Svalbard is an archipelago in the far north of the Arctic, a meeting point between here and elsewhere, still familiar, and yet already disturbing, a gateway to the unknown. It marks the end of the universe of our senses: beyond lies the abstraction of unchanging stretches of ice. The colour blue in Robert Cahen’s film – the colour of cold and loneliness – and the slow-moving landscapes against which one witnesses the flight of birds and the movement of men prepared to confront the mysteries of this unique land are in harmony with its mesmerizing sense of desolation. Svalbard imposes its law on all those who come there. It is a law of confined space, to be explored, understood, and acknowledged.” (Daniel Baillon, in ‘Robert Cahen s’installe’ at the Museum of Fine Arts of Fukuoka, exhibition catalogue, 2007)
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