Artist appreciation series - Pt 1: Jordfäst

Nordvis has always placed great emphasis on working with musicians who lead their lives in adherence to – and especially in service of – the natural world.

Over the coming months, we will be offering brief glimpses into the daily reality of a few artists from our roster. First out is Olof from Jordfäst who works as a marine biologist when he’s not playing music.

Olof commented:

In the first photo, I’m standing before Kronebreen – a tidewater glacier in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Undeniably majestic both in name and reflection, but its kingdom is on the decline. Over the past twenty years, its front has retreated several kilometres inland. The place where I’m standing in the picture used to be covered by ice. The water in front of its terminus offers important feeding grounds for the local fauna. It is filled with nutrients, which encourages gatherings of prey for birds and seals.

The other image shows me visiting a herd of seemingly unconcerned walrus males resting at Poolepynten on Prins Karls Forland – Svalbard’s westernmost island. Over the course of several hundreds of years, these animals were hunted relentlessly. The local walrus population was on the brink of extinction, but their numbers have improved since they were designated a protected species.

Worthy of note is that the reason why I’m carrying a rifle is the relatively high number of polar bears, which makes firearms a necessity mandated by law.