Walking with the Island
walking, listening, mapping
Pedagogy Explorer
Location
Time
Christina Chi Zhang
Utøya, Norway
2025.08.11
Site: Utøya, Norway
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The island of Utøya, a site of the devastating 2011 terrorist attack, is now a living ground of resistance, where survivors, storytellers, advocates, and fighters from across the world gather to stand against threats to democracy.
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Participants:
Survivors of Utøya terrorist attack returning to the island, people who traveled from Ukraine and Lebanon, those whose families remain in Gaza, and allies from across the world, gathering to translate their personal stories of loss and struggle into a shared narrative of resistance.
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Exercise: Walking with the Island
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On the first day of a four-day workshop, to get to know the memories of Utøya and each other, I created a “Walking with the Island” mapping exercise: wearing and drawing a map of Utøya while traversing its terrain, inscribing the island onto our own bodies through movement. In doing so, mapping emerged as a practice of collective witnessing and mutual recognition, a way of meeting the island—and each other—in shared presence, active listening, and reciprocal exchange.
