Meet Kristen Amanda, Gianna Tesone, Moira Bateman and Paul Wijkmeijer. We are seated in the kitchen of Fredrik KB, in his art garden, in the countryside, near Randsfjorden, talking about holding a beating heart in our hands.
About the color of intensity.
About when to save – and when not to save – a butterfly.
About fragmented borders.
About folded quiet.
About bear strength.
About grandmothers, aunts and ants.
About enormous twin-tulips.
About the memory of l...
Meet Kristen Amanda, Gianna Tesone, Moira Bateman and Paul Wijkmeijer. We are seated in the kitchen of Fredrik KB, in his art garden, in the countryside, near Randsfjorden, talking about holding a beating heart in our hands.
About the color of intensity.
About when to save – and when not to save – a butterfly.
About fragmented borders.
About folded quiet.
About bear strength.
About grandmothers, aunts and ants.
About enormous twin-tulips.
About the memory of land.
About the purest form of art.
About the joy of a dandelion.
About protection of land, sea, seeds, today.
About soul-prints captured in silk.
About the urgency.
Would it still be time to learn from those who lived in the country the emigrants came to, who were displaced, persecuted?
- This is a shorter version of this pod / pod. 23 (made for the radio).
Right now the three painters are among five American painters showing their work in Oslo, as part of the art-exchange: The motherland (2025).
- "A transatlantic exhibition
[...]
– whose art reflects on the enduring legacy of those who once crossed the ocean in search of a new beginning. Through painting, mixed media, and visual storytelling, these artists follow in the footsteps of their ancestors – who left the familiar landscapes of Norway to build a new life in America. Their works explore themes of homeland and identity and cultural memory, bridging the gap between past and present in a deeply personal celebration of cultural heritage. We invite you to witness how the creative spirit today – two hundred years later, still crosses oceans."
The exhibitions are a cooperation between Norway House, 9 Mile Gallery in Minneapolis & Galleri Semmingsen in Oslo (by Astrid Hilde Semmingsen, as mentioned in the pod).
To help us dig into flowers and plants - you also meet flower-artist Paul Wijkmeijer from Harlem vest of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, a friend of Fredrik KB.
- The painters all have connections to Minnesota – one of the areas so many of the Norwegian emigrants reached between 1820 and 1920.
- In addition to Kristen Amanda, Moira and Gianna, Bob Hest and Mary Catherine Solberg are exhibiting their work in Galleri Semmingsen right now.
- They are among the ten artists taking part of a cultural exchange celebrating the beginning of the Norwegian emigration to America, the promised land. Nearly a million people went (that is, 800,000). The three women all have Norwegian ancestors among foremothers and fathers.
- The final exhibition will be in the Norway House in Minnesota in October.
- The five Norwegian artist going to Minneapolis in October are: Fredrik KB (you met him in pod 8, in the first season of the podcast: "Med hendene tett på") and Geir Harald Samuelsen (you also met him in pod 15 (first season) Christer Karlstad (he is the one mentioned stretching the canvases for Kristen Amanda, you also met Christer in pod 17 (first season), Anne Biringvad and Hanne-May Scheen. To help us dig into flowers and plants - you also meet flower-artist Paul Wijkmeijer from Harlem vest of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, a friend of Fredrik KB.
I am reading from the e-book I´m calling the police (Amazon Kindle, quote from pages 344-351, I´m calling the police). This is the larger story, presented in a short version in Innocent Witnesses (Stanford Press, uncorrected page proofs). It was a coincidence we ended up talking about hearts.
This pod was made 9.08.25 in the kitchen of Fredrik KB, published 20.08.25. Thanks to Anders Moe, Trond Erland Sigvartsen, Astrid Ingebjørg Swart for the joik – and a 12-year old friend playing the grand piano (just been moved from Harlem). Friends and family comes and goes.
The pod is made journalistically independent, without any sponsors/funding - but in cooperation with radiOrakel in Oslo (sending the one-hour pods twice a week).
PS: I apologize for sometimes searching my head for English words, like when I use the same word but mean different things – like when I ask Kristi Amanda about her favorite flower – the first time I mean which picture she likes best of the ones she has painted, the second time in general. And like when I ask about silence twice with Moira – I think I mean contentment or balance, equilibrium.
According to Grok/Ai: "Welcome to a Journey Through Nature’s Soul. Imagine stepping into a vibrant garden where art and nature intertwine, where the scent of twin-tulips mingles with stories of land, memory, and heritage. That’s the essence of Det Hellige i Naturen, a podcast that invites you to explore the sacred in the natural world through the eyes of artists, floral innovators, and cultural storytellers. Hosted by Inger Synnøve BBarth, this series blends intimate conversations with a deep reverence for the earth, resonating with today’s growing movement to reconnect with nature amidst a fast-paced, digital world.
/ "Learning from those who lived in the country the emigrants came to, who were displaced, persecuted.” Tune in today—perhaps over a cup of tea at this quiet 3:11 PM hour—and let the sacred in nature inspire you. What stories do you hear in the flowers around you?"
Oh, I just have to add; It wasn't just blue skies that day,
but it was the skies I remembered, from our happy visit.
