Environment katalogue

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Graphic design: Marjo Heino Photographs: Marjo Heino, Mari Keto / Inka Maarika, Katariina Mannio, Maria Vuorinen
Carita Ahlqvist
Kirsi Backman
Tapio Haapala
Kati Heljakka
Maija Kantanen
Mari Keto / Inka Maarika
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Jewellery
5 June-15 August 2015
Kirsi Kuusisto
Tarja Kyllijoki
Kari Kärkiluoma
Katariina Mannio
Silja Merikallio
Krista Ruohonen
You are warmly welcome!
Marjo Heino, Regional artist, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Pori
Kati Vainio, Director, Vuojoki Foundation
www.VUOJOKI.fi
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-4 p.m.,
Sat 12 p.m.-4 p.m., in July also Sun 12 p.m.-3 p.m.
Vuojoki Mansion, Kartanontie 28, Eurajoki
Kristina Seppänen
Mari Syrén-Fawaz
Maria Vuorinen
English translations: Aura Jaakkola
Environment Jewellery
brings a new dimension
to environmental art
The title Environment Jewellery suggests that the art form in question
takes its environment into account, and allows the artist to bring some
kind of a new dimension to nature. Environment jewellery may create an
experience for all senses, which comes about through the communication between the work, the environment and the spectator. Environment
jewellery reflects our notions of beauty and brings a decorative aspect to
environmental art.
In terms of technique, environment jewellery draws from several art forms,
and, thus, creates new forms of expression in contemporary art. Environment jewellery may have a relationship to the environment on several different levels: it may be concrete or be based on the content. Environment
jewellery may be a work based on the place of exhibition, and in this case,
the significance of the place is emphasised, and the place becomes a vital
part of the work. The artist may also choose the material and technique
of the work based on the character of the place. Another approach is to
regard the place as a form of social structure, and, in this case, the planning
phase of the work is influenced by the history of the place.
Nature may serve as the source of inspiration for environment jewellery,
and the material may be found in nature. Environment jewellery may
emphasise the diversity of nature by creating a new mark in nature produced by a human being. In cooperation with nature, the artist may create
a new kind of a nature experience in which the beauty of nature merges
with an art object.
The artist may use natural material which she or he processes and combines in fresh ways with different kinds of materials or, for example, recycled objects. Creating jewellery made out of natural and recycled material
is highly demanding, and the maker needs to have excellent technical skills
as well as knowledge of different materials if she or he combines decomposing material with other material. Jewellery produced in nature and out
of natural material is part of an ancient and still continuing tradition, and it
may also represent a material tradition distinctive to a certain place, or, a
rediscovered form of folklore. The artist may also bring up matters dealing
with environmental protection, an approach which is further emphasised
if the work in question is a process, a dying work that becomes part of the
circle of nature.
The unique surroundings of Vuojoki Mansion create a spectacular milieu
for the Environment Jewellery exhibition, which is a first of its kind in
Finland. The exhibition presents work from professional visual artists, environmental artists as well as designers, who open the treasure chest of
environment jewellery with their original artistic forms of expression. Welcome to enjoy a new kind of a union between environment and art!
Pia Hovi-Assad
Landscape Studies at the University of Turku
(the University Consortium of Pori), Project Researcher
Exhibition Curator at the Pori Art Museum (on research leave)
English translation: Aura Jaakkola
Carita Ahlqvist
The Embryonic Root deals with the communion between humans and
nature. It depicts the basic human instinct and need for a direct connection to earth. The starting point for the work was my own relationship
with nature and, especially, the state of me being part of my embryonic
roots.
The Embryonic Root
hardened flax fibre and soil, 2015
Kirsi Backman
Learning that pearl fishers used to collect river mussels from
Eurajoki, which is the river running through Vuojoki, inspired
me to create my work An Ode to the Pearl Fishers. The spiral
pattern can be found in nature in several different plants as well
as the whirlpools in a flowing river.
