NOW
Links at http://del.icio.us/artsufartsu
Videos at http://www.vimeo.com/user:mkk
Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/artsufartsu
Jaikus at http://mkk.jaiku.com
2.7.2008
I have forgot to mention one great thing: URBAN
JEALOUSY- 1st International Roaming Biennial of Tehran is going on right
at this moment. It's first stop is in Istanbul, Turkey at Hafriyat Karakoy.
The exhibition is curated by Serhat Koksal and Amirali Ghasemi. I'm participating
with Mega stop motion.
Last week, mikroPaliskunta made a little happening, too. Reindeer Paavo
was taken for a walk for the first time in Helsinki. Please, see the video
in Vimeo.
Related links:
http://www.biennialtehran.com
http://www.mysteriousmega.net
http://www.vimeo.com/1246774
13.6.2008
Center for Culture & Information K@2 in Karosta,
Latvia is under thread to be closed down. Please read this
and take action: send e-mail and faxes to support K2. Also please act
immediately, there is a court case 18.6.2008.
Related links:
http://www.karosta.lv
More
info about the situation here
5.6.2008
Community for eco-minded people, onedidit.com (beta),
was launched yesterday in Green Week 2008 in Brussels, Belgium. I worked
as a designer for service. Green Week was also more or less interesting,
although I always find it quite amazing how much people are talking about
that something should be done quickly to solve ecological problems. But
very few give concrete answers what to do.
Green Week location is next to the European Comission building and there
was a demonstration against fuel prices organised by the fishermen who
came from all over Europe. Mains street and pretty many other streets
were closed from traffic. Police was everwhere. Intense. I took some pics
which can be found in my Flickr account.
Related links:
http://www.onedidit.com
9.4.2008
There will be an serie of art events called "Time
of Distance" 18. - 27.4.2008. The organiser is an artist group called
Transidency. I was very happy to join them in two week residency and being
part of the project. There will be two simultanious exhibitions in Maa-tila,
Helsinki and in Field gallery, Berlin that I'm participating. The exhibition
in Field will last until 10.5. I'm working and presenting Mega-project.
I build a clay house that is the first settlement in Mega. There will
be also an artist talk by me 23.4. in Field amongst other very interesting
happening and performances in different locations during the week. Do
read more about Mega in the new website.
Related links:
http://www.mysteriousmega.net
http://www.transidency.org
8.2.2008
Today is an important day: it is Leave Facebook
-day! I created an event in Facebook to leave the service and delete or
modify profiles so that they are unidentifiable. It is an statement against
hazy privacy policy, advertising and copyright problems of Facebook. Facebook
has become such a big database that it should worry us more and more -
especially when the privacy rules are what they are. Anyways, I'll delete
my profile at noon. There will be afterparty in Radio Aporee, Burknerstrasse
9, Berlin at 8.30 pm. I'll be playing visuals with Jodi Rose/Singing Bridges.
The theme of the concert is our bridge cowboying
trip to a huge bridge contruction site in Bangok, Thailand.
Related links:
Event
info in Facebook
http://www.aporee.org
1.1.2008
Finally, new Elephant Paths website has been launced.
All the path materials have been moved to map service Tagzania and website
texts revised. While doing this, I read some of my old notebooks. I noticed
a text, I think it is a discussion I invented when listening to some art
festival talk, presentation or something like that:
- Is there any point of making art?
- Please, explain.
- There's meaning only for myself - my growth as a person. It's not enough.
- So what did you do, then?
- I started a career as an activist.
- Oh, that's a difference.
R elated links:
http://www.elephantpaths.net
http://ww.tagzania.com/user/mkk
27.12.2007
It has been a pleasant, creative year. I hope the
coming year 2008 will be as experienceful as the last. mikroPaliskunta
will be presented in Stuttgarter Filmwinter 2008 in January and the new
website will be launched as soon as possible. There will be some new ecotravels
in the context of mikroPaliskunta in 2008, too. Elephant Paths -project
is getting a new form, as well and it seems that there are many other
interesting projects waiting for me. For example, if you're interested
in one week home-staying in NEVER LEAVE HOME -project, feel free to contact
me! Happy holidays and the New Year!
Related links:
http://www.vimeo.com/neverleavehome
9.11.2007
I got back from Karosta and Berlin. Karosta (LV)
was peaceful: the bridge that crosses the canal is still broken so it
takes more time for people to travel from Liepaja center to Karosta. It
seems to me that Karosta is developing quite rapidly along with Latvia's
economical growth, but of course it still has it's own special characteristics.
In Berlin (DE), I saw some nice exhibitions. Nothing mind-blowing, but
satisfying. Roman Signer rocks. I also tried to buy some land from Mega.
It didn't work out, yet. I got pretty angry about demonstrations (never
saw demonstrators, though, only plenty of police force) supporting Turkey
bombing the Kurds in North-Iraq. I mean come on. What does that solve?
I would think it is quite rare people demonstrate supporting violence
– usually it's the opposite.
Related links:
http://www.karosta.lv
http://www.co-berlin.com
http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de
Mysterious Mega
23.10.2007
Many nice happenings lately. I attended Porno Academy
- International Symposium on Pornography, Sexual Representations, Obscenity,
and Desire , which was in Theatre Academy. Main reason being that I wanted
to see presentation of Del LaGrace Volcano – a very interesting
visual artist. It was indeed very thought-provoking presentation, but
I also found other presentations very well worth of listening, as well.
I managed to see the last show of “Being Greta” by Maija Hirvanen.
I enjoyed it: when the first thing I saw was Matti Nykänen jumping
to the stage. I knew this can't be anything but good.
Related links:
http://www.dellagracevolcano.com
http://www.helsinki.fi/kristiina-instituutti
http://hirvanen.net/being-greta
29.8.2007
Oblivia group premiered their work called "Everything
You Say will Become Dust Anyway" in Kiasma Theatre las tweek. What
a marvelous work was it! Four people played extras, defining the space,
moving around in silent whispers and the in the grande finale talking
out loud the actions. I have been thinking a lot about otherness, belonging
and acceptance lately. Somehow this performance discussed with me about
these questions.
One big thing hit me yesterday! I've recently moved house and now I realised
that my local post-office is not the same anymore. Yes, the one that I've
been praising
here, too! Goodbye 00500 and welcome 00510. I'm sure it's as good.
Related links:
http://www.oblivia.fi
8.8.2007
Nisi Masa (network for young film-makers) organised
a Summer Training Course in Amsterdam. It was definately interesting and
I was introduced to nice projects. I also visited one of the most beautiful
exhibitions I've seen this year: Crimes&Splendors (from Paranoia -exhibition)
in Ronmandos. The exhibition is curated by Predrag Pajdic. The artists
from different backgrounds present many touching works of art: video,
installation and photography dealing with themes of fear, terrorism, safety
etc.
