STEPHANIE ELDEN

Lars Bengt is a 72 year old man from a small town outside of Femundsmarka National Park (nasjonalpark) in Norway. He knows nothing of the art world, familiar only with the one painting in his house of a floral still life that was passed down from his mother’s aunt. (story cut).

While he lacks any sort of art education, Lars has a profound knowledge of the natural world. He is an observer of all things existing outside, an avid naturalist, botanist, and bird watcher, among other things. He feels most at peace when walking through the marsh beyond the forest outside his home. He makes this walk daily, collecting as he goes pieces of grass until as he approaches the center of the marsh he has in his arms a large bundle of grasses. Yellow and dry from the winter, Lars bends, twists, and ties them onto each other. Wrapping them around his head he creates a wild mane of grasses.

Upon its completion he pauses, looking around at his environment he breathes deeply. He stands alone but in this moment he is connected, as if by wearing pieces of nature he is able to put aside his learned identity and revert back to his instinctual self. After a far too brief moment, he begins the walk back to his home. As he goes, he plucks a strand of grass from his head and drops it, returning it back to the ground. Continuing until he reaches the steps of his home. Nothing remains of his mane except a single strand that he twirls slowly between his fingers. He drops it at last and as he enters the house, that blade, along with the trail of others, waits for tomorrow, when Lars will return to change them into something greater than they could ever achieve on their own.