In the forest by Lake Eggelats in Norrbotten in northern Sweden there is an old airstrip for herbicide planes. The forests around the airstrip were meticulously sprayed in the 1950’s and 60’s to eliminate birch. Today there are hardly any birch trees in the forest, only birch corpses in the moss. The drawing follows the border between the airstrip and the surrounding forest and documents everything that lies on this border. The art work is a way of visualising a border but also a way of re-locating a place through the act of drawing. Through this work I want to draw attention to a forgotten history that up to this day has large effects on the landscape.”
Gerd Aurell is a visual artist and senior lecturer at the Umeå Art Academy. In her artistic practice she often works in different forms of drawing, with a special focus on drawing as a performative action.