Related links:
http://www.nisimasa.com
http://rhiz.eu
http://www.ronmandos.nl
http://www.smba.nl
http://www.theoneminutesjr.org
http://www.pavlovskaya.com
5.7.2007
I got back from Berlin and Barcelona. I worked with
mikroPaliskunta and a new project called What Are You Looking at? It has
been an interesting month, I must say. I'm happy that mikroPaliskunta
Berlin Round Tour went so well. It again gave me new ideas, as well. I
also saw Sasha Waltz's Körper and some Chinese contemporary performance.
Marc Langheinrich gave a lecture about privacy and RFID in Berlin. I still
can't get over the question that when information is collected (sometimes
even without knowing what to do with it), we can never be sure for what
purposes it is used in the future. Hitler number two has an easy job.
Langheinrich has a great point of views, he is not "hysteric"
as you might consider some other critics - but he still is critical.
Related links:
http://www.sashawaltz.de
http://www.hebbel-am-ufer.de
http://www.inf.ethz.ch/personal/langhein
http://www.kv-ingan.de
25.5.2007
mikroPaliskunta is on the road again! New mikroPaliskunta
expedition takes place in Berlin, Germany 14.6. - 17.6.2007. This time
there's no car but bicycles and Little Finnish Reindeer continues stuffed
reindeer Paavo's glorious work. There also won't be a website even though
mikropaliskunta.net is still on-line. mikroPaliskunta is using Jaiku to
collect blog writings, pictures, videos etc. tagged with "mikropaliskunta"
through different web services. mikroPaliskunta also reports to Jaiku
with text messages about the course of the travel and what is going on
as we procees. The trip is about 200 km around Berlin. It gives again
another perspective to Finland, Finnish people and phenomenas - and German,
too. As it is known, Germans as a nation have always been in very close
friendship to Finland.
Related links:
http://mikropaliskunta.jaiku.com
http://reindeersdiary.blogspot.com
14.5.2007
Time flies again. I have moved some of my videos
to Vimeo. I enjoy the service a lot, it is much nicer than for example
YouTube, because people are making the videos themselves - not just ripping
tv-series etc.
One of the contributios to support Estonian people during the statue conflict
was our little 2-person actvist team who pimped the Worlds Peace statue
in Hakaniemi, Helsinki. This statue was a gift from Moscow to Helsinki
in 1989. We set up a flag with text "Free Estonia", but the
next morning it was of course gone. It is very important that Estonia
takes care of their minority groups (in this case Russians) as it is in
any country. But if Russia claims that Estonian goverment should resign,
doesn't take care of the security of Estonian embassy and acts like a
bully, it is totally unacceptable.
Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to Berlin Round Tour by mikroPaliskunta
in June. There will be more information about it here, but we are not
going to have a new website for that. In addition, we are going to use
all the "web 2.0" services out there and tag them with mikroPaliskunta.
Related links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6599145.stm
Pic
of "Free Estonia" -flag
10.4.2007
I attended a nice Critical Mass happening in Helsinki
today with other 200 bicyclists. Maan Ystävät Ry ('friends of
earth') are going to start organising as they call them critical biking
tours every month. I remember from last spring when there was a bicycle
demonstration, it was a little bit calmer than this one. We were just
biking and ringing bells, but now there was more shouting and showing
fingers to cars. Well, jokainen tyylillään. I made a short video
about the ride.
Related links:
http://www.vimeo.com/user:mkk
http://www.maanystavat.fi
http://www.critical-mass.org
30.3.2007
Remote Presence: Streaming Life workshop, part of
the Pixelache 2007 Festival is presenting Streaming Life Event in Muu
Gallery, Helsinki and in the Internet, 31.3.2007 at 8 - 24 pm (GMT +3).
See more detailed information about our workshop and event in the webpage.
Related links:
http://www.neoscenes.net/teach/pixel/event.html
http://www.pixelache.ac
http://www.muu.fi
6.3.2007
MICT is planning to launch a radio campaign focusing
on the issue of violence against women in Iraq, on 8th of March 2007.
There will be three hour radio program on five local Iraqi radio stations
and journalists all over Iraq will contribute to the program by interviewing
women. They also ask women around the world to send their greetings to
Iraq women in the program (mp3- or wav-file). Send your file to klaas
(at) mict-international (dot) org. It can be in any language, but send
also translation in English or Arabic. And do this by 7th of March!
Related links:
http://www.mict-international.org
http://www.niqash.org/sawtuha
1.2.2007
Participate
in the biggest mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming! The Alliance
for the Planet [a group of environmental associations] is calling on all
citizens to create 5 minutes of electrical rest for the planet today at
6:55 p.m (GTM). In Finland, this is 9:55 p.m. This is not just about saving
5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about getting the attention of
the media, politicians, and ourselves. Five minutes of electrical down
time for the planet. Why February 1? This is the day when the new UN report
on global climate change will come out in Paris.
Related links:
http://www.lalliance.fr
http://oekonews.at/index.php?mdoc_id=1018587
5.1.2007
Happy New Year 2007! Before relaxing holiday I spent
a week in Berlin and managed to see one of the most impressive contemporary
dance performances of the year: insideout in Radialsystem. Insideout is
coregraphed by Sasha Waltz and it is a sort of dance installation where
people can walk and watch whatever they want to. It is hard to describe
what kind of feelings it raised in me, but it was very intensive, in close
contact and it might take some time before I can really analyse (if I
should).
I pumbed into another nice project called Red Paperclip. A guy managed
to make a chain of exchanges with one paperclip until he trated it finally
to a house.
Related links:
http://www.sashawaltz.de
http://www.radialsystem.de
http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com
17.11.2006
I just noticed that mikroPaliskunta is presented
in IDF - International documentary festival Amsterdam, 23.11. - 3.12.2006.
Nice.
mikroPaliskunta t-shirts are also available, so if you want one, sent
me an e-mail. They are for men in sizes M - XXL and for women in sizes
S - L. Colours black, orange and lime. Price 14 euros + posting.
Related links:
http://www.idfa.nl/idfa_en_content.asp?pageid=576
mikroPaliskunta
t-shirts
16.11.2006
Avanto festival, Live Herring, all the kinds of
nice happenings again this week-end. I also visited Mobile.Home - Mobility
of Artists and Art Workers in the EU: an Inter-sectional Conference. Phew,
what a long name. But it was interesting to hear different kinds of perspectives
from people coming from very different places. Mobility is not the same
for Palestinian artist or somebody from EU. This made me think again about
Schengen and two passport queues for EU and non-EU citizens, among all
the rest. There was also an interesing one-liner: art should be neutral.
At this point I almost fell of my chair. Since when have anything been
neutral? If you go to a shop to buy some tea, you already make at least
three choises and none of these choises are neutral in any way. How come
art then could be neutral?
