Liv Bugge

n my latest work Goliat, Draugen & Maria (2021) I am interested in addressing the creature of oil, to try to feel, think and be with the fact that we put our ancestors on fire, and what that kind of worship means and is? The work comprises three sculptures and a film. Cast in moulds made from 3Dprinted models of marine landscapes, the sculptures show the topography of the seabed (bathymetry) in three of the few oilfields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf with publicly available geodata: Draugen and Maria on Haltenbanken in the Norwegian Sea and Goliat in the Barents Sea. The work’s accompanying film can be accessed via smartphone or tablet by downloading the free Goliat, Draugen & Maria app and scanning one of the sculptures. Using augmented-reality technology, the app enables virtual elements to be hosted within real-world settings. In Goliat, Draugen & Maria, I look to explore our relationship with oil by posing the question: “What points of contact do we have with crude oil other than as refined end-products?” In Norway, as in other oil-producing nations, oil affects the national narrative, language, politics and economy. The film documents the reactions of a group of people as they encounter crude oil from the Vigdis field for the first time.