Engaging Without Imposing: A note from a Residency by Malin Arnell & Mar Fjell

Artists Malin Arnell and Mar Fjell were in residence at Artica Svalbard from June to August 2025. They were nominated for the residency by Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum as part of Artica’s ongoing programme of invited artists and researchers.

During their stay, they spent time walking, recording, and observing in and around Longyearbyen, with a particular focus on the Longyearelva river and its surrounding landscape. Their engagement with Svalbard also included several extended hikes and a kayak-and-camping trip, offering opportunities to interact with the terrain over time and from different perspectives.

As part of the residency, they presented a public performance titled It Passes, which took place along the Longyearelva.

Reflecting on their time in Svalbard, the artists wrote:

“We arrived with the intention to lean in gently, to move with care and curiosity, to find and feel the rhythm of the place, and to make a temporary home. We brought our bodies, our breath and actions, our thoughts, and words. We sought to connect with the pace and architecture of the landscape, and to become part of the social fabric of the community.

Every day, we crossed the bridge, and the moraine water whispered its spell on us. We felt invited, joining its force. We recorded its roar and the rheoscopic movements. It took hold of us, laying its sediment on our flat sheets. Personal losses merged with the sorrow of the glacier’s currents.

When we left, we were still arriving—still asking how we could practice leaning gently, engaging without extracting or imposing.”

Artica is grateful for Malin and Mar’s thoughtful presence, their questions, and their attentive engagement with the Svalbard landscape and local community.