Related links:
http://www.sakakini.org
http://www.pearle.ws/mobilehome
28.10.2006
I'm trying to move some of my links to del.icio.us.
I couldn't get mkk-username, though...
Related links:
http://del.icio.us/artsufartsu
27.10.2006
m2Hz-meeting was organised in Kallio, Helsinki yesterday.
It seems that m2Hz is moving on pretty nicely. There was a little presentation
session with Franco (Bifo) Berardi, who is Italian writer, activist and
media theorist. He is visiting the book affair in Helsinki. I enjoyed
this session, because I think he had some similar thoughts I've been having
lately about media/information overload and how it is related to our emotional
degeneration. Openess or access is nothing if you don't understand what
you're looking, I would think.
Related links:
http://www.m2hz.net
http://www.transmission.cc
http://www.telestreet.it
http://www.rekombinant.org
http://www.generation-online.org/p/pbifo.htm
9.10.2006
On Sunday morning, I woke up to the news that Russian
journalist and author Anna Politkovskaja had been murdered. Politkovskaja
was one of the rare Russian journalists who had guts to critisise president
Putin and his Chechen politic among other issues. The last years she wrote
to an independent newspaper called Novaya Gazeta. She was always under
a threat of assassination. It is fair to say that this outrageus murder
is a clear symbol for the state of democracy in Russia. There was a candle
demonstration organised on Sunday evening in front of Russian embassy
in Helsinki. We all shared this tragedy in our hearts, standing in dark
evening with candles - silently saying that people do know.
On Monday morning, I woke up to the news that North Korea had made a nuclear
weapon test. World sucks.
Related links:
http://www.novayagazeta.ru
http://www.internationalpen.org.uk
29.9.2006
I'm a bicycle enthusiast so I was very happy to
read about Cycle Patrol that operates in Helsinki. Their aim is to correct
traffic signs that give wrong information for bicyclists. Fantastic work!
And they look very Plastic Pony type of people... Their website is only
in Finnish.
Related links:
http://www.pyorapartio.org
21.9.2006
Went to see Maija Hirvanen's "Perception Score"
in Kiasma. I like Maija's work, it could be easily something that I don't
like, but I do.
It is in a sense simplicity taken to a level where you can just let your
thoughts fly and sometimes of course laugh.
Megapolis seminar is this week-end..
Related links:
http://www.perceptionscore.net
http.//www.megapolis2021.org
9.9.2006
I'm amazed. Today I've seen so many police force
than ever in my life in Finland. ASEM (Asia Europe meeting) was organised
in Helsinki during this week-end. Today was said to be the most active
day for demonstrations and police was very well prepaired for this. They
were everywhere during the whole day. In the evening, when there was supposed
to be a demonstration in front of Kiasma, there were so many policemen
that you couldn't even see the whole demonstration. There was a group
of demonstrators surrounded by a lot of policemen close to Bio Rex doors
and I asked one policeman what is happening there. He answered: "There
is some side-hassle."
You could hear announcement like "For the sake of your own safety..."
but you couldn't hear the rest of the sentence because there was so much
noise from the helicopters. Traffic lights weren't working in the whole
city. When I was bicycling home, I saw a convoy of some probably important
people with the three police cars and one motorcycle police stopping everything
in front of it. It made me think: these people are discussing about issues
very important to all of us (allthough it is said that ASEM summits discussions
usually lead to nothing much), but they couldn't be more far away from
us.
Related links:
http://www.asem6.fi
http://www.helsinki2006.net
http://asem.anarkismi.net/index_en.html
7.9.2006
Finland is a big country... mikroPaliskunta travel
was fantastic! DO visit the site! Now I'm just trying to get back to cleaning
my home and doing all the kind of "normal" stuff. Yeap right.
Related links:
http://www.mikropaliskunta.net
http://www.myspace.com/eurovision2007
18.8.2006
mikroPaliskunta-project is starting soon and the
website opens 22.8. I'm happy and excited about that! I hope we'll have
a fantastic journey and our biodiesel car will hold.
Couple of weeks ago I was also teaching in Bitola, Macedonia in Operation:Front
-project for youngsters organised by PAC Multimedia Center. It was a very
nice project and I have great memories/thoughts about it.
Related links:
http://www.mikropaliskunta.net
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tagyourplace
5.7.2006
I just got back from Kirkenes (NO) and Murmansk
(RUS) and many other places around Finmark. I participated Connection
Barents artistic expedition and workshop. Lots of interesting new contacts
which I hope to turn into nice co-operation or friendship, too.
Related links:
http://www.connectionbarents.org
http://www.ruralreaders.net
http://nks.svanhovd.no
http://mtrs.ecoinfo.ru
http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/fi/index_19.htm
22.5.2006
I haven't mentioned here, yet, that there is a new
project called mikroPaliskunta coming this summer. We have a group of
five artists working with it. It is a trip of a stuffed reindeer from
the northest part of Finland to the southest. I'm looking forward to it.
A week ago I participated to a silent demonstration to have more bicycle
routes in Helsinki. We had some 90 people biking cross the city and ringing
bells. It was a nice feeling. Helsinki City is not taking care of the
cycklists and basically you're in danger everyday when trying to make
your way by bike. At the same time there are plans to have a thing called
central tunnel which would able even more cars in the city centre. I don't
know why anybody would need to use a car in the city center except if
you're transporting goods or products or something like that. Traffic
toll that is used in Stockholm and London would be a perfect solution
for Helsinki, too.
Related and NOT related links:
http://www.cclondon.com/whatis.shtml
http://www.tollroadsnews.com
http://www.mastersofarts.fi
http://ijas.cjb.net
13.5.2006
I went to see Todellisuuden Tutkimuskeskus's Helsinki
by Night -performance yesterday. What a wonderfull experience! I was filming
the same piece last autumn and I liked it then, but now that I was a normal
member of the audience, it touched me even more. In Hki by Night, the
whole city is the stage. The audience is sitting in the bus that tours
around the city. This sightseeing really gave me another point of view
to my hometown. Unfotunately HKI by Night is sold out...
Related links:
http://www.todellisuus.fi
11.4.2006
Time flies... winter changes to spring... PixelAche
2006 was an ok festival. I participated to Locative media workshop. Same
old same old, but I got some new ideas. There was also the first Elephant
Paths presentation in Finland in Koko Theatre. The next week I went to
see Felix Ruckert's Messiah Game. Liked it a lot - there was only one
spanking to much for me.
Related links:
http://www.felixruckert.de
http://paatehakkuu.fi
27.3.2006
I spent couple of weeks in Thailand mapping paths
from Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai. A lot of bicycling, new experiences
and thoughts. I also was filming a bridge construction site in Bangkok
for Singing Bridges-project and it was a tons of fun. We even went up
to 200 metres in a basket that was lifted with a crane.
