Dorete we salute you – See you soon Faroe Islands!

Dorete Bloch lives in a grass roofed house on the side of a mountain at Velbastaður, 6 km southwest of Tórshavn. She came highly recommended by two different people to join the project.

Dorete “has the best job in the world”. She used to be the director of Faroese Museum of Natural History and is a professor of zoology. Supposedly she is retired, but seemed to us outrageously productive for a pensioner. Pilot whales have been the main focus of her research for a while, although she is currently working on a couple of other projects, including papers on mutation of raven, hare, bats and food of the bottlenose whale. To Riitta’s question “do you have any pets?” the answer was a firm: “No. I am a zoologist. A good animal is a dead animal.”

This concludes the Faroe Islands episode of Eyes as Big as Plates for now. A big thank you to all the kindhearted, friendly and curious Faroese we got to meet and work with, we can’t wait to return soon!

Studio facilities © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Studio facilities © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Ergonomic work positions part 576 © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Ergonomic work positions part 576 © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
This time our rental car got a more gentle treatment © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
This time our rental car got a more gentle treatment © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Dorote lives right next to the Okkara brewery (and the Atlantic ocean) © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Dorete lives right next to the Okkara brewery (and the Atlantic ocean) © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The neighbours bring their hares here for Dorote to keep collecting research data  she has been gathering for decades© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The neighbours bring their hares  for Dorete to keep collecting research data that she has been gathering for decades © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
And she will make these horns into spoons and ladels © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
She will make these horns into spoons and ladels © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Her daughter is a farmer and Dorote keeps these sheep in a small building in her yard that allows the wind to pass through © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Her daughter is a farmer and Dorete keeps these sheep for her  in a small building in her yard that allows the wind to pass through © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The first encounter between the model and the outfit is always a tense moment © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The first encounter between the model and the outfit is always a tense moment © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Luckily we had drip dried this headdress last night to make it a bit lighter © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Luckily we had drip dried this headdress last night to make it a bit lighter © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Fits like a glove © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Fits like a glove © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The hotel room rubbish bin came in very handy today © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The hotel room rubbish bin came in very handy today © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The bucket made it back safely © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The bucket made it back safely © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
And so did Dorote © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
And so did Dorete © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Disassembling of the hairnet © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
Disassembling of the hairnet © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
© Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
On the way back we got a special treat © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
The winds can reach speeds of 75 m/s and up, unreadable for the wind measuring equipment. We were so lucky this November week © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
One winter Dorote got so snowed in so that she couldn't open her front door. Naturally she climbed out of the window and business continued as usual © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
One winter Dorete got snowed in so that she couldn’t open her front door. Naturally she climbed out of the window and business continued as usual © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
She has a special patent for keeping her workshop organised © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth
She has a special patent for keeping her workshop organised © Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth

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