Laura Dahlberg, Jere Vainio

Closed on Midsummer 25.–27.6.2021.

Laura Dahlberg: Beings

In animist world views agency is often interpreted as extending to both living and non-living nature. In Japanese Shintoism, for example, kami is a concept that allows natural phenomena, animals and rocks among other forces of nature to possess qualities original to deities and spirits. Could machines perhaps also have a spirit?

American scholar Dorinne Kondo illustrates the gentle relationship between machine and man in her article Polishing Your Heart. Artisans and Machines in Japan (2005). Kondo writes about a Japanese factory where, amongst others, plastic Hello Kitty toys were manufactured. The machines were deeply appreciated in the factory, and even considered colleagues. They could be given the same New Year’s greetings as the bosses, friends and customers so as to ensure the cooperation would continue smoothly in the following year. The machines weren’t considered mere instruments but rather spiritual extensions of human beings. The machine was therefore not an alienated tool, but a being with whom the employee could work together to create a fine object.

The exhibition Beings features three small robots that manifest their agency in the exhibition space for two weeks. The movement, materiality and technical implementation of these mechanical structures create a spiritless impression, but could these machines, consisting of components, code and electricity, also embody a spirit of some sort?

The realization of all the works in the exhibition has itself required cooperation with various machines. The process has involved the idea of whether materials and machines might have agency which transcends their everyday utilitarian purpose. The movement, sound or ability of a machine often influences the way it is perceived; some machines seem more lifelike than others. The effectiveness and power of an angle grinder becomes apparent as it works its way through the ancient mass of a stone. When cutting plastic, the smooth movement of the laser cutter can seem very lively. Even if one is familiar with the working mechanisms of a given machine, it may seem to have knowledge regarding the material it is working on which far exceeds one’s own. Certainty about whether agency can be assigned to machines may never be achieved, but the possibility of it is certainly intriguing.

About the artist

Laura Dahlberg (b. 1991) studies coexistence between humans, machines, materials and other species in her artistic work. Installations and sculptures often create an absurd experience using a variety of sensory stimuli, interactivity and new technology. Dahlberg graduated from Saimaa University of Applied Sciences as a visual artist in 2016 and is currently completing her Master's thesis at the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of the Arts Helsinki.

The soundscape of the exhibition has been created by Heta Bilaletdin. The exhibition has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Paulo Foundation.

Learn more

Nettisivut: www.lauradahlberg.com
Instagram: @dalai_laura_

Jere Vainio: Excavations

Jere Vainio’s ‘Excavations’ is an installation of works and debris bound by production techniques used in making them. Set in the context of an archaeological excavation site the work dwells deeper into a process where its parts feed off from each other. To find evolution in the work through repetition and rediscovery Vainio recycles materials and techniques to understand more about the possibilities of production and its relation to theoretical concepts.

The site is a collection of memories that are waiting to be rediscovered as something new. The archived materials and failures function as guides. These guides are constantly reshaped until their purpose is found.

Art historical genres such as still life and movements such as Impressionism inspire to use the discovered techniques and seek new ways to interpret them. The end result is an abstract setting in the form of sculptures, prints and objects.

About the artist

Jere Vainio (b. 1981) works with familiar materials and seeks to understand them from the perspective of making and unmaking. This approach stems from Vainio's history as a skilled pattern cutter and maker of clothing. Vainio sees yhe technical approach to realising projects with bare necessities, and recycling materials and concepts, as a practice of deconstructive anthropology.

The works reveals influences from various craft techniques like sewing, ceramics and vernacular architecture, and reintroduces them into the context of art history. The resulting work is an autobiographical excavation site with layers of meaning and interpretation.

The process of examining existence through problem-solving material desires led to an exploration of the poetics of craft and identity. By cannibalising on history and skills, Vainio creates future-artefacts.