PixelAche festival starts soon and a must see play is of course "Kuoliaaksi
kutitus" in Theatre Academy.
http://www.vsl.com
http://www.pixelache.ac
http://www.teak.fi/esitys/Ohjelma.htm#KUOLIAAKSI
11.2.2006
Puppet theatre Hevonsenkä in Espoo have made
a play aimed for adults. They've been very ambitious and chose Macbeth,
squeesed the play in 1,5 hour and played it with three actors and three
puppets (+some shadow puppets). I must say this is a success! I give extra
respect also for the set design - it is absolutely beautiful.
I visited Sami-club yesterday. Sami national day was on monday and City
Samit organisation had a club in Umo. There was some documentaries, traditional
joiku by Inga-Maret Gaup-Juuso and Sanna Sanila Band. Sanna Sanila is
a Skolt, which is the smallest Sami minority. Well, the music is horrible,
reminds me of some Russian rock band in 90', but the enrgy of the band
is really great.
Related links:
http://www.hevosenkenka.fi
http://www.saunalahti.fi/~corona/citysamit
http://www.sogsakk.fi
2.2.2006
The Moslim world have been very annoyed of the caricatures,
which were published in Jyllands-Posten (newspaper in Denmark) last autumn.
The caricatures were about Prophet Mohammed and he was first of all pictured
which is forbidden, and made fun of by placing a bomb in his turban. Well,
okay maybe from Western point of view this is not a reason to start burning
Danish flags and threatening Danish citizens with violence. But what I
really don't understand is why on earth for example a French newspaper
France Soir published all the caricatures again saying that they do it
in the name of freedom of speech. Considering more or less intense situation
in France (remembering the riots last autumn in suburban areas), I don't
think this is a very cleaver thing to do. There is a saying in Finnish
"picking blood from your nose" and this is exactly what the
newspapers are doing now in Europe. The biggest newspaper in Finland,
Helsingin Sanomat announced in their editorial that they haven't published
the caricatures because they are bad taste. This is of course true. But
they continued that if the "pressure against the foundations of freedom
of speech continues" they will publish the caricatures. What are
they, six years old???
Related links:
http://www.jp.dk/meninger/ncartikel:aid=3527646
1.2.2006
Antti Ahonen's exhibition opened yesterday in Tila-Maa
(Albertinkatu 19, Helsinki). He decided to be a visual artist on a buss
trip some years ago and went to a shop to buy painting equipment. He also
started to write a diary immediately for those who will write his biography.
Reason for all this is that he wants to picture beautiful ugliness. In
the exhibition, there are photographs and slides telling this story. Antti
is also very active documenting all the kinds of events in Helsinki area.
The exhibition is open until 12.2.2006. In addition, there is a link below
to Amnesty's rather nice campaign and to a project that amused me a lot:
garbage tagging.
Related links:
http://koti.kontu.la/aahonen
http://www.koelse.org
http://www.protectthehuman.com
http://garbagescout.com
29.1.2006
Nam June Paik died today. I went to see Mondo films
and to eat soup in Bio Rex. In the evening, Tarja Halonen was re-elected
to be the president of Finland.
Related links:
http://www.paikstudios.com
http://www.docpoint.info
http://www.presidentti.fi
16.1.2006
First Galileo signals has been transmitted to earth!
Related links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4610452.stm
13.1.2006
I forgot to mention that I went to see Algorytmi
play in Takomo Theatre. I can truly recommend it. It is about a search
of paradise (false paradise, to be exact). There is a perspective to Islam
and also what is its relation to other cultures and Christianity, as well.
Related links:
http://www.teatteritakomo.fi
12.11.2006
I got the most wonderful Christmas present: a new
bicycle. I haven’t been riding it, because I didn’t want to
get it dirty… Today was the first day I finally took it out. I
was happily riding it, sunshine and wind on my face. Until a puncture!!!
There was a thumbtack on the tyre. The same thing happened to me just
a month ago and it really gets me angry, because it is still quite a bit
of work to repair it. I was talking to a friend of mine wandering where
the thumbtack could get into my tyre and she said it happens to people
quite often. The explanation is that some people put thumbtacks on pavements
so that if cyclists use pavements, they get punctures! I am amazed! It
is quite enough for me to mind the broken glass on the streets since this
nation is committing a slow suicide with alcohol and breaking bottles
on the streets. But thumbtacks! Any idiot knows that you can’t cycle
everywhere in the city (unlike by a car you can drive anywhere you like),
because cycle paths are not everywhere. Sometimes you have to get off
your bike and walk it on the pavement to a place where you want to go.
I think I have found an ultimate nilittäjä type of person. I
don’t know how to translate nillittäjä, but maybe it explains
that one subcategory for nillittäjä is neighbour stalker. Nastanillittäjä
puts thumbtacks on pavement. And what should I do? Kick pedestrians walking
on cycle paths when passing them?
5.1.2006
Terhi Ylimäinen's "Mortal Visions"
exhibition opening was in Galleria Uusitalo yesterday. Terhi's paintings
are exploring heavy (I don't know the correct term but dark music anyway)
music scene. The paintings are very powerfull, loaded with feelings and
of course darkness. The exhibition is open 5. - 29.1.2006. Terhi is also
among the young artists exhibited in Helsinki Taidehalli (Arthall). Young
Artists 2006 opens today.
Related links:
http://www.feelthedarkness.com
http://www.galleriauusitalo.fi
http://www.taidehalli.fi
3.1.2006
Happy New Year 2006 to everybody!!!
15.12.2005
It is sometimes really hard to get good service
in this "service society" that should be the solution for working
models in rich countries in the middle of globalisation. Helsinki is almost
famous of its cold sales people. There are of course exceptions: for example
the post office in Kurvi (00500) is fantastic. The staff is friendly,
always willing to answer any questions and help anyway needed. Airlines
are another story. I don't know what I did wrong in my last lives, but
I rarely manage to fly anywhere without troubles with airlines. KLM and
Air France are on my blacklist (and surely I'm also in theirs). My last
incident with KLM happened just recently and I didn't even manage to book
my flight. It's rather long story and just to amuse myself I wrote it
down just as it happened. Open the link below if you want to share it
with me.
Related links:
Booking
a flight ticket in KLM
7.12.2005
It is amazing what a huge project follows when your
hard disk ends its' short life and you have to buy a new computer etc.
etc. Well, I'm finally truly back to work without so many distractions,
but I miss my old buddy. Meanwhile I travelled to Malmö, Sweden and
saw some very nice things like Olafur Eliasson's "Set up light"
in Malmö Konsthall - pure and meditative piece of art that fullfills
the whole space, "Touristclass" by nine artists in Malmö
Konstmuseum and "God Smak" in Technology and Maritime House.
