In 2018 I was invited to join with the arts group Rimi/Imir in Stavangar, Norway, on a multimedia project called ‘Florida Lowlands’, a blend of music, video, dance and sound. The final piece ended up somewhere between a performance and an installation. I spent a lot of time in Stavangar in 20018-2019 working on the piece. It was a lot of process, and pretty different from anything I’d done before. I thought the final outcome, which really only coalesced at the first performances in Oslo, was great, new, exciting. The architects, a couple named Iver Findlay and Marit Sandsmark, were smart, ambitious, elliptical, hard-working.
In 2022 they invited me to participate in a small festival in Florli, about an hour from Stavangar. It’s only accessible by ferry and there’s not much there. Year round population is about ten people, and it’s most famous for its 4444-step wooden staircase up the side of a mountain, big hiker attraction.
The ‘festival’ turned out to be more like an artists’ retreat, combined with the wedding of Iver and Marit. My involvement was kinda last minute but I was very happy to be there. I met some great artists, experienced some cool and unusual performances; and played 2 solo sets, one electric in this giant decommissioned power plant, and one acoustic in the living room of a cabin. Both were thrilling for me; my new friend Jim Dawson recorded the electric one. This tape is that whole performance. As ‘post covid rejuvenation get togethers’ go this one was pretty great; the tape a good memento to an inspiring weekend. – CB, Cambridge 2023