An Ode to the Pearl Fishers
metal, pottery and natural stones, diametre 3.6m, 2015,
welding by Kai Backman
Tapio Haapala
My work depicts circulation and the change within. The work is
placed in the spruce alley beyond the mansion's classically tended
park and green turfs, where an atmospheric fairy tale world is
unravelled. The five lacy spheres made of welded reinforcing steel
form the other half of an orbit, which can be imagined to rise from
the bowels of the earth, hit its zenith and go down again. The
spherical form of the objects remains the same, but the quantity
of matter decreases being the smallest at the zenith. The zenith
hits the only bright part of the otherwise shady spruce alley, the
sun (hopefully) making the rusting reinforcing steel glow bright
and orange.
Arcus
reinforcing steel, 2015
Kati Heljakka
The Magic Circle is an installation made out of recycled material of
the toy industry. The wooden figures that have been tied together
reflect the idea of a magic circle of play made possible by mutual
understanding, which was presented by play theorist Huizinga: the
inclusive imaginary state of play, in which everything is possible
when the participants of the play share a mutual agreement.
The Magic Circle
wood, 2015
Maija Kantanen
Hanging my environment jewellery in a tree felt like a natural choice from
the beginning. I have enjoyed spending time in the woods ever since I was
a child, and it has felt safe and comforting. When I am walking along the
spruce alley of Vuojoki Mansion and looking at the high tree tops, I cannot
help but think that If I were a bird, I would immediately make these woods
my home. I have decided to call my jewellery A Celebration of the Summer of the Woods. In my work, the birds are flying and twittering, happy
and carefree. I have sculpted the work in Celtic style using high-fired clay.
I fell in love with Celtic art while working in Ireland back in 1999.
A Celebration of the Summer of the Woods
clay and rope, 2015
Mari Keto
Inka Maarika
Timeless is a sculpture that brings out the essence of marble. The
sculpture stands like a mirror of time looking towards the spruce
alley. The surface first seems like a smooth oval, but when passing
it, the spectator will notice the sculptural tridimensionality of the
work. The mirror of time illustrates the history of the usage of marble: the degeneration of its glory as a material of divine sculptures
to the kitsch objects of today. Made out of leftover decor material
and small objects, such as candlesticks and rolling pins, the work
depicts the history of the usage of marble in the past few decades
as well as contemporary innovations through the use of composite
stone. For one more time, the cast-off stone will get the opportunity
to manifest its essence in sculptural form.
Timeless
marble, composite stone, brass, metal, 2015
Kirsi Kuusisto
The heart is one of the most common shapes used in jewellery,
it is a symbol of love. My work reflects the landscape around, and,
depending on the spectator's angle of view,
it may be the trees, the sky or the ground.
The spectators may interact with the work by framing anything
they want with the shape of a heart: whatever they find
interesting, touching and significant.
Love and Small Love, steel, mirror and concrete, 2015
Tarja Kyllijoki
Going to the woods always offers an adventure for all senses:
sight, hearing, smell and touch, as well as for the imagination. The
offerings and materials of the woods are limitless. I am walking in
the woods all my senses alert. I have a deep reverence for the old
trees, as not all that is old is decayed. The woods are near, on the
other side of the road. My work is an amulet of happiness for the
kingdom of the woods.
An Amulet of Happiness for the Trees of the Woods
mixed media, 2015
Similar in their difference
Separate together
Same journey at rest
Agreement ring
Coexistence companionship
For better, for worse
Storm resistant
Let's be
I Do, wood, bark, stone, 2015
Kari Kärkiluoma
Strange fruit.
The richness of diversity.
Onemany.
Many of one.
Acceptance.
Can't tell a tree by its fruits.
Universeuniverses.
Cosmos. Different people.
Beings in oneself.
Multidimensionality.
Assenting.
Hi Billie Holiday.