Excellent. At the time there was also HWE Norden vs Balkan Dance Festival
going on and I was so impressed about "Small Stick Big Bird"
coreographed by Henriette Pedersen from Bergen, Norway. I hope that I'll
see some other works from her in near future! That's about it except that
I also saw Regina live in Helsinki at last.
Related links:
http://www.olafureliasson.net
http://www.konsthall.malmo.se
http://www.malmo.se/kultur
http://www.balkankult.org
http://www.dansstationen.nu
http://www.rooseum.se
http://personal.inet.fi/luonto/lek/sivut
21.11.2005
Avanto festival started last week-end and we went
with my brother to Avanto Club on Friday. Our main aim was to see Norwegian
band called Bol and it was such a pleasure. Great band indeed. I liked
their mixture of jazz...with something else. There are also other festivals
going on at the moment in Helsinki. My ZOO-documentary can be seen in
Valon Voimat festival in Harju Youth House. There are also other nice
events and exhibitons in Valon Voimat. Almost at the same time there is
Kallio Kipinöi and Koe festivals, as well. I could also recommend
Jari Hietanen's "Luontosopimus" in Koko Theatre. That play might
make you think...
Related links:
http://www.bol.no
http://www.valonvoimat.org
http://www.kokoteatteri.fi/esitykset/index_html
1.11.2005
Elephant Paths is in the Nordic web art exhibition
Elävä Silakka / Live Herring in Jyväskylä, Finland
17. - 20.11.2005.
Related links:
http://www.liveherring.org
27.10.2005
The final decisions of new structure of Nordic cultural
co-operation were hand down by the Nordic Cultural Ministers. Some committees
and cultural institutions will be closed down as planned. But sadly the
cultural ministers of Nordic countries verified their plan for thematic
programs (initialised by cultural ministers and departments). This has
caused a lot of critisism among artists and culture workers, because there
is a fear that thematically restricted programs create political control
over cultural life.
Related links:
http://www.norden.org
24.10.2005
Bookcrossing is something that I have known about,
but just today I took a closer look to the website. It is a really interesting
way to share books and maybe lighten your bookshelf if it has a tendency
to be too full as mine sometimes have.
FRUIT-project has nothing to do with books, but it is still great. There
are issues related to food production and consumption. What is the relevance
to know how your food is produced and where it comes from? Is your food
safe? Is it possible to grow your own food in urban space? There is also
a demonstration on the website. Flash jammed a little bit at least on
my comp, but probably it's just me.
Related links:
http://www.bookcrossing.com
http://www.free-soil.org/fruit
http://www.free-soil.org
19.10.2005
TEKS, Trondheim Electronic Arts Centre and PNEK,
Norwegian Production Network for Electronic Arts are under the thread
to be closed down. The National Budget doesn't suggest further support
for TEKS and PNEK even though government's cultural policy states permanent
funding. You can sign petition on TEKS website. Also NIFCA, Nordic Institute
for Contemporary Art is about to face major changes that are going to
be decided soon by the Nordic Cultural Ministers. The plan is to close
down NIFCA and also NordScen, NOMUS and NORDBOK. These would be replaced
by a project-oriented co-operation where the Cultural Ministers and departments
will define thematic, temporally constrained programs. There is more info
about this on NIFCA website.
Related links:
http://www.teks.no/petition
http://www.nifca.org
7.10.2005
Venice is an amazing city. It is packed with tourists
and tacky tourist restaurants, but still the history and the athmostphere
of it makes it mysterious and beautiul. 51. International Art Exhibition
- La Biennale di Venezia offered a lot of interesting experiences. When
entering German pavillion, the first thing you see is a (rather boring)
sculpture, but suddenly you're surrounded by three men dancing and singing
"This is so contemporary! OOoO!". I really like Tino Sehgal's
work, it's like a fresh breeze. As being more or less a fan of Russian
contemporary art, I was impressed by Program Escape's "Too long to
escape", which is an interactive video installation. The characters
in the video move closer to the viewer based on the amount of the viewers
in the space. Fun and not so political. During my time in in Venice, there
was also 49. Festival Internazionale di Musica Contemporanea, but for
that I didn't have time even though the programme seemed interesting.
Venice is full of amazing churches, art treasures etc., but one that I
still have to mention is Ca' Pesaro (Modern Art Gallery) that has a nice
colletion of Indonesian wayangs. There is also Felice Castorati's "La
Signorine" (1912), a painting that I love a lot. As
a travel reading I had Barbara Victor's "Last Crusade - Religions
and the Politics of Misdirection". A book about how Rebuplican Evangelical
Christians have influenced the American political landscape and also the
foreign policy. Really interesting book. And just now when George Bush
has denied God told him to attack Iraq.
Oh yes, and does Venice have any footpahts for Elephant Paths? You'll
see...
Related links:
http://www.labiennale.org
http://www.escapeprogram.ru
http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it
http://www.carnivalofvenice.com
http://www.westminsterbookshop.co.uk
6.10.2005
ZOO documentary is added in Media Rights.
Related links:
http://www.mediarights.org/film/
22.9.2005
There is a new archive and meeting point for female
media artists called Bildrauch.
Related links:
http://www.bild-rausch.de
13.9.2005
Life is strange, yes. I picture from Dubai was found
in KLM flight magazine. Artsufartsu crew needs to ask why..what...how?
Related links:
The
picture (90,2 kt)
31.8.2005
I went to see a young Swedish curator today and
presented Elephant Paths-project to her. She pointed a green dot on the
screen and said: "So is this where you had a soda or what?"
Hm.
24.8.2005
MeMoRe - in search of the red thread is an audiovisual
performance with 7 performers (dancers) and one washing machine. It is
choreographed by Tomi Paasonen who is currently living and working in
Berlin. MeMoRe is a very straight forward piece and leaves you nothing
much to think by yourself. I had fun, though. The performance included
taking picture with the audience and the performers in the end of the
show. You can keep the picture as a memory.
Related links:
The
picture
18.8.2005
A short documentary about Bitola Zoo in Macedonia
is now edited and ready. If you want to have it or have any ideas how
to help these suffering animals, please send me an e-mail.
9.8.2005
Got back from Macedonia, where I was with Elephant
Paths. It was a very interesting country and I met some beautiful people.
Also the mountains are something that I like very much. I went through
Skopje, visited Ohrid and stayed in Bitola (second biggest town in the
country) where I also ran Location Based Storytelling workshop. A negative
part of my trip was a visit to Bitola zoo. The animals are living in horrible
conditions without food in too small cages.
Related links:
http://multimedia.org.mk/
http://www.elenajovanova.com/
http://www.bitolaonline.com/
http://www.skopjeonline.com.mk/
http://www.ohrid.com.mk/
http://www.bornfree.org.uk/
4.7.2005
Elephant Paths got selected to prog:ME, Electronic
Media of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) exhibition 17.7. - 28.8.2005.
