FIG. 04287KEL (TM), G. A. Serlachius Oy’s workers at Loukkusuo peat bog. One Woman Year: 1943 (2015) Location: Mänttä
FIG. 07701 (TM)Forester Häggman and an eight-kilogram pike. Year: 1955 (2015) Location: Mänttä
FIG.21749KEL (TM) A person who has lost a hand in an accident. Work safety campaign. Year: 1926 (2015) Location: Mänttä
FIG.ooo29KEL (TM). KMV - news office.Year: 1972 (2015) Location: Mänttä
FIG> 019KI (TM). Father and son clay pigeon shooting day Särkikangas sandpit, Year: 1975 (2015) Location: Vilppula
FIG.0395GAS (TM). Aune Heimolainen, one of the best swimmer girls in Mänttä Sporting Club Year: 1943 (2015) Location: Mänttä
FIG.8097GAS (TM). An apparatus for testing the absorption ability of a nappy. Year: 1969 (2015) Location: Mänttä
FIG. 01832KL (TM). Tapani Kansa sang at Kirstinharju dance pavilion. Departure. Year: 1970 (2015) Location: Mänttä
FIG. 7510GAS (TM). Miss Tuula Järvenpää (The Serla Girl) domestic sales. Year: 1961(2015) Location: Mänttä
Ten People in a Suitcase
Analogue Photography, Portrait, Analogue, 60x50x4cm
Ten People in a Suitcase came about as a response to the archive of over 30,000 photographs held by the Gösta Serlachius Fine Art Foundation in Mänttä, Finland and was made while I was artist in residence there.
The town was originally built around a paper mill, which was founded in 1868. Though the mill is still there, it is a pale shadow of its original glory, now producing mostly toilet paper. Mänttä currently has just over 6,000 inhabitants. Most of the images in the archive are of the ordinary folk of Mänttä, often anonymous, mostly engaged in ordinary activities.
I chose ten photographs as guides, recreating the scenes with myself as protagonist and narrator. Each character had something about them that I recognized. In order to create these new photographs, I had to imagine the events that led up to this moment in the character's lives, and in doing so, felt closer to the town itself. The photographs transcend mere re-enactments; they are embodiments of real individuals who are more than just their snap shot. Through performance, Ten People in a Suitcase is a study of how historic photographs function in the world by depicting the clash between historical and contemporary image making.
The town was originally built around a paper mill, which was founded in 1868. Though the mill is still there, it is a pale shadow of its original glory, now producing mostly toilet paper. Mänttä currently has just over 6,000 inhabitants. Most of the images in the archive are of the ordinary folk of Mänttä, often anonymous, mostly engaged in ordinary activities.
I chose ten photographs as guides, recreating the scenes with myself as protagonist and narrator. Each character had something about them that I recognized. In order to create these new photographs, I had to imagine the events that led up to this moment in the character's lives, and in doing so, felt closer to the town itself. The photographs transcend mere re-enactments; they are embodiments of real individuals who are more than just their snap shot. Through performance, Ten People in a Suitcase is a study of how historic photographs function in the world by depicting the clash between historical and contemporary image making.
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