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by Marja-Leena

final preparations

brochure.jpg

With my printworks finished and ready to hang on Wednesday morning, I had a day of deserved and much-needed rest yesterday. Today I am sorting through my notes, even my blog posts which are a proving to be a very useful archive, to put together the supplementary information for my exhibition. You can see that I am a list person!

1. The curriculum vitae has been updated and is ready to print. Must update the copy on this blog soon.

2. The all-important Artist’s Statement – I’m re-revising this everytime I look at it! I’m starting with this early statement and adding some words by Kivikäs on the “silent message of man”. Because I’m including the last ten pieces of the Nexus series that preceded the current series, I need to say something about their connection.

3. I’m going to put up the five of Karen D’Amico’s original photos that I have used for the series of prints called Silent Messengers: Connecting with D’Amico along with a note about this collaboration-of-sorts.

4. I’m seriously thinking of displaying my copy of the 2003 Finno-Ugric Calendar with a print-out of the excellent introduction by Väinö Poikalainen along with some comments on the influence of Loit Joekalda on my work.

5. A short note of explanation regarding the strange title is underway for Nexus: Vyg and Willendorf to be put up next to that piece.

6. The colour brochures of my work (pictured above) that were printed to accompany the 2002 exhibition in Finland have been updated with a stick-on label with my new email and weblog addresses. Though the examples of work are older and not in this exhibition, the brochure is still an attractive “take-home” for visitors since I still have a couple of hundred of them as it was cheaper to print in large quantity.

November 12, 2005 in Art Exhibitions, Being an Artist, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Recent Exhibitions by Marja-Leena 4 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf

This is the unusual and attention-grabbing title of a new book on Finland, as announced in the aforementioned e-newsletter from Canadian Friends of Finland. The announcement reads:

DEAR FINN OR PART- FINN:

Finland is revealed in a new book by the linguist and Finland friend, Richard D. Lewis:

Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf gives an insight into every aspect of Finland and it’s people, as described by a keen observer of global cultural differences and in particular of the Finns. In relating numerous jokes and humorous stories the book shows the authors enchantment with his subject. Apart from its description of the Finnish people and culture the book provides an introduction to the country’s history and to the factors, geographical and historical, which have shaped the Finnish nature. In a review of the book, Prof. Oiva Saarinen in Finnish American Reporter states: “Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf is a book of many insights – not only about Finland but also of the world beyond…..it provides a highly useful guide for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the Finns and how they think, communicate and do business”.

About the author:
Richard Lewis’s fascination with Finland goes back to, when he as a young university graduate, interested in sports, visited the country during the Olympic games in 1952, which were held in Helsinki that year. He met my (U.F.) sportsminded younger cousin, Matt, who invited him to stay and work on his family’s farm. He stayed nearly a year on the farm, learning Finnish (particularily the earthy kind) while working side by side with the farmhands. For a while he explored the rest of Finland teaching English in order to support himself. After a few years in other parts of Europe he came back to Finland to open the first Berlitz school in Helsinki. From then on Lewis developed a cross-cultural expertise and is now head of Richard Lewis Communications, an international company with language schools in 15 countries and with 6 schools in Finland.

Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf, ISBN: 1-931930-18-X, can be ordered through local book stores. (I found it at amazon.ca with a 1 to 2 month shipping time.)

If any of my readers, especially Finns, have read this book, I’d be very pleased to hear opinions of it. Can a non-native really understand another culture and people completely? I was born in Finland, did not live there very long, have visited several times, correspond in Finnish with some relatives, and read about Finland and still continue to learn more about this amazing little country.

October 15, 2005 in Books, Culture, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Finland, Cultural Lone Wolf

by Marja-Leena

Sibelius…the Last Swan

sibelius.jpg
Images from Jean Sibelius biography site.

Canadian Friends of Finland, Vancouver Chapter, presents:
SIBELIUS…..THE LAST SWAN
A stage play performed by Western Gold Theatre
Saturday October 29, 2005, 2 – 3.30 pm
Scandinavian Community Centre, 6540 Thomas St., Burnaby, B.C.
The one-hour play will be followed by a discussion of the subject.
Admission $ 10, refreshments included

A highly original piece by Don Mowatt and Harri Virtanen, Sibelius….the Last Swan is a documentary play with music about the creative and physical problems overcome by love and courage in the great Finnish composer’s last years.

Don Mowatt was Radio Arts Producer for thirty-four years at CBC, producing over a thousand radio plays and documentaries as well as writing and producing for Ideas, In Performance and The Arts Tonight. He is the recipient of several awards, including two George F. Peabody Medals, the highest broadcast award available. He is one of three co-artistic directors of Western Gold Theatre.