Related links:
http://www.progme.org
http://www.laisle.com
27.6.2005
I had a traditional midsummer celebration with sauna
and midsummer pyre etc. We visited also Oulu and Hailuoto (the second
biggest island in Finland, I assume) with my friends. We also saw almost
all the sights there is to see in Raahe. Lovely. Now I'm so relaxed and
happy:)
Related links:
http://www.hailuoto.fi
http://www.raahe.fi
http://www.jarijansson.com
http://www.rapinoja.com
17.6.2005
Went to see The Yes Men -documentary yesterday.
Fine film, can recommend. Only thing that bugged me a little bit was Michael
Moore: why does he has to be everywhere??
The world jump day is getting closer and closer: it is on the coming Monday.
But seems thay there are not enough jumpers, yet. In Finland, you should
jump at 9:39:13 in the morning.
Related links:
http://www.theyesmen.org
http://www.worldjumpday.org
14.6.2005
I won't forget to mention couple of Medialab (Taikk)
based projects that have interested me this spring. Last week I saw Oskari
Pastila's "Here Be Dragons" documentary, which gave me a lot
of interesting information about New Guinea. Another one is Michihito
Mizutani's "Emotional Communication" products. Absolutely love
them!
Oh yes and of course Michael Jackson is innocent.
Related links:
http://www.herebedragons-movie.com
http://www.uiah.fi/~mmizutan/ec
2.6.2005
New hobbies are always good for you. So our group
of artisthumanists decided to start practising parkour. You don't need
any equipment to do that, but I think I need to cover my elbows...and
knees...and palms...and maybe also a helmet would be good thing. And I
don't want to do any movments where there is a possbility for my knees
to hit my chin. Hopefully I'm still alive after the first training day.
Related links:
http://www.parkour.fi
http://www.parkour.com
http://www.davidbelle.com
28.5.2005
Spent couple of weeks in Germany. I've always liked
Berlin and now I like it even more. I just should learn German (among
other things). But I mapped some very nice paths in Marzhan, Berlin and
in Prora, Rugen by the Baltic Sea. Now I'm just putting up the new map
for Elephant Paths site. I also "invented" a term mäpäytys,
which is a sister word for rap term räpäytys. Ok, I know no
English speaking person understands this. Haa-ha.
Related links:
http://www.freefloatingfaculty.org
http://www.tesla-berlin.de
http://www.dokumentationszentrum-prora.de
http://www.worldpress.org/Europe/1199.cfm
http://www.rosavonpraunheim.de
11.5.2005
For the first time in my life I got stuck in an
elevator between the floors. And the elevator in my house must be one
of the smallest ones in town. Luckily there was a friendly elevator man,
who saved us.
Related links:
http://www.weitzlux.com/
21.4.2005
Lainsäätäjät-game was finally
launched in Parliament of Finland. I worked as a scriptwriter for the
project, which started last year... Nice to see it finally out there.
Lainsäätäjät is a multiuser game for youngsters to
learn how the laws are made in Finland and how a member of parliament
works. The games is situated in the Parliament House as an installation.
Related links:
http://www.valtikka.fi/uutiset/lainsaatajatpeli
http://www.eduskunta.fi
17.4.2005
Spent the whole week-end in PixelAche festival.
I also had a "gig" in Sibelius Academy Chamber Music Hall on
Thursday. I had filmed Tikkurila bridge for Singing Bridges and showed
some new stuff... Well, the gig wasn't as long as it was supposed to be,
but still fun. On Saturday, the most interesting thing on the festival
for me was the smelly boys. Okay, that's my name for them, the real name
is RYBN and EOL, I suppose:) Their performance "IIS: 006" caused
me a state of meditation and about that I'm very
happy: it rarely happens to me in the field of so called media art.
Related links:
http://www.pixelache.ac/2005/archives/iis-006/
http://www.rybn.org
14.4.2005
Eija Mäkivuoti had her exhibition opening in
Photography Center Peri in Turku. It is always a pleasure to visit Turku.
The theme of the exhibition is disabled people, their everyday life and
art making. Eija has followed their lives for many years and seen them
to grow adults and also have had photography workshops with these kids.
Beautiful photographs indeed. The exhibition is open for a month until
15.5.2005.
Related links:
http://www.peri.fi/nayttelyt.html
10.4.2005
Yes, it's amazing how rarely I write here nowadays.
Too many things going on I suppose. Anyway, I've been impressed by Lea
and Pekka Kantola's work lately. They had an exhibition in Meilahti and
also Lea published a book about their community art. Must have that book!
What else...ah,Pixelache pixelache pixelache is aching again!:)
Related links:
Important
in Life
http://www.pixelache.ac/2005/
8.3.2005
I watched tv today. In between all the reality shows
and screaming people, there was some news how Finland is reducing the
school network. This means that some schools around the country will be
closed. Children (aged 6 to 12 years) will be traveling to school for
more than 2,5 hours per day in Lapland. But in Helsinki, parents were
very worried that they little pampered kids would have to cross a street.
Um. Joo.
Btw, some Mika's great downhill sliding pictures can be found at...
Related links:
http://koti.org/mesq/talvijuhla/
6.3.2005
Some days are just perfect. I love slow Sunday mornings,
drinking coffee and reading newspaper for hour or two. Then Mika had Winter
Party in garden city of Tapiola: downhill sliding (remebered why I didn't
like mini skies when I was a kid), food and sauna. Also a little bit disconnecting,
because I forgot my mobile there. Hm, but I collected some related links
what I've been interested in lately.
Related links:
Zero visibility corp
http://www.kansallisteatteri.fi/
--> Illuusio
Kuulaita
huoneita --> opens a pdf
http://www.notbored.org/the-scp.html
http://www.ambienttv.net/3/spyschool/4/eye/
4.2.2005
Mamma mia! For a month artsufartsu.net has been
off-line. Luckily I was saved by Jussi (tons of thank yous!) who arranged
the name server and here we go again. Many things has happend. Public
Opinion in Kiasma is one of the projects now. It is a project where people
can vote in different issues for a week. I participated as a member of
Kaulbach Society and our voting time ends the coming sunday (6.2.). Check
out the site and answer the question "What is a good form of governing?".
Related links:
http://www.publicopinion.fi
2.1.2005
For me, suprisingly, one of the most interesting
buildings I saw in Rome was Palazzo delle Civiltà del Lavor. It
is situated on the top of a hill in suburban area called EUR. EUR was
Benito Mussolini's architectural pet project which he started in 1936.
Palazzo delle Civiltà del Lavor is somehow magic when you study
the lights on it's walls and how the blue sky makes contrast with the
white colour. At the moment, the building is being renovated, so it seems
a bit abandoned. I remembered the building also from a movie called "Titus".
