The First Virgin Oil

PERFORMANCE
on the beac in Vestre Jakobselv, Finnmark, Norway

Marita Isobel Solberg & Trond Ansten in collaboration with local Fishermen in Vestre Jakobselv & Troms og Finnmark fylkeskommune

If the fishery is to be secured, the stone must be oiled!

Will the skrei enter our fjords this year like it did the last? Will the sea be calm or rough?
Will the cod be shipped to China or will it come ashore?

Oiling of magic stones has a long history on the Varanger Peninsula but has not been maintained since the 18th century. Together with local fishermen in Vestre Jakobselv, the artist duo Sol&Sten, will renew an important tradition. The fishermen has brewed cod liver oil from this year's catch and the first oiling of «The Maiden of Varanger» will take place.

It is said that once upon a time a young woman swam across the mighty Varangerfjord to get to her lover on the other side. The waves were violent, the sea took her, and the young lady was washed up on the shore at Klubbnasa and turned into a stone. «The Maiden of Varanger» lies there just as beautifully to this day, watching over fishermen who sets out with their small boats and line in hasty weather. The coastal fisherman is the great sensor of the sea, he can feel on the weather where the cod is, he knows how the wind blows and he masters his tiny boat where the trawler cannot reach. The first skrei on board he will return to the sea and from now on the maiden will be showered with cod liver oil to ensure the coming season.