Artwork

Oravannahkakauppaa1

Basilikasali, Taidetehdas (Art Factory), Porvoo, Finland, August-September, 2004.

This exhibition developed from a residency at a papermaking studio. Much of the vast gallery was left empty, playing with relations between absence/presence, and drawing attention to the unusual acoustics of the space. Miniature paper houses were clustered and dispersed throughout the space. There was also a wooden cart which could be pulled towards the centre of the gallery via a creaky pully which echoed through the space. Cardamom (a spice used in Finnish baking) was sprinkled amongst the houses and its smell permeated the space. A "mindmap" drawn directly on the wall reflected my experiences of Finland, including questions concerning being an outsider, isolation, and language (drawn with the same pigment traditionally used to paint their houses). The table contained textiles I had collected from second-hand shops.

1. Oravannahkakauppaa translates as "barter/exchange/squirrel fur trade."

Materials: handmade linen paper, photo-montage, glue, cardamom powder, ink, watercolour on paper,
  pigment (on wall), wood, wheels, rope, pulley, found textiles


Photographer: Vida Simon