Maybe it speaks for itself that it is almost the only thing I remember
from the movie, because it touched me already then.
Related links:
http://www.thatsrome.com
http://www.robsacc.nl
http://www.foxsearchlight.com
1.1.2005
It's been a while since I've written here. But I
want to wish everyone happy New Year 2005! Thank you for everything the
passed year! And send greetings from Rome. I experienced the year turning
to 2005 in Capitol hill. Forum Romanum has seen many celebrations of new
year, this one came with quite a lot of wireworks. I couldn't help myself
thinking about those too many people who died in the tzunami in Asia.
But life always goes on in one form or another. The moon keeps illuminating
the old ruins, people keep drinking champaign, kissing and hugging each
others - nothing stops, it makes me happy and sad at the same time.
2.12.2004
Kekäläinen&Company's TEO was shown
in Kiasma Theatre. It is a choreography for four dancers and the main
topic is globalization. I enjoyed TEO very much. It included more speach
than normally in Sanna Kekäläinen's projects, I think. It is
also great to see young dancers to enjoy their work and the movement.
And of course, Sanna Kekäläinen has her very own style of dancing.
Related links:
http://www.kekalainencompany.net/
20.11.2004
Avanto Festival is happening at the moment in Helsinki.
This is the fourth time for the festival presenting experimental music
and moving image. Tonight, I'm going to see Cecile Fontaine's retrospective
"Histoires parallelles". Might be that I'm not going to see
many gigs this year, my ears have become more and more sensitive...:)
Related links:
http://www.avantofestival.com
http://www.em-arts.org
15.11.2004
Some people are sorry and some people are not...
Related links:
http://www.sorryeverybody.com
http://www.werenotsorry.com
14.11.2004
Chechenian
website hosted in Finland was closed by the Finnish goverment (no-one
wants to tell who gave the order) and the Finnish Security Police. The
website was re-opened again yesterday. It is hosted in Finland and mirrored
in Sweden.
Related links:
http://www.kavkazcenter.net
4.11.2004
Two exquisite documentaries that are definately
worth seeing: ”Promises” by Justine Shapiro, B.Z Goldberg
and Carlos Bolando and ”The 3 Rooms of Melancholia” by Pirjo
Honkasalo. ”Promises" is about seven Israeli and Palestinian
children. A very very powerfull film. ”The 3 Rooms of Melancholia”
is about children (from 10 to 15 years) in Kronsted military school Russia,
in Grosnyi Chechenia and in Ingustania. These two films are very different,
but they have some same themes, for example how the violence might effect
children’s world and their future. I saw these two films during
the same day and it was hard for me to sleep the next night due to my
mixed feelings.
Related links:
http://www.promisesproject.org
http://www.ses.fi
3.11.2004
Today at 7:30 am,. I realised that George W. Bush
is elected to be the president of United States. Four more years of greed,
diminution of human rights, fear and oil crusades. We are living in a
very unsafe world, when Mr. Bush is taking care of their national safety.
Probably there is going to be violence in US. I’m sorry to say that
some dark part of me says they deserve it.
United
States have warned their citizens in Finland, because they think there
is going to be some sort of attack in this country. I guess, everybody
who thinks, is a terrorist. I want to be a terrorist.
Related links:
http://www.varjovaalit.com
http://www.georgewbush.com
http://www.johnkerry.com
http://www.bbc.com
26.10.2004
Had a gig with Sigma in Kanneltalo (Kantsun Elektroillat
nro 2.). We did the visuals with Ville Ojajärvi. The gig was four
hours long, pretty intense and some people even stayed the whole gig.
I put some pictures on this site later on, now I'm too tired to say anything:)
Except that it was muchos fun.
Related links:
http://www.kulttuuri.hel.fi
18.10.2004
Here some picks from the week-end: Paul Rowleys's
and David Phillips's video installation "Security Fugue" is
absolutely fantastic. It is shown in Muu Gallery's Parameters of Fear
exhibition. Jouko Lehtola's photograps in Taidehalli are also worth seeing.
And I'm always amazed of Markus Copper's installation "Archangel
of Seven Seas".
Related links:
http://www.muu.fi/parametersoffear/
http://www.condensate.net/
http://www.taidehalli.fi
http://www.kiasma.fi
15.10.2004
Premiere night of Siipiveikot is today in Theatre
Restaurant Nyyrikki. Siipiveikot is written by Taina West, in roles Katriina
Honkanen and Mikko Rasila, music by Maija Kaunismaa and Ilkka Tenhunen.
This is a must see play!
Related links:
http://www.nyyrikki.fi/
6.10.2004
I sat down in the metro today and noticed a piece
of paper on the seat next to me. It said "A letter for you.."
so I picked it up. It made me smile, many thanks to some other stranger
who sent it to me.
Related links:
The
letter
25.9.2004
Hop hop! Everybody to Là-bas tonight!
Related links:
http://www.kaapeli.fi/~labas
24.9.2004
Conservas 7 Dust Show was in Kiasma. One hour of torture
for me, this was one of the rare occasions that I felt strong need to leave
before the performance
is over. Sometimes the word interactivity is so brutally abused that I
feel ashamed. The group had some great ideas, but they couldn't carry them
through.
It was told that one theme of the performance is working life, but at least
for me the show was about primitive sexual feelings we all go through in
our
twenties
or
something. Maybe I was too old for this...
Luckily and as usual Pedro Almodovar saved me. La mala educacion is one of
the best films I've seen this year.
Related links:
http://www.kiasma.fi
http://www.lamalaeducacion.com
13.9.2004
I visited my parents this week-end. Nice autumn
weather, mushroom and lingonberry picking. My brother took some pictures
of our family in
the windy coast of Pohjanmaa.
Related links:
Pictures from Rantaretki
8.9.2004
Koti
-Home happening was today in Koetila. We served two full pots
of cabbage soup with Essi - very tasty soup, indeed. I showed
some videos (Pyhä
kolmiyhteys done years ago with Eija Mäkivuoti, but re-edited yesterday,
films from Norway etc.). Kalvo played later in the evening and
I did some very improvised VJaying. It is nice to
arrange
this kind of
happenings,
because
people really don't know what is going on; what is part of the
performance and what
is not. Can't add images here, as usual we were so into what
we were doing that we forgot to take pictures or film:) Another
thing that I very much recommend for everyone to see is Johanna Ropponen's
picture on the window of Koetila. It is a picture of her grandfather
posing next to a killed Russian woman during the war. There is also a
story, where Johanna tells the background of the image.
Related links:
http://www.kalvo.com
6.9.2004
People lit
candles this evening on their windows. On Friday, approximately 330 or more
people, mostly children were killed in a siege of school in Beslan, Russia.
