1 Oct 2009

An Expedition to the Little Night River 1995

In August 1995 a group of finnish, russian and komi biologists and artists mounted a joint expedition to the Voi-Vozh river valley in Komi, North Western Urals. 

The Voi-Vozh river runs between the Pechora plains and the Urals Mountains. It's a low tributary of the River Bol'shaya Synya which runs to river Usa, which in turn is a tributary of the Pechora River. In the Komi language, the points of the compass and the times of day are indicated with parallel constructions. The small southern branch of the river is called Day-River: the northern branch  is the Night-River.

The area is closed in by thick impassable forest, and is therefore entirely uninhabited.  It constitutes the single largest area of untouched forest on the European side of the continent. This remote and lonely region is dominated by dark forests, bogs, mountains, wild animals and millions of blackflies. Here, the human species (homo sapiens) exerts minimal influence. 
The place therefore affords unique opportunities for obseving  and studying "The UNTOUCHED."  
     The artistic aim of the expedition was to study untouched, pristine nature as a mytchical concept. This entailed viewing expedition itself as a mythical rite converging on pristine nature. The scientific interests focused on botany, zoology, ornithology, ecology and hydrobiology. Homever, the environment seemed supremely indifferent to our aims!

The expedition was organised by Pori Art Museum, Frame - finnish fund for art exhange and Komi University/ Biological department ( Syktyvkar. The Artistic results of the project was presented as a part of the exhibition "Strangers in the Arctic" 
in Rundetaar, Gopenhagen, The Art Museum of Atheneum, Helsinki and The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. (1996-97)









Map: Ural mountains and Pechora plains in the surroundings
of River Voi-Vozh and River Vangyr. 1995





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The horizon of Urals from north to south-east seen from the point: 65°57N/55°58E




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Geological formations remind an ancient fortress,
 or a nose of a petrified Nenets soldier.
Jussi Kivi 1995-96




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Melancholic evening at Voi-Vozh River
by the edge of Ural mountains and Pechora plains.















On the way to Pechora, river meanderings seen from the aeroplane.













Panorama Urals 270°,  from west to south
RGS exploration dept. / J. Kivi




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 Sorbus Aucuparia (Uralin Pihlaja), Pinus Sibirica




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