Past the mid way point and time is ticking..
It is a cliche but time is flying. Finding the work / cultural balance is becoming more evident and an issue I want to get right. The responsibility of the work placement and fulfilling its challenges are stacked against the desire to live out the offerings of Helsinki and all its lessons. I can't help but feel some people have the balance in their favour (no names mentioned...Samir). One must not grumble.. This week my good friend Marcus took me on a road trip to see the storage space for my work placement....1000 square meters of bubble wrapped art that left my heart feeling a bit sad not knowing how many decades of it will never see the light of day again....where does this fit in to my vision of being an artist, I am not sure. To lighten my spirits I went to visit Marcus and his fiancee's apartment and we had a great conversation about the Finnish love of anything that is free. By the time we had left I grasped that 90% of their wedding they got for free. Tonnes of the contents of their apartment...also free! The Finns have a real love for it and I was even informed that a promotion for a free bucket at a super market will draw a crowd...first one hundred customers gets a free bucket. I thought this was hilarious and we all shared in the joke. Tomorrow I will be accompanying the beautiful Kiira (Forsblom Gallery Director) to Porvoo to visit the studio of Finland's 2016 young artist of the year, Reima Nevalainen. Looking forward to it...though he is th same age as me so should be an interesting dynamic of mutual age at different ends of the art journey. Onward and upward.
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Learning by doing is the best way, and in the past week I've added many tricks to my repertoire while gaining a good understanding of the behind the scenes gallery operations.
I have been trying to take in as much as I can and the employees here are very inclusive so I'm feeling very much part of the team. I have learned to handle, transport and hang the artwork, build exhibition spaces, basic lighting and PA set up, practical knowledge like driving a hoist, welding, some minor electrical work and carpeting. I'm asking plenty of questions and those in the know are happy to answer. There is a massive behind the scenes effort going into each exhibit and I'm lucky to be in a gallery which does all their own in-house fabrication. At present we are hanging the speakers in the "movie-box" and will then be building a three tiered seating platform. The infrastructure you don't see is just as important as that which you do. Pheromone traps for moths which would destroy canvas, hidden wires that make digital art come to life, the discreet fans which cool the constantly on projectors.... all have to work perfectly in order to keep the show going. I have a growing appreciation for the effort of the staff here at EMMA. Paul The weekend has landed and there are a few places to be seen. Firstly Kiasma and their fantastic exhibition, then a quick stop at Gallery Foresblom and then to the bar batman. Samir, Kevin, Jenny (visiting from Pori) and myself got on the train for Helsinki Saturday morning and took a short stroll to the Kiasma building which in my opinion is a piece of art in itself. This view is not held by all the locals. Some were against its construction on the grounds that it did not suit the area. It is the result of an international architecture competition which was won by American Stephen Holl. The exhibition is over 5 floors, although the 3rd is closed presently as they are installing a new exhibition.
We began on the 5th floor and worked our way down. The Beirut born Mona Hatoum exhibition on the top floor was extremely interesting and explores conflict and contradictions worldwide. Mona was visiting London in 1975 when the Lebanese war broke out. Unable to return she studied at art schools in London. Mona became a British citizen and now lives and works in the UK. Her solo exhibition spans across a body of work beginning in the 70's and includes large sculptures, installations, light, video and a variety of different mediums. The pictures above are of her works. The motor driven blades first corrugating then smoothing the sand is mesmerizing and you can find visitors staring contently at the revolving hands. The neon globe "Hot Spot" shows the world in conflict, nowhere is safe, nowhere is immune from the effects of global warming. The scale of the works on show, the disorientating use of light and the intelligent layout of the exhibition make it a must for those visiting Helsinki. There were also photographic exhibits by Meeri Koutaniemi & Arman Alizad which dealt with the harrowing subjects of Acid attacks and Female genital mutilation. The exhibit "After the Evil" shows us survivors who play an active role in their communities refusing to be forever labelled victims. We made it to Gallerie Foresblom just before closing for a quick tour and met a couple of Kevin's co-workers. Its a stunning gallery and I'll be back to spend more time there. Thirsty work this art stuff! The rest of the night is best explained in picture form. During my time in Gallery Forsblom, so far one of the most interesting dynamics has been the distance (from the student studio) between an artist creating art and art having value, more often than not surprising value.
