Marja Helander a Sámi photographic and video artist from Finland. She joined Godzilla in Visby/Fårösund. For several years, she has been taking photographs and videos in the northern Fennoscandian region, exploring the link between the mining industry and today’s standard of living, and in particular, the impact of mining on the sensitive northern Sámi nature. 

In addition to landscapes, she has presented herself in the form of an animal, thus identifying with old Sami beliefs. “I want to highlight the corporeality of people and how humans are just one animal species among many, dependent on nature, ecosystems and land.  We are part of the cyclicity of nature; a pile of particles and molecules.”

During the Godzilla residency she was working with a piece based on environmental observations in Gotland island. She tried to avoid too tight ”script” during this process, and instead combine things more freely with intuition and free association. 

She chose drawing as one of her tools, in addition to photography and videography, which are more familiar to her. “What attracts me in drawing is its directness and physicality: a handprint compared to a digital file. A new medium also opens new way to observe familiar things.“

“The sea, trees and Gotland’s limestone mines are my subjects. Limestone is used to make cement: a raw material for concrete, that is directly linked to the construction industry. Ecosystems are all interconnected.“

Helander was brought up in Helsinki, by the seaside of the Baltic Sea. In the sea she learned to swim, and they also had a small boat to explore the islands near Helsinki. “I live by the Baltic sea, swim in it and occasionally take part in sailing. I really adore the sea in all its beauty and horror. The sea is never ending.“