Andrea Blanch: How long were you living in Alaska and how long did that happen? Why did you decide to go to Alaska?

Poala Pivi: I was living in Alaska from 2006 until 2012. In 2005 I was bored, so I went on a holiday to Alaska. I wanted to get away from my life and my profession, so I pretended to be a journalist and I covered the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Did anyone check your credentials?

Art Forum gave me a press pass. So when people questioned me I said I worked for Art Forum. People were puzzled because I was pretty ignorant about the mushing sport, but I was the most dedicated journalist anyone had ever seen in their life. I had the time of my life.

How long were you there?

In 2005 I was there for the race, six weeks. Then I went back one year later and decided to move there.

What is more important, the fact that the event happened or the fact that it is documented? Do you feel like an event gains something by being temporary?

The most important thing is that they existed for that time that they existed, whether it was for one month or forever. Then if I want to communicate with people, I need to make something else, like a photo or a video, and so far, photos are the most effective way to talk about it in an artistic way. I only show photos that I believe are art in their own way, like performances. Some performances need audiences, some do not. For example, when I put Zebras on the tops of mountains, there was no audience. I did not feel the need and I did not think about it and I did not want it. When I did the Leopards with the cappuccino cups, I wanted to have an audience because there was a cage, so it was possible to have an audience. The cage was built but the leopard was very scared. He was huge and uncooperative and scared, so the policeman on location immediately denied permission to show the performance to the public. The director was relieved about that decision because it was terrifying to see this huge leopard run around in a gallery space filled with cappuccino cups. When it ran, the cups rattled and shattered, which is a noise we associate with stressful moments. It sounded like a mother or father fighting. The whole performance was terrifying.

Did you enjoy taking the photographs as a journalist at the race?

I’m not a photographer but sometimes I take quality shots. It’s more luck. I’m not a photographer. Taking photographs is a very exhausting and a very tedious process for me.

Why do you think?

When you take a photo you are not entirely present in the moment. It is very, very hard work. Being a journalist was extremely interesting. I took it seriously, so it was a lot of work. I researched extensively on the champions and the dogs, it was a lot of preparation. Also, I’m from Italy, and in Italy journalists are loved. When you say Italian journalist, doors open because everyone wants to hear from the press. In Alaska, when you say you are a journalist, doors close. They couldn’t care less. They were very friendly to me because I was a young woman in an awkward situation but they were also very cold to me because I was a journalist. It was very hard work and half way through the race I gave up and started telling people that I was an artist. It made life easier, people were much more open to me. I am very interested now in journalism from the point of view of revealing hard truths. Journalists do it on behalf of other people. I find this fascinating.

What was the idea behind the fish on the plane? What did that idea represent and what did it mean to you?

The most beautiful part was when we were flying in the sky. The sun above the clouds was very bright and the people on the plane were only there out of strict necessity; the pilot, the flight attendants, the photographer, the photographer’s assistant, the two fish handlers for the animals and me. When we did the take off and landing, we sat in one chair and we put the fish that were in that chair, either under your feet or in the back. We had to count exactly how many people were going to be on the flight. When we walked up the aisle it was incredible because there was this light, and water, only the noise of the plane, and the fish swimming. It did not translate into the photos or videos.