Clara Louise Bloch Jensen

I am attracted to bones as organic manifestations. A pile of minerals, the salt of the soil, which is recycled after use. I see repetition, life, diversity, and resurrection. We are created as organic structures out of this planets minerals, we stand upright, we fly or swim, with the help of an ingenious construction perfectly balanced for life. 

This balance fascinates me, the everlasting cycle of life which turns into dust and resurfaces.

During a residency in north Greenlandic in autumn 2020, I studied the Greenlandic Icey waters, the landscape and the enormous geological forces that have created this environment. The glaciers have modulated the mountain, leaving valleys, rivers and moraine landscapes as far as the eye can see. In this barren and inhospitable environment, life has arisen, animals and humans live in fragile coexistence. 

The snow, ice and darkness have been central elements of my inspiration journey.

The river runs deep beneath me, grim and grey it flows out towards the sea. Washes the city clean with its perpetual pulse of tides 4 times a day. 

On the shore, everything suddenly becomes hush and quiet. The city envelops me but seems distant and indifferent. At first glance, it is any coastline with rounded stones, birds and costal vegetation - though exotic with its location in the heart of Europe’s largest metropolis, London.

London's hectic life is in many ways similar to the life of an insect nest. They live in largely designed constructions, have complex infrastructure and advanced distribution of power where select elite rules.

I want to get our vanishing biodiversity in speech. The insects biomass has been disappearing at a rapid speed of approx. 40% over the last 20 years, many species are endangered. By inviting the bugs into and onto my work, I force humans to engage and interact with the insects, getting a haptic experience.

We're in the middle of the 6 mass extinction, the 5 was when the dinosaurs disappeared.

A conversation piece at the dinner table. 

As a child I lived on the west coast of Greenland in a small village, Kangaamiut. 

A village of Polar bear hunters and their families, right on the Arctic coastline. This village is known throughout Greenland for its skilled artists. They cut fabled animals out of the bones from their hunting animals. These small sculptures are called Tupilak and possess a magical energy that brings either luck or disaster.

An old legend from my childhood goes like this: The Tupilaks live in the deep cavities in the icebergs. That is why you engage with the iceberg with outmost respect and caution. They are dangerous.

This small sculpture is telling a story about melting glaziers and the story about a Greenlandic culture in change.