Western Gold Theatre was founded in 1994 by the distinguished Canadian actor and director, Joy Coghill, to establish a community of accomplished senior performing artists. The company aims to produce and present outstanding professional theatre that expands horizons and enriches the lives of mature artists and their audiences. The theatres seminal production was a creative exploration entitled The Dream Project which was the subject of a CBC documentary, The Courage to Dream. The company takes dramatic readings out into the community on a regular basis throughout the year, and has produced and commissioned four major stage plays in recent years for the Vancouver Playhouse, The Arts Club Theatre and the Belfry Theatre in Victoria.

The cast : Lee Taylor – Sibelius, Doris Chilcott – Aino, Christine Anton – Eva, Don Mowatt – Kajanus

SIDENOTE: This announcement came in an email notice that goes out to members, like myself, of the Vancouver chapter of Canadian Friends of Finland, one of many Nordic organizations that are based at the Scandinavian Community Centre. The Canadian Friends of Finland, Ottawa branch has a good site explaining its mandate and programs.

We saw this play a few years ago at the Centre, found it very moving, enjoyed it tremendously and highly recommend it!

October 15, 2005 in Culture, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Music by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Sibelius…the Last Swan

by Marja-Leena

NIFCA

If you are an artist looking for opportunities such as residencies in the Nordic countries, NIFCA**, the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art, will be of interest to you. Located in Helsinki, NIFCA is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the body responsible for co-operation between the governments of Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Åland Islands. NIFCA creates a variety of new opportunities for artists, audiences, curators and critics to experience, enjoy and explore contemporary visual culture in the Nordic countries and internationally. It is involved in residency collaboration at numerous locations in the Nordic countries and throughout the world.

There is a lot of information here to begin a research for some exciting opportunities. I enjoyed browsing through the website and looking at the Artist Gallery, (under Residencies) where one can learn who has taken part in them, where they are from and where they did their residency. For example, under Finland, I found it interesting that a Finnish/Canadian visual artist from Canada, Suvi Johanna Kuisma went to Ivalo, Inari, Lapland in the summer of 2004. I’ve seen her name somewhere here in Canada. I really connected with her artist statement that accompanied the images of her work, quoted here in part:

I am connected by my parents past, through their stories, their memories. But in coming here now, I am building a new connection, replanting the roots, looking back while moving forward. I used the images from the kasvisto (greenhouse) as a starting point. The works I produced are an exploration of the tension between the need to have roots, a history, an origin, and the simultaneous need to transcend and let go of those anchors. Existing in the space between, in a space of continual flux, I try to find a balance.

** UPDATE: since writing this, the NIFCA organization has since changed – please check it out here

October 13, 2005 in Being an Artist, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Other artists by Marja-Leena Comments Off on NIFCA

by Marja-Leena

Wolf Cave

susiluola.jpg

Here’s an interesting find, not rock art this time, but archaeology. Susiluola or Wolf Cave is northern Europe’s oldest known human dwelling site. In most places the last ice age destroyed evidence from the warmer interglacial periods of previous ice ages. Wolf Cave is like a small pocket that succeeded in avoiding the destruction. Because of this the cave is an exceptionally valuable research site. In the sediment levels of Wolf Cave have been found evidence of human habitation that includes stone tools, stone chips left from the making of such tools and old hearth remains. These artefacts are estimated to be 120,000 years old, which means that Neanderthals must have dwelt in the cave prior to the last ice age.

Wolf Cave is located in western Finland. Study of the cave and surroundings is ongoing and causing a rewriting of the history of habitation in the Nordic countries. Though tourists cannot enter the cave, they can visit the Tourist Centre and view the exhibition showcasing Wolf Cave’s archaeology and the many artefacts that have been found there as well as Wolf Cave’s geology and the geological development of the area and its plant and animal life since the ice age. There is a 15-minute video presentation about excavations at Wolf Cave and a multimedia production that describes the role the ice age played in the development of the cave. Next time I’m in Finland….

October 3, 2005 in Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Rock Art & Archaeology by Marja-Leena Comments Off on Wolf Cave

by Marja-Leena

Pekka Kivikäs

kivikas.jpg

As my readers know, I’m nuts about prehistoric art, particularly that of northern Europe. One site that I check periodically is Arkeo.net**, a Finnish portal for archaeology fans. Recently I spotted a notice about some new books (PDF) that have come out.

I’m particularly keen on the two books by Pekka Kivikäs. “Rocks, Landscapes and Rock Paintings”, written in both English and Finnish, is about Finland’s pictographs, based on his many years of research. The other book “Ruotsin Pyyntikulttuurin Kalliokuvat Suomalaisin Silmin” (Sweden’s Prehistoric Rock Paintings Through a Finn’s Eyes), is based on the author’s 12 years of visits to Swedish sites. I’ve been hoping to get my hands on some of his books which have gone out of print, so I’ve eagerly ordered these two new ones from Akateeminen Kirjakauppa, a major bookstore in Helsinki which takes online orders and credit card payment. I can hardly wait.