As a student exploring what art is to me with monetary value not yet in mind, to be in the presence of so much work that has so much value, I have a new found awareness of art collections and the multi million value it has is a real eye opener. The gallery space is very impressive but I can't help but make contrast to a car show room and wonder how I feel about that. Its definitely an area of thought I will have to explore more on my return home to Ireland. One thing that is beyond doubt is that the presentation of art in Finland is beyond doubt excellently financed and thought out. A weekend trip to Kiasma museum was quite a special experience. It has been quite the baptism to a new culture, new city and new climate but day three has proven that the hard miles of the previous days travel has been worth it. The jigsaw reveals itself more and more. My time in Gallery Forsblom has been as educational as all of my experiences so far and more. The welcome I received in to the opulent, minimalist and revered gallery quashed any apprehensions I had about feeling a fish out of water. I spent the morning with Markus, the gallery technician who is responsible for hanging and handling all of the art work that passes through. Jenni Hiltunen and Otto Boll (who was in the house) are the two artists currently exhibiting and I was among the small number of people to see it before the doors open to the public. The level of care and precision is quite something, but no stress in the gallery air, which surprised me. In the world of exhibiting contemporary art, 3 centimeter's higher or lower is labored over. I won't bore you all with a history lesson on the gallery, it is five years in its current location, thirty plus years in existence and exhibits in art hot spots all over the world from Miami to Istanbul...needless to say I cant wait to see what more experience awaits...I may not want to leave Helsinki!! Acclimatising to a new place takes time, energy and lots of patience. Achieving something in a new situation also depends on how ready one is to experiment and have fun while keeping the main job in sight.
With no access to the internet, the modern (or post-modern?) oxygen, myself and Kevin decided to visit the National Library, make use of its WiFi facility and get some pending stuff done - emails, blog, etc. After taking whole lot of pictures in front of the Senaatintori (Senate building) we made way to the adjacent library. The library WiFi is open to public but everybody has to register, show ID and then given a unique password to access the internet. Its a great place to sit comfortably and do your work. I registered for the whole week as it was free! We were able to work there for half a day without interruption and then had lunch in its cafeteria. Lonely planet books are excellent to get good quality information fast! One of my favourite places to go to in any city are its market halls. I am quite delighted to find 4 market halls in Helsinki mentioned on page 64. With Kevin's agreement (consensus is extremely important when in team and Kevin's a great team player!) we chose to visit Hakaniemen Kauppahalli, a market specialised in food and textile. We took Metro which dropped us right in front of the market hall. For 15 minutes we stood in front of it trying to figure out where it could be - yes, language barrier is real!!! In the market hall as soon as one enters it its a different world. Everything mixed in a big invisible ball hits you and your senses: culture, noise, smells of food and fish, foreign language, colours, etc. all concentrated in one experience. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and decided it is one of the best places to get gifts for friends and family back home. This hall will see us again in our last week in Helsinki. Today I sent 18 emails to 18 art organisations around Helsinki. It took half the day. The rest of the day is dedicated to visiting Ateneum museum and absorb whatever it has to offer. After having the buffet lunch in its cafeteria I headed to the tickets area. I made a mental note to better plan next time to keep track of choosing places which take entry fee as you could end up paying a lot at the end. I was delighted to find that my GTI student card was accepted for discounted fee (13 euros instead of 15) contrary to someone saying that one had to have an international student card to take advantage of discount! Some artists which I really liked: Veikko Vionnoja - modern oil painter. Two amazing paintings were Fiddler's Window and Window. Simple with big impact. Serge Poliakoff - a renowned colourist. Painting called 'Composition' David Hockney's etchings And lastly Akseli Gallen-Kallela . This artist made paintings based on the Finnish national epic poetic work called Kalevala. The poetry is compiled by Elias Lonnrot from folklore and mythology. Akseli's work is worth seeing especially if mythology is your thing. Also notable are works from Cezzane, Van Gogh, Gaugin, etc. It is 16:26 now and I am back in Ateneum's cafeteria for some coffee and a traditional Finnish pastry which is basically whipped cream and jam in a bun. I couldn't finish it. Another lesson in appearances. I must leave now as I plan to see people skating in the rink right outside the Ateneum. Heippa samir mahmood Tuesday 7-2-17 marked the day that exhibitions by 2 art world heavyweights opened simultaneously. We were fortunate enough to have the Icelandic artist, Olafur Eliasson present for both the press conference and the evening invitation only event. It was amazing to have an artist of his caliber explain his work and the direction he is taking. He is a humble man and very inclusive in his speech making sure to use basic language and encourage those in the room who do not frequent such cultural establishments to do so in the future, saying " you do not step out of life and into art, art should be a part of your life as it helps make sense of reality".
