Mona Naess

Shell-Portrait

Tiny handmade porcelain heads made from an old plaster cast I have found are placed inside shells on the beach.

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My idea is to make a visual and silent exhibition for whoever finds the objects and to enlighten them.

“Every system is comprised of subsystems, and every system is part of a larger system.” Richard Heinberg.

We are nature. This is my way of talking to people about climate, ecosystems, and the vulnerabilities we face.

The porcelain faces are as pure as pebbles and will not contribute to environmental litter.
©
2024
  • Mona Naess

Planes crossing the sky – A local goat on a small greek island.

Two photographs
March 2023

One day when I was out walking in the mountains, I met a local shepherd. He was so proud of his goats; I’m sure he makes the best local Greek cheese in the world. I looked up in the sky and planes were crisscrossing, and I thought about the huge cheese selections in the shops owerflowing with cheese from all corners of the world..

"[...]we should be localizing as much manufacturing and food production as we can. It creates local jobs, increases the diversity of local occupations and skill sets, and thereby increases social capital- the richness of the relationships between people who live within a region." Richard Heinberg, How Globalization Undermines Resilience, Think Resilience Course.
©
2023
  • Mona Naess

Shared Experience

Digital piece created from a painting (mixed media on linen canvas)
December 2022

“We humans are social animals, and so our personal and collective identities are tied to community: to our relationships to other people and to a place; our sense of shared experience, history and culture; the smells and sounds and even the soil that we associate with «home».”

Richard Heinberg, excerpt from the Six Foundations for Building Community Resilience lesson, Think Resilience course by @postcarboninstitute.
©
2022
  • Mona Naess

Earth Map. Maps and terrain no longer match. Our earth is our canvas, in which we have to act.

Ashes, earth, water, ink, etc on Rag Paper 400 g.
110 x 160 cm

I struggled and almost «slipped into it,» and it felt like a scary metaphor for the dramatically increasing climate change and instability that gnaws in my subconscious. Everything is interconnected; decide what you will focus on and build resilience.
©
2022
  • Mona Naess

I fold my hands


Smokefired porcelain sculpture 2022
16 x 20 cm

The very fragile material, porcelain, becomes in my mind a metaphor for life. Even after being exposed to extreme conditions in the flames and hot ashes, the material shows resilience and willingness to recover after it has gradually cooled down. But the chance of explosion is constant! The sculpture is a gentle reminder of how we need to change.
©
2022
  • Mona Naess

Make the invisible visible, please

Bronze sculpture 27/28/31 cm, 12 kg

This sculpture was created several years ago in response to our over-consumption, climate change, and the connection between the earth and pleasure. We love to enjoy and consume, but what nourishes beauty EARTH is getting sicker and sicker every day.

Today, the sculpture is equally relevant to the theme of Culture Change and Neuroscience in relation to a desired change in our reward and motivation system and addictions to quick rewards.
©
2022
  • Mona Naess

We all want more, but what is «more»?

Digital photo/video collage

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I think a lot about what makes me happy now, and what made me happy before.
«Can we rewire our brains to some degree through the formations of new habits?»
I think so.
«New behaviors: sharing, giving, conserving, healing and thriving within constraints.»
I’m trying a few small steps in that direction at least.
©
2022
  • Mona Naess

I found a dead bird

3 photographs

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I found a dead bird, dipped it in liquid porcelain, burned it - and broke it.
A reminder of the vulnerability of nature and our own influence.
©
2021
  • Mona Naess

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