Kivikäs was the subject of a very early post I wrote when starting this blog. I’ll repeat this quote:

The art teacher Pekka Kivikäs has become well-known for his work as an active documenter and publisher of Finnish rock paintings… the book is aimed at the wide circle of readers interested in the ancient culture of Finno-Ugric regions…Kivikäs considers rock art the silent message of man from behind the thousands of years….

Rereading this now, I’m struck by “silent message”, considering that my current working print series is titled “Silent Messengers”!

In 1999, Kivikäs’ home city of Jyväskylä honoured him and his life’s work by establishing the Kivikäs Prehistoric Centre. It features his immense research material of mostly Finland’s prehistoric rock paintings and continues the work of research, documentation, education and tours to the rock art sites. If I had known of this centre when visiting Jyväskylä in 2000, I sure would have gone there. Next time.

Unfortunately the website is only in Finnish because there’s some interesting reading about the history of the place, but have a look at the photos. My Finnish readers may enjoy it. The Centre is located on a historic 1763 property in the newer Kuokkola Manor, which was built in 1904 for the Swedish-Finnish businessman Julius Johnson.

A bit off the subject, I found it fascinating that the Manor was designed by a woman architect who was a classmate of the famous Eliel Saarinen amongst others. Wivi Lönn (1872-1966) (PDF in English) was the first Finnish woman to start an architectural agency. She gained the qualifications of architect in the 1890s during an era when women were only allowed entry into construction education programmes by dispensation. She had a long and successful career despite some overshadowing by male colleagues. Her last creation was at the age of 78, and she died at the age of 94.

UPDATE: In the comments below, Blogisisko pointed to an article in English about women architects in Finland in the Early 20th Century**, in which Wivi Lönn is included. She’s also written a post about her, with some photos coming soon.

Virtual Finland** is a wonderful resource on everything about Finland and I read it frequently. This time I did not delve into it, as I was really focusing on Pekka Kivikäs. Funny how easily one gets off the subject, especially when one finds such an interesting tidbit.

**the Virtual Finland and Arkeo links no longer exist, I’m sad to note.

September 26, 2005 in Books, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, History, Rock Art & Archaeology by Marja-Leena 3 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Sunday in Vancouver

DeepCove.jpg

A gorgeous sunny warm day yesterday tempted us outside to explore. We headed to Deep Cove with walking shoes, a backpack with water, a snack of nuts and the camera. The “Cove” was pleasantly crowded with people enjoying the boating (sail, motor, kayak and canoe), the waterfront parks, the village with its little shops and cafes.

We poked around and then went into the Seymour Art Gallery to see the current exhibition “Lelam” (Coast Salish for “friend”) of First Nations work. We liked most the various objects made of leather, and the furniture made of wood and steel incorporating native designs. We were quite fascinated by the photos of the method of preparing the cedar bark for weaving their fine traditional cedar bark hats.

This reminded us of how similarly the Finns prepared birch bark for their traditional weaving into baskets, shoes, belts, even hats. There was an extensive display of birch bark works and photos of the technique in the excellent Craft Museum of Finland that we visited a few years ago – I wish it was on their website. We also met the retired husband of one of my cousins who made the most marvellous hats of many styles, but would not sell them, for he used them as examples for his demonstrations in his teaching of the craft. Long ago. a maternal great-uncle made a beautiful basket and pair of shoes (usable but kept for decoration only) for my mother, who later gave them to me because I loved them so much, and I still treasure them and display them proudly.

Oh, I’ve wandered off the subject of our day! Some time after we got home from our outing, we smelled acrid wood smoke and noticed the air was very hazy all around. Where’s the fire? We turned on the TV for the early evening news, to learn about a large fire in Burns Bog, south of Vancouver. The winds were spreading the smoke all over the Lower Mainland. This could last a long time as the peat burns deep. I happened to come across Boris Mann’s post and photo of ithe fire at Urban Vancouver, which I’ve captured below. Our pleasant day of fresh air, exercise, sightseeing and art ended with no fresh air and a stuffy closed house to sleep in.

burnsbog.jpgnews report on the Burns Bog fire

September 12, 2005 in Art Exhibitions, Being an Artist, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric by Marja-Leena 3 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Artscape Nordland

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Seven Magical Points – Martti Aiha, Finland

Reader and commenter extraordinaire Bill really livened up the virtual conversation at my post about a book on Quadra petroglyphs, Spirit in the Stone. If readers missed it, do go read the comments there.

