When I read the headline of this week’s assignment, there was no doubt about which place to focus on. Of all the places I have lived and stayed in my life, there is nothing more at home than at my grandmother’s. The little blue house in the small village in the innermost part of the Hardanger fjord. Here I have been a child all my life. I believe that my creative and childlike sides come from my grandmother – my role model – and my goal in life is to live as kind-hearted, caring and playful as her. In the small and cozy kitchen we have danced, sung, painted, cooked, played games, dressed up and much more. When I was younger, we used to search for stones that we could paint and place around in her garden. My grandmother has always loved ladybugs, and therefore she has filled the garden with round stones painted like ladybugs. I wanted to recreate this atmosphere from our painting moments in the kitchen. The smell of acrylic paint and food on the stove. The sound of paint spreading over the stone, the birds singing in the tree outside the window and my grandmother’s reassuring voice singing along to the music on the radio. The physical sensation of paint and water on the hands. The safe feeling of home.
In the video, I use the sound from a video I filmed at Easter this year. It’s from when my grandmother and I are sitting in the kitchen together, she sews and I crochet. The radio channel that plays songs from the “good old days” is turned on. “No livnar det i lundar” is played and she sings and whistles along.
Hi Katrine, thank you for sharing the story of your “home” feeling with us. I appreciate your video that combines the sound of your grandmother singing and your painting, it is very personal and creative. Same as you, I had a very close relationship with my grandmother when I was a kid. Even though she now passed away 11 years, I can still recall her voice, her laughter, and her smell clearly. The feeling of my grandmother is one of the feelings of “home” for me as well. It is great to have a similar connection on this with you, and I hope you will continue to have a lot more precious memories with your grandmother 🙂
Thank you for your comment. There is something incredibly beautiful about grandmothers’ love. My biggest fear is not having her with me anymore, but I hope and believe I will be just like her when I get older.
This is beautiful Katrine. Thank you for bringing us into your grandmother’s world through her love of ladybugs. I love the video and the way you layered the audio. It is so intimate and evokes the connection you have with one another. As someone who studies aging and the value of intergenerational relationships I love stories like this.
Thank you so much for the comment. I am very happy to hear that you liked my story!
Your video and foto makes me feel safe and relaxed. Simple things made with love and caring, voices and colours around …and of course we can imagine the smells coming from the kitchen !
Just how I want you to feel. Thank you for the comment, Eleni!