Ilman unta (liikkeen rytmi on eri)

15.4.2009 Anna Nykyri

Video installation, projection (loop 7 min), projection dimensios variable, mono sound

My first installation (I can't get no sleep and the fish is dead)

The course, in which I wanted to learn what is an video installation, started with a task "Ping Pong". The students just took cameras and filmed quickly something that showed a reflection between subject, viewer and artist. Somehow I ended up filming a fish in our school´s dirty aquarium (probably cause it was so near and we didn't have much time), thinking why people really need pets. Isn't it stupid to put a fish in a glass box and watch it? Still, if you treat your pet well, it might give you happiness. A continueos circle of reflecting.

I took the camera and sneeked as near the fish as I could. After few seconds of staring each other (and filming the fish as a beautiful movie star) it slowly, step by step backed out from the picture. An image with an empty aquarium. Suddenly I remembered my own aquarium as a child - the constant guilty of not cleaning it as often as needed, frustration when the fishes weren't so playful friends as a pets after all and then finally the huge sadness about the quite short lifetime of a fish.

I decided that in my installation there will be a woman with a plastic bag, inside the bag there will be a dead fish. Woman just standing, in her head leaving farewell for the fish. The image is black and white, to create the right mood and this happens in the harbour, near by water - playing with film-noir style. Lights of the boats leave their marks to the water. It is night-time and the others are sleeping.

Insomnia & Movements of the animals in the forest

Everyone who has seen an elk running in the forest, knows that there is no movement like that in a city. Everyone, who has ever suffered insomnia, knows it kind of slows the motion around you and leaves you standing in the middle of the whole fuss, observing it all. As Sandman wasn't my best friend those days and to proceed my theme with the fishes, I decided to film them (fishes) in SeaLife, Linnanmäki. After filming seahorses for a while, I was sure there was something so beautiful in their movement, that no one who runs from place to place without the chance of being forced to stop and observe, couldn't see it. In my installation I wanted everyone to see it.

The girl in the colorful sea

When thinking black and white thoughts about the water and boats, I remembered a picture about me as a little girl, taken by my father. I'm lying in a plastic ball sea in a boat between Sweden and Finland and staring straight to the camera, looking mysteriously meditative. The image was black and white, but remembering the joy of trying to swim in the colorful plastic ball sea, I decided to get some of it into my installation. Just to remind the colours really exist to those who have maybe forgotten it. The plastic balls ended up in the top and under my projision and lying in the floor under it.

Shortly about the sound

Breathing heavily (my voice), like in a sleep. Distant water sounds, sea horses sounds. And finally the familiar childrens clock bell to get you to sleep. Something small, beautiful and relaxing, just to create the right atmosphere to the space around black and white moving image and colorful plastic balls.

Reflecting each others works

Water became one of the main elements for our exhibition. In our course (leading to an exhibition) we tried as much as possible to reflect each others works in process. For me this was a fascinating point of view for making an art piece - somehow it helped me forgetting the pressure of being perfect and trying to make "a perfect installation". However, now when the exhibition is ready, I feel (and no, I don't always feel like this) my piece is just a bite of something, my first unsecure movement towards something. Succesful, because I've taken it, but not with a clear view at all, yet. Somehow I also ended up in my work reflecting themes that have been used quite a lot in video installations in general. Why? Because I'm not sure at all, but willing to know, I will continue - experimenting, reflecting and thinking: what is an video installation, really?