His works here are fantastic. They, like all his work are technically very carefully set out, (millimetre perfect) and the effects created are beautiful. His compass, which is a very large log suspended from the ceiling and surrounded by "a swarm" of magnets does in fact work as a compass and points North - South. He spoke of this not only as a compass for direction but as a moral compass also, the effect of the many (magnets) having a huge influence over the main body (Log). He referred to crowdfunding as a contemporary example. The many magnets (people) directing the log (company). This is also true of government etc.. His photography of the Icelandic landscapes and buildings are beautifully composed and the natural colours of the flora are captured in every shot. If you're in Helsinki put this exhibition on your to-do list. The other featured artist is German, Joseph Beuys who's exhibit (Outside the Box) contains approx 300 pieces from a box of 1000 of his own personal archive which he personally donated to an art museum in Poland. This act was huge in the art world and the gesture itself was to show solidarity with the polish people. He last exhibited in EMMA 31 years ago but died shortly before the opening. His subject matter is every bit as relevant today as it was in the 70's dealing with politics, economics and ecology. His pieces contain a wide range of drawings, posters, photos & watercolors among others. Paul Sisu means resilience, strength at the face of adversity. This term is known to be hard to translate correctly into English. So far its my favourite word in Finnish language and says so much about the culture of Finland and its people. SISU also seems to be the story of all of us bound for Finland today and braving it! Until last September, Finland meant two things for me: snow and design, inspite of having two long term Finnish friends. That all changed today. It started at 3.45am at the sound of alarm going off reminding me that there is a plane to catch to Helsinki from Dublin at 9.35am. With 19 (including 3 faculty members) of us travelling together, from Galway to Dublin by bus, the general atmosphere was of excitement and eagerness. At any airport across the globe having a Pakistani passport means delays at various counters but it all went 'relatively' smoothly (after paying 30euros for excess baggage, and satisfying the customs and airline personnel that my passport was authentic!) finally we all took off in the plane to Helsinki. As cautioned by our tutor we were to be art and cultural professionals and not tourists! Now this requires setting our minds to a different kind of curiosity, noticing and thinking. I realised that this would actually require juggling with what interesting ideas will go in the sketch book, what will be suitable for the blog, when to take out my phone/camera to click a picture and how to manage issues and challenges regarding work placement - 'the real job'. We weren't even halfway to Finland and my mind had already begun to be chaotic. On the plane I came across an interesting article in the Blue Wings, the Finnair flight journal. It was written by Alexander Stubb former prime minister of Finland, a regular contributor to the journal. The article was called 'How to increase happiness'. Mr Stubb argued that the old-fashioned concept of measuring happiness in countries was based on how wealthy the countries are - a notion which has been challenged due to issues in measuring happiness and difficulty in defining happiness. Mr Stubb stated that many of us wrongly think that governments secure happiness for its people. In fact governments can only provide the conditions under which an individual can pursue his or her dreams. This is because the feeling of happiness, after all, is personal and subjective. To determine progress it has lately become important to rank countries based on happiness. Currently this is based on six factors: income of the country (and how equally it is distributed), how long people live (life expectancy), generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption. Finland is at number 5 among the top ten happiest countries according to a 2012 report. The core message Mr Stubb gives is that the countries need to start looking beyond the economy, for happiness and well-being. Ok, probably this is topic is becoming very serious so I will talk about something a little lighter. Before landing at Helsinki one gets glimpses of almost magical views of snowy lands, trees covered with white dusty snow from between the thick clouds and it somehow reminded me of all a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder called 'Hunters in the Snow' (1565)! At the airport the scrutiny started again at the immigration counter: why am I visiting Finland, where is the rest of the class, when will I go back to Ireland, etc. I survived the ordeal, we got our luggage and the big airport building excreted all of us out into icy Finland! Ah, the small snow flakes making random, dancing movements in front of eyes provided pure delight (of freedom!) It was cold but beautiful - we were finally in Finland! The rest of the day was a tired blur - train stations, pulling suitcases, maps, schedules, train tickets, slushing our way under street lights on the snow, getting few things in SMarket, finally settling down in the comfortable hostel beds............ Tomorrow we are meeting our Erasmus representative in Vaanta. I look forward to experiencing what Finland is famous for: freedom, happiness, landscapes, saunas and liquorice and so many other things I will be mentioning in future posts. Stay tuned! I am also recording a pictorial journey on Instagram @ranasamir. The posts on Instagram will be of interesting things I notice, people I meet during the day. The hashtags I am using are #GTI, #erasmusplus, #drawingandvisualinquiry. Day 2: Visiting Vaanta Vocational College Varia Our meeting with Ms Veera Lahti-Olsen (Coordinator of International Affairs) and Robin was set at 9am. The things didn't go as planned and myself and Kevin hardly made it just before lunch break at 11am! Reasons were unavailability of wifi at the hostel which would have made it possible to plan the transport, oversleeping (still getting used to time difference) and being new to the transport system. At Varia, after paying for our accommodation, Veera took us around the campus especially the department of 'visual expression', woodwork, textile, etc. It was nice to see people working in warm offices with snow you could see falling outside the windows! Varia has 4 campuses with 4000 students. Understanding how fine art is taught in the Finnish education system seemed quite complicated. Few things I picked up: 'Fine arts' is not a term used in the school system, it is part of higher education level. 'Visual expression' is the literal translation of the Finnish term. It is part of craft courses like wood work, textiles, etc. Fine arts is mostly taught in private schools. Finnish education system is quite 'open' where students choose their own path of learning. Teachers help individual students find their way Students don't do tests, they do skills demonstrations (we had an amazing lunch afterwards prepared by the students learning to be chefs - best food in Finland till now!) We also looked at fallout shelters in the school building which were being used now for classrooms, gym, etc. Rest of the discussion with Veera focused on why Finns beat themselves with birch branches in saunas, some common vocabulary, food (e.g. sour milk is a drink you will find on the table), where to find good public WiFi (libraries), cheap SIM cards to communicate in Finland, student travel cards, etc. etc. Vera was a sea of information and we had a great conversation. After getting our student travel cards which would enable us to travel unlimited within central Helsinki region (cost 49 euros) and SIM cards, myself and Kevin headed to see a bit of city centre. Remembering Sarah mentioned a Chapel of Silence, I suggested we go there. It proved to be a great transformational experience! It is like a gift you can give to yourself by just sitting in silence in a very serene environment. The silence there felt 'warm', an oasis in the middle of the cold and noisy city centre! samir mahmood I'm only one day in and I already love this place. So many creative people in one place and not a blank or boring wall in site. Sami, my contact here in EMMA gave me a tour of the building and although you know from the outside that the building is big it does not quite prepare you for the scale of the place.
The sheer volume and quality of art is overwhelming and there is a vast collection in storage waiting for its time to shine. In fact, if I was told that I was to spend my three weeks here in any of the storage rooms with a duster I would not at all be disappointed. It's all hands on deck as the Joseph Beuys and Olafur Eliasson exhibits open tomorrow with press here at 12.30pm and an invitation only event at 6pm. I expect to be busy. I have already been put to work blanking out an arch which needed to be blocked as the light was interfering with the new Olafur Eliasson exhibition. Also I've learned to drive a cherry picker as I had to adjust stage lighting for the press. I'm sure that'll come in useful in the future. As the exhibitions are not open until tomorrow I have not included any photos here. I'll upload a few once it has been launched. |
Art + Animation 2016/17Paul Cluskey Map of Vantaa |