The man from the Sea

It has been said that myths are like invisible threads that weave societies together. At the same time they are also stories which gently help us to understand the reality of the situation we are living in. Killi Olsen's sculpture The Man from the Sea reflects both of these definitions of myth, while also creating a new myth. We find ourselves spinning a story of a man who has left the sea and trodden on firm ground, holding an obelisk-shaped crystal in his hand, as an offering - the artist has suggested - to his former abode.

The shape of the man still bears the marks of its previous state of existence. There is also a little opening in his back; a niche for the family. The new protagonists of his earthly existence?

The site of the sculpture near the fjord focuses on the man's tribute to the sea. The local community with its built-up milieu is seen in the background. The materialised memories of the community are gathered in the local museum which is near the site of the sculpture. Myth and memory, the given and the acquired conditions for living, meet in this site.