustainable Futures. Thank you Linda, Gonçalo and your beautiful extended family of kids, cousins, neighbors, students, visiting artists and kittens for opening the doors of your rambling old schoolhouse that’s also an eclectic, electric castle of infinite wonder where the planets align, the manifestos run wild, the sound of laughter echoes down long halls, the kids commandeer the hot tub, the twilight dinner parties run until 1 in the morning, and art is everything.
The blue sky is your spirit; your heart has many rooms.