First Bill identified me as a lithophile in response to Anna’s question about what to call me over my love for rock art! Bill is a keen lithophile himself and remarked on some echoes in some of my prints to work of some stone carvers. I responded: … it’s interesting the similarities that you note. I think my work seems sculptural because I frequently deep etch my copperplates to the point that there are fragmented edges and holes… The plates themselves are beautiful, like relief sculpture.

Bill pointed out numerous interesting links to explore for which I’m very thankful. One of these is Artscape Nordland in Norway. It’s an amazing international art project with 33 invited participants from 18 countries.

The project originated in a comprehensive debate about the role of art in society. The County of Nordland, with its 240.000 inhabitants, does not have an art museum – and people must travel long distances to study modern art in museums and galleries. The idea of a collection of modern art in Nordland, one sculpture in every municipality and with the landscape as gallery, was first presented in 1988.

The underlying idea of the project is that a work of art creates a place of its own through its very presence in the landscape. The sculpture also visualises its surroundings, thus giving the place a new dimension. The dialogue resulting from the encounter between the sculpture and spectator reveals different ways of understanding and interpreting art.

The project officially started in 1992, and was completed in 1998. Sculptures, located in beautiful, varied and often brutal landscapes on the coast of the Atlantic, will be found in 33 of the 45 municipalities in the county. An art gallery without walls or a ceiling – and covering an area of 40.000 km2.

Some of the artists are well-known, like Anish Kapoor, Per Kirkeby, Antony Gormley, and Dan Graham, and many are young upcoming sculptors. Enjoy a tour of these exciting sculptures in their settings along the Atlantic coast of Norway. Thanks, Bill!

September 11, 2005 in Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, Modern Rock Art, Other artists by Marja-Leena 3 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

Marimekko

karhunkukka_340_small.jpg
Marimekko Pattern: Karhunkukka (1964/2004) (translation: Bearflower)
Designer: Maija Isola and Kristina Isola

Soon after my last post, which mentions Marimekko, I found an article in the Guardian about how Marimekko may have won John F. Kennedy the 1960 presidential election! Jacqueline Kennedy wore these Finnish cotton dresses, and seemingly the voters liked that these were less stuffy than her Parisian wardrobe. Certainly it helped increase the fame of this company. It’s an interesting story of the company and the women in it.

If you’re in Glasgow go see: Marimekko: Fabrics, Fashion and Architecture which runs from September 10 to November 8 at The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Scotland.

And here’s the Marimekko website. I remember long ago I made a couple of garments out of bold and colourful Marimekko fabric for myself and later for my first child. Back in 2002 when visiting Helsinki we noticed two large and elegant Marimekko stores on fashionable and touristy shopping streets.

(Thanks to Pekka Nykänen for the Guardian link!)

September 6, 2005 in Art Exhibitions, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric by Marja-Leena 2 Comments »

by Marja-Leena

blogs and shows

1. Thanks to blog friend Anna of Self-Winding for pointing out that The Padacia has posted a couple of my Nexus prints. Thanks also to this mystery blogger from Oslo – it’s nice to find another beautiful blog. Curiosity sent me to the first entry of October 27th, 2002 which explains the meanings of Padacia, and a browse through some of the older entries (some lovely writing) suggests a feminine voice of someone originally from Singapore.

2. Carolyn Zick, a Seattle artist-blogger Dangerous Chunky** writes about a visit to the Nordic Heritage Museum near Seattle to see Garth Amundsens’s work and to admire the Scandinavian exhibits, including Finland’s famed Marimekko. This brought to mind Robert Kaiser’s post about Marimekko, and Lucian Perkins great photos, in Finland Diary earlier this year.

By the way, and I’m late mentioning this, Carolyn has an exhibition** on this month at the Shift Gallery in Seattle, and she has a great website for it: Distill Bill**. Bre Pettis has posted a photo of Carolyn** in front of her work. Congratulations on some really great looking work and the show, Carolyn!

That’s two reasons I should be going to Seattle.

3. Oh, that reminds me, there’s another interesting exhibition coming up in the Seattle area: The Sami Exhibit, The Reindeer People of Alaska is a travelling exhibit to honor the Sami herders who came from Norway in 1894 and 1898 to teach reindeer herding skills to the Yup’ik and Inupiaq Peoples of Alaska. It’s at the Nordic Heritage Museum from October 7th to November 13th. Read all about it at Baiki, the International Sami Journal (and which I wrote about last December).

4. Finally, go see Anna L. Conti’s post Life echos Art. Wish I’d posted that!

UPDATED March 21st, 2013: **links have expired and have been removed.

September 6, 2005 in Art Exhibitions, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, History, Other artists by Marja-Leena 2 Comments »

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