In Looking for Mr. Blue, Mia Makela explores the cultural history of geese, tracing their ancient migration routes that span the globe. These flocks, traditionally led by elder females, have crossed what is now Europe long before human marks dotted the landscape. Over millions of years, geese have witnessed the retreat of ice, the rise of mountains, the birth of agriculture, and the encroachment of humans into their habitats. Amidst this constant change and upheaval, they continue to seek out environments that sustain their species. In this way, their migration routes also embody a cultural map of food and survival.

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The artist follows a Norwegian-born Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose named Mr. Blue, who is fitted with a GPS/GSM collar. Through monitoring, it has become possible to trace his movements and feeding sites, such as those in Siikajoki, in the Oulu region of Finland.

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During the spring of the COVID-19 pandemic, Makela delved into Mr. Blue’s journey, contemplating the sensory experience of the bird. What does it feel like to fly at 70 km/h into headwinds toward the Gulf of Finland? How does the earth appear from a goose’s perspective—revealing not only ultraviolet light, but also the sun’s arc and magnetic fields? What does Mr. Blue remember, taste, or recognize along his route back to his birthplace in Finnmark, Norway?

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Throughout her process, Makela reflected on how marginal human experience is within the vast web of life. She questions whether we can allow this endangered goose to preserve his cultural heritage on a planet where his ancestors have thrived long before human intervention.

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*This work was commissioned by Kunsthalle Seinäjoki for the exhibition What’s It to Be an Animal?, inspired by the book by biologist Helinä Telkänranta. Each participating artist based their project on a specific chapter from her book. Looking for Mr. Blue draws inspiration from the chapter on Culture and Learning—highlighting how geese, like many bird species, pass along migration knowledge from generation to generation, sharing a form of cultural transmission.*

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