Strange Fruit, wood, strips of fabric, 2015
Katariina Mannio
Most of my works are woodcuts, but sometimes I use linocut as well. I
print my work by hand on Japanese paper, and I either make small series
or unique prints. At the moment, I am working on a broader project with
subjects that are based on my residence period in Marbella, Spain, back
in 2012, when I worked in the house provided by the Artists' Association
of Finland (Ateljeesäätiö).
For the Environment Jewellery exhibition, I brought four works with the
garden as the common subject. The architectural bases of the works
can be found in Andalusia, Seville and Granada in Spain. I have studied
ornamentation in detail all the way from Morocco to the Middle East. All
of the works are hand-printed. The Family Garden, Sevilla is a unique
work 1/1, but as for the other works, there are a few prints with minor
variations in colour and patterns. (épreuve varié)
Heaven on Earth, Alhambra, woodcut, lino, 2015
Silja Merikallio
The Path invites the spectator to take part in an adventure. Those who
wander the path open-mindedly will discover wonderful surprises and
unexpected moments of celebration even when the times are tough.
Every path is perfect, exactly the right one for its wanderer.
The Path has been made using a new kind of a method, shaped bricks.
The method enables the making of unique brickworks that also match
with industrial bricks, and meet the construction-technical requirements.
The shaped bricks are made out of 100 % Finnish natural clay.
The Path
shaped bricks made out of red clay, patina, glaze and gilding, 2015
Krista Ruohonen
My contribution to the exhibition in Vuojoki, Finders Keepers, is
based on the portrait of Sophia Aminoff, who was the daughter of
the lord of the mansion. One of her pearl earrings has broken, and its
pearl jade stone has dropped somewhere on the mansion grounds.
Whoever finds the stone may keep it. I believe that the work will
activate people, children and adult alike, as one can hardly resist
the excitement of treasure hunting: what if I'll become the one to
find the stone! I hope that the stone hunt will keep the children busy
while their parents are exploring the mansion and admiring its surroundings.
Finders Keepers
mixed media, several parts, 2015
Kristina Seppänen
My work The Snow Stake Himmeli deals with the aesthetics of the different seasons and takes a stand on climate change. Traditionally, the himmeli has been associated with winter and Christmas time. The work aims
to recreate a memory of the essence of winter in the middle of the bright
green of summer as a reference to the estimated changes in our climatic
conditions, including the uplift of winter temperatures.
The Snow Stake Himmeli
(himmeli = a traditional straw mobile decoration), snow stakes, 2015
Mari Syrén-Fawaz
The Hug is a sculpture woven of copper wire on the trunk of a large tree.
I have used the same chaos weaving technique on several different scales:
small silver thread rings and bracelets as well as large sculptures and wall
reliefs. When processed, soft metal thread forms a rigid and durable structure, but it is light and airy at the same time. Merging with the tree trunk,
The Hug is like a jewel with roots underground and arms wrapping around
the trunk and cuddling it.
The Hug
copper wire, 2015
Maria Vuorinen
It is practically impossible to visit any flea market without bumping into
at least one porcelain bowl, which has been made into the shape of a
swan, a decorative object so typical in 80s homes. These entirely white
bowls that I have never seen in use, and that have somehow never
seemed to fit anywhere, bewildered me already as a child.
For my work Commotio Cordis (2014­), I filled the empty swans with
concrete in order to eliminate the unnatural emptiness they possess
for a short while. Then, I broke the fragile cover with a most carefully
considered hammer blow to break the bowl at once without any useless movements. The end product, the concrete cast, resembles a heart.
Some of the bowls have left wing marks that resemble ribs onto the
hearts. The small concrete heart can be hung in a satin ribbon over
one's own heart, and the pieces of the wings and the fractured neck can
be gently hidden in one's pocket to listen to their tinkle. Alternatively,
the concrete hearts can be collected into a flock. Into a suitable space.
Commotio Cordis
pendant installation, porcelain swans, concrete, satin, 2014-2015