Greenland poet Jessie Kleemann‘s text is voiced by Claire Wilkinson in a film by Diego Barraza (Chinoix) called Dolor ártico / Arctic Ache.

‘Arctic Ache’ is a video derived from ‘Poem Nº 6’, which is part of a series about climate change and its effects on the Arctic written by Greenlandic artist and poet Jessie Kleemann. In ‘Poem Nº 6’, the self appeals to reminiscences in search of wisdom to overcome a bleak and gloomy future; it is a voice that comes not from the hegemonic centre, but from the margins, proving that in those margins knowledge is also recreated and reflections are articulated by means of other imagery, that of the Greenlandic people. As glaciers melt and mundane desires shape politics, the poetic-self wonders if this is really her land. The video itself contrasts the present-day reality with a sense of place nestled in the memory of the poet. Images lead the mind to different places away from the spoken word and that combination conjures and evokes new meanings and creates another level of suggestion and interpretation.

The dancer is Alison Brewerton.