Hanne Larsen

PUST (BREATH)

At the beginning of the pandemic, I found myself holding my breath whenever someone passed by. After seeing how easily the virus could spread through the air – especially if someone sneezed – I began doing this subconsciously, sometimes to the point of experiencing stomach pain.

During this period, I moved from Finland to Norway. I spent a lot of time in the mountains, often caught in snowstorms that created harsh and isolating environments. With no materials or equipment other than a camera, I began collecting icicles formed on roof gutters. Amid the “breath of a snowstorm,” I arranged constellations of icicles. The fresh snow and pure, transparent ice evoked a clinical sense of purity—a space untouched by rain, people, or anything else.

I have always been drawn to materials with transformative qualities, such as clay and ice, and I often find myself creating immersive spaces or landscapes. Rockscape (2012) is another example, where I constructed a landscape of rocks and plaster, captured through photography and video.