The hostage-takers demanded independe for Chechen. I wonder how many innocents
still have to die before Russia leaves Chechen... I wonder if Bush is going
to use this as an example case for his intentions to continue the war on terrorism
and of course for his president campaign..I wonder what kind of hard methods
Putin is going to use...I wonder when do we learn to see wholeness...
Related links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk
5.9.2004
I had a nice day in Porvoo with Essi, Jodi and
Christina. After that I went to Forum Box's Kauneus Klubi which
is part of Kauneus
Festival, where
we are having a being performance next Wednesday (8.9.2004).
One of the most beautiful performances in Kauneus Klubi was Outi Sädekallio's
and Matti Snellman's performance Unisiipi. It was a combination
of visuals and dancing; the visuals were shown on dancer's clothes.
Related links:
http://www.porvoo.fi
http://www.forumbox.fi
http://www.koe.fi/nyt.htm
2.9.2004
Oh. Existence.
Related links:
http://www.raahe.fi/~sya/
31.8.2004
There was a second world premiere (the first
one was in Sweden) of NIFCA's Criss Cross movie/short film
serie in Andorra,
Helsinki.
It was a six hour
moving image marathon, which I liked very much. Criss
Cross consists of five genre-mixing
thematic
programmes; Family/Domestic, Identity/Potrait, Social/Political,
Urban Situation/Utopian Modernism and Film on Film. There
were two programmes screend today: Family/Domestic and Social/Political.
I liked
the
Family/Domestic
program very much; it included Even Benestad's documentary
Alt om min far, which I've been wanting to see. Some other films
I had seen before,
but documentary
Göstä&Lennart
was absolutely one of my favourites. It was a story about a man Lennart
who is living with his buldog Gösta - most probably
the ugliest dog I've ever seen. Alltogeher, the screening
raised
quite many thoughts.
Related links:
http://www.nifca.org/
http://www.spoonjackson.com/
22.8.2004
We had a gig with Sigma in Kontufestari today. The
gig went very well, Jodi took some pictures and promised to send them to
me later on. There was some nice interaction with the audience as well; a
little girl walked
in,
stood right in front of the stage. Discussion was something like this:
The girl: When do you start playing?!
Manu: We are already playig.
She walked to me blocking the projection.
The girl: And what are you doing?
Me: I'm doing what you can see there on the screen.
The girl: So everybody bring their own stuff?
Me: Yes, that's true.
The girl: But you can't see anything there on the screen!
Me: You have to look carefully and also take your head away from the beamer.
The girl: Oh. Okay. But I'm still not sure if there is any sense in this!!!
Other performers in the art tent on Sunday were
Yrjänä Sauros
and Selfish Selfish.
Related links:
http://www.kontula.com
13.8.2004
There are many things happening this week-end; today
I was thinking about taking my Lapish drum and going to Laitama - Art Goes
Camping -happening in Hernesaari. Koneisto
electronic music festival is also this week-end, maybe to go there tommorrow
and see what Amfibio -people are up to with the visuals in Pannuhalli.
I have no particular mucisians I would be interested in seeing, but it
would be nice to just check out the athmosphere. ISEA2004 cruise starts
on Sunday.
Obviously, I'm not going there, the prices of the tickets are something
beyond my understanding. I've tried to ask people for whom the symposium
is for, but I haven't got an answer. I assume it is for artists, who can
pay the money. Which brings to my mind the good old question: can art happen
if there is no one experiencing it? Is it enough if only the artists themselves
experience it? I think this is a problem of media art in general. Of course,
the symposium could be also for some companies, who can afford to bring
they employees there. But then again, they could also go to Kuusamo. Hm.
Related links:
http://koti.kontu.la/lluhta/laitama
http://www.koneisto.com
http://www.amfibio.org
http://www.isea2004.net
10.8.2004
I went to an exhibition opening of my friend
Karstein Volle in Galleria Huuto. It is a group exhibition
with Virve Lukka
and Mirva Öhman presenting photographs
and paintings. Open daily 12 - 18, 11.8. - 22.8.2004
Related links:
http://www.galleriahuuto.net
http://www.rivalskeleton.com
4.8.2004
I got back to Finland and traveled to Turku.
There was Media&Message happening and contest. I presented Johtotähti -game there,
which participated
to the contest. I've worked as a scriptwriter and a directror for the game.
We didn't win, but the experience was interesting. There is a word called
"pönötys" in Finnish and the happening was exactly
that. I decided never to go there again...
Related links:
http://www.womenit.info/index.php
http://www.womenit.info/johtotahti
http://www.platinummedia.fi
http://www.satu.fi/mm2004
31.7.2004
Elephant
Paths presentation was yesterday, thank you for everyone
showing up regardless of the heat wave we are experiencing
here in Bergen!
I was
asked
about the connections between locations in Elephant
Paths; that maybe I should define more clearly what I’m
looking for from the paths. For me, this is quite easy: I ask people from where
and to where they are going and how often they walk the particular path. Sometimes
people start to tell more stories about the location and that I love. I want
to be open to the situation and to the experience. Sometimes it is very hard
to understand how simple and open things can be. I talked about this with dear
friend of mine. She told me about a discussion where the topic was ”When
should we attack Afganisthan?”. There was a lot of talking politics and
people had to raise their hand if they heard a proper reason for war.
One girl never raised her hand. After a while she was asked if there really
isn’t anything that could make the war justifiable. The
girl answered: ”You shouldn’t kill.”
You
can easily define things until there is nothing left, nothing that you could
really touch. This I try to avoid.
24.7.2004
I participated to an workshop called PD (Pure Data) with Malte Steiner
in BEK ."PD is a real-time graphical programming environment for
audio, video, and graphical processing, originally developed by Miller
Puckette." I don't even have experience with MAX,
so this was quite interesting to me and it is always
nice
to learn
new
things.
Related links:
http://www.bek.no/~eva/workshop/
http://at.or.at/hans/pd/installers/
http://www.block4.com
http://pinktwins.com/disk/framestein
22.7.2004
I'm working
in Bergen, Norway as a resident artist of NIFCA and BEK.
The main project I'm working with is Elephant
Paths. I also show
some random video loops on the window of Nordisk Gjestatelier in USF.
There will be a presentation about Elephant Paths at 18:00 in 30.7.2004
in the Gjestatelier.
Related links:
http://www.elephantpaths.net
Invitation to Elephant Paths presentation
Picture of the random video screening
http://www.bek.no
http://www.nifca.org
http://www.kunstsenter.no
http://www.usf.no
20.7.2004
Welcome to my new personal mkk website, www.artsufartsu.net. I haven't
had a website for at least 5 years and I'm not quite sure why I'm having
it
now. I guess, it is more for myself; basically it helps me to remember
my life:)