Faces of the Faroe Islands

Looking back at the history of the Faroe Islands there is little to suggest that they would have anything unique to offer the rest of the world other than their great skills in fishing and living off scarce natural resources. As for the arts, they would readily admit that their country could never have fostered geniuses like Shakespeare or Mozart simply because circumstances and stimuli to nurture artistic talent were not present. Art was of no use. It was not a profession, nor a desired skill. Perhaps not even a word in the vocabulary.

However, the Faroe Islands were by no means culturally poor or deprived. In fact, the vocal traditions have been exceptionally rich and versatile; one reason being that the written Faroese language was not established until 1854, and not accepted in public by the Danish authorities until 1938. All stories, myths, songs and ballads were handed down from one generation to the next orally, and people had to learn by heart to take part in this exchange, which today sums up most of their cultural heritage. Again, remoteness played a decisive part in the development; as there were no musical instruments of significance until the mid 1800s the voice was the only music-making tool available, and as a result singing is deeply anchored in their national identity. One of the most unique cultural features is the chain dance, which originally was a mediaeval ring dance. Today, we call it the Faroese chain dance, and rightly so as it has only managed to survive in the Faroe Islands. The rhythm is quite quirky and the ballads about kings and heroes may have several hundred verses. The captain leads the singing and everybody joins in the chorus. The symbolic significance of the chain dance is the full circle of people from all walks of life who hold each others’ hands and meet face-to-face while sharing a moment of true common ground.

Today the artistic talent of the Faroese people seems to take everybody by surprise, even themselves. The wondering seems to be linked to the question how creative and innovative ideas can possibly inhabit the mindset of a people whose feet are firmly planted on Faroese soil, and whose possibilities to seek new creative spheres have been next to none. Being physically isolated does not put people’s minds into straitjackets, quite the contrary; the mind craves for adventure as it is denied the body. The remoteness, smallness and lack of interaction even have their merits, because sometimes ideas become more unique and original far away from the interference of the established common consensus.

Art is a universal means of expression. The need to express creative ideas is as old as mankind. There is little evidence as to what exactly triggers creativity; is it the everyday impressions of nature, ocean, weather, light, colours, horizon, and mountains that embrace them? Is it the chants, ballads, myths, stories, values, and traditions that are handed down to them? Or is it simply the urge of the individual to excel? Who can tell? Who cares? The essence of art is that it is not scientifically discoverable like DNA. Rather, it has a life of its own; it sprouts in the creative mind, and once it has been publicly expressed it takes a life of its own in the mind of the receiver.

Much has happened in the Faroe Islands during the past 30 years. The world has become a smaller place; remoteness is no longer a hindrance to dreams being fulfilled or new territories being conquered. The benefit of being able to interact and benchmark with the outside world is that one becomes aware of one’s unique talent and the importance of being authentic. Although Faroese people have easy access to the rest of world via transport and internet networks, there is still enough delay to let the authentic artistic identity take shape.

There is new art to be discovered in every nook and cranny of the world. There are new faces waiting to be seen on the international stages every day. Some make it, others don’t, but to most of them it is all about the journey. Many of the home-grown Faroese artists have started their journey in order to display their art abroad. Their journey might not have a common port of arrival but their talent is inspired by a common point of origin and departure – the heart of the North Atlantic. 

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www.elisa-heinesen.blogspot.com
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