Busy busy, climb and chair stuffing

Where does the time go, I ask you! Where?

Well we have hiked at Koli, a wonderful place where the witches of old lived. Did a bit of notes and research on the old religion. Read a few incantations to do with bear killing and watched as the clouds pushed on top of each other making a brilliant almost webbing across the skyline. The images don't do it justice but I could definitely feel the electric friction and power.

Have also done a bit of video. The one displayed just titled Bee is a small, pix-elated version done on the digicamera, but I think the actual dvcam version will look nice. I feel like it might need some composed music to finish the work but I am happy with the vid. Kinda looks like the bee is flying and dancing where in reality it is drowning. Kinda felt bad after for not saving it...ethics, it does come in to play every now and then. Actually Nikki and I had an interesting conversation about ethics in art yesterday...Tricky tricky!

The chair project is also progressing, it has now been stuffed and the Hessian layer to give it a bit more shape control and strength has been finished. Not sure if will have time to upholster it properly but will try. Also still on the agenda are video of the staring contest, a collaborative piece of music video dance and stuff also the emptying out of the out house pee bucket. OH JOY!

Tomorrow morning am going to make myself get up early (before 10am) and just write the damn proposal. At least a good draft of it. I can feel myself getting a bit of stage fright. Also tomorrow I'll be meeting up with a local artist and art museum owner lady called Tuija Hirvonen-Puhakka to discuss art and things so that’s exciting. Much to so still so off I go....

Tu Päälle - Come over me

Today my thoughts have been turning to a possible performance to camera. It uses a lot of mirrors to indirectly video myself having a staring contest with a mirror but indirectly with the camera as well.

I also found a sign that I liked. It reminded me of an old project Tengo las ampollas muy grandes,2006-2008, which I made after walking the Santiago de Compostela. It got me thinking of words and light and thoughts, memories and experiences how they are individualistic and biased. Today it rained: Today is dim.

Almost a week now since we arrived and I have no idea where the time goes. I keep forgetting the day and as long as we manage to get back to Helsinki by the 24th I'm not too bothered. In fact I can feel my body slowly relaxing, unwinding and getting prepared to make some new work.

I am hoping to get a pet project finished while here. It's an old chair from the 40's which my grandfather had in his student flat. It has now been stripped; it was filled with hay and wood shavings, I am amazed it hadn't caught fire in the last 60 odd years. I unscrewed all the legs, or really sawed off the metal bits as they had rusted after so many years of non use. The legs have now been sanded down and re-moistened with some olive oil and hopefully will be ready to attach once the chair has been stuffed and reupholstered. On the same topic I’ve decided to have a go at embroidery. Not my strong suit but I've decided that as long as I enjoy it, it will have been a success.

A few days ago we went to a random art exhibit at Louhitalo called ART TODAY – TÄMÄN PÄIVÄN TAIDE 2011. I was pleasantly surprised to see the quality. Although they did not have the best possible equipment to showcase the work
the actual space and the exhibition was well balanced and thoroughly enjoyable. There were quite a few performance to camera pieces of interest my personal favourites being Karolina Kucia's performance and animation Mesmeralda Marianotavirgin and Hyun Joo Min's Korea -Suomi, Korea – Finland (Olen Suomalainen). There was also a wooden sculpture called Boy (please touch) by Jason Burton, which I must admit to enjoying the touch of.

Next I will strat to properly attack my proposal for a grant as it must get done before next Wednesday.

the truly important!

On 13.08.11 at 3.29 my sister gave birth to the first brand new baby in our family her first born beautiful daughter with lots of dark hair and blue eyes. I feel so happy so much love. so much so much!

I wrote this the night she was born. It is a spell or incantation to help her and welcome her.

Tule Otson tytär
tule kultaisen kuun
kahdeksannen kierron
kolmannentoista yön
tule rakkahin
tähän valoisaan
vanhempiesi hoivaan
lauhkeaan aamuun
tule tähtisen taivaan alla
otavan taittuessa lännestä itään
tule rakkahin lapsi
tule omiesi lomaan
muista kantaneesi syke
anna sen vaivuttaa sinut lepoon
anna sen nostaa sinut rinnalle
ja maistella maitoo
ota isäsi sormi pieneen
nyrkkis oteen
ota rauhaisa maa
tunne mystisen kuun voima
tule luoksemme Otseon tytär
tule rakkaittesi luo.

In to the wild: Baby, mushroom, lake, forest, life!

Two days in. Forest, sauna and just the body relaxing and getting recharged. We've done some mushroom picking (some proved poisonous after rigorous checking in books) and redcurrants have come off the bush and been put in to some pies:) yum yum.



Saw this random Eau de cologne machine in a public toilet near a fleamarket and thought it looked interesting and also had a bit of a danger as an element mainly as the spray was at eye level. Thoughts, colours, danger and beauty. Intoxicating.



We have also been playing the game Life.. brilliant fun and there really are no losers.

Clearing the skies and the slate

Well the decision has been taken away from me. For good or bad, I cant say. The group show has fallen through. I'm oddly not disappointed, which probably means I wasn't that happy with the work to be in it in the first place. It seems that this stuff happens every now and then and I have decided to not ponder it through too much and just continue with new projects.
Nicola (Miss Evénte) arrives tomorrow. I'm so excited to get to see her again and to make some exciting new work! Tonight I’m going to an opening at the gallery I work and hopefully making a few new contacts. You never know who might show up!
To do list today still includes writing a newsletter to accompany the HESA inprint magazines newest edition due to be online latest tomorrow. Very exciting stuff, very cool work to view.
As for project 'Yes I know your Birth', research is getting super interesting. I'm learning new spells to cast and understanding more and more about the meditative process that goes in to one. I think I’ll have a go at writing a few myself.

Lightning, Rain and Rendering a video

Ok , so here I go. It might as well be now, its half past one at night. The beginning is always the hardest. It is like writing that first page in an expensive notebook: Intimidating!

It's odd getting back in to writing, of keeping even a semblance of a coherent thread running through my creative life. I suppose that is the reason for this progress blog. A reason to reason things out. (as if on cue lightning just lit the skies)

Background may be needed but I wont go back too far. In fact I wont go back at all. this is where I’m at now. I work in a gallery, I run and edit a magazine http://www.hesainprint.com with my partner Thierry and friend Kaisa. I am going on a residency (self-made) in eastern Finland this Friday with my friend Nicola and we shall soak up nature and make some work together. Eat, drink, sauna and art!

I'm pondering giving up smoking, I'm becoming a godmother and at some point in between I am trying to get some funding sorted out for the mag, for myself and another HUSH HUSH project. I've also got a solo exhibition coming up in 2012 which requires a mass amount of research and some special technical skills I have yet to learn and another group exhibition in about a month, which is why I’m still burning the midnight oil.

All in all very busy, slightly sporadically insane and hopeful that one day there will be time to sleep and just read a book. Something easy, something simple with a good mystery or two.

Tomorrow I will decide if I can make my installation for the group exhibition, if I can then I shall be building an altar. if not then I’ll just cross my fingers and hope the vid will be enough.

DVD has burnt now, so its time to get back to the work.