Sound Artist: Jaakko Autio / Music Composer: Jussi Mattila / Singers: Narva music school Ensemble «Yakub-bend-A»: Alissa Milovidova, Valentina Starodubtseva, Evelina Koop, Kristel Treinbuk, Sille Reinsalu, Marija Eroshkina. Teacher Alla Yakubova / Nomad Vocals: Tatu Huotarinen, Emma Jämsén, Kaisa Karhunen, Juulia Karppi, Vilppu Kekkonen, Lasse Kettunen, Eero Lahtinen, Tiina Leskinen, Emma Pitkänen, Joona Rytkönen, Jaakko Örmälä, Kasper Omenasaari & choir director Jussi Mattila. / The work has been supported by: TAIKE and Kimmo Kaivanto Säätiö.

OrigiNation (AlkuLähde) reflects contemplation on one’s own origin and belonging to the world. The piece originated during Jaakko Autio’s four-month residency in Narva in the spring of 2022. OrigiNation is a collaboration between Finnish and Narva (Estonian-Russian) singers. In the piece, you can hear fragments of the national anthems of Finland and Estonia (Maamme Laulu/Mu Isamaa). The sound work consists of fragments of a song composed by Friedrich Pacius, which has been included in the national anthem by both Estonia and Finland. The work consists of three improvised takes based on material composed by Jussi Mattila, specifically created for this installation. Improvisation allows singers to make internal choices during singing, expanding the emotional range and freedom together with others.

The work was completed in 2023 in Estonia (Narva) and Finland. Pop & Jazz students from Narva Music School participated in the recording sessions, as well as Nomad Vocals from Finland. Together, a new homeland was formed, incorporating everyone regardless of ethnic background. Anyone who wished to sing and breathe could be a part of this work. Narva currently has a population that is 96% Russian-speaking. In the 1920s, the Narva built in the 1600s was destroyed by Russian bombings, leveled to the ground. The surviving Estonians were transported to Gulaks, forced labor camps, and were not allowed to return to Narva. A new Russian style Narva was constructed, and a population from various parts of Russia was brought in. The commonality among the people was the language, but roots were no longer shared. Today, the population is mixed, living through the fifth generation. Even 17% of Narva residents have the designation “Alien” in the nationality section of their passports.

Artist´s Comment

My works are interpersonal and deal with human belonging in the world. They shake assumptions of otherness in a gentle way and aim to dismantle invisible boundaries between us. They provide spaces for diverse stories, perspectives, and geopolitical backgrounds. At their core is the simultaneity of diverse and shared humanity.

My artistic practice is guided by the philosophy of radical empathy. I aim to create safe and inclusive spaces where the individual is always approached with a gentle gaze. Basic security is essential for the experience of participation and the assimilation of new understanding.

The experience of being left out traumatizes individuals, communities, and entire nations. Depriving participation and weaponizing interdependence not only cause immense human suffering but also threaten peace and the structures that support life. Therefore, it is important for me to follow the principle of beneficence, an ethical guideline that dictates interpreting others as positively as possible unless proven otherwise. This creates the framework for artistic peace work, or “works of peace,” as I call my works that facilitate mutual understanding.

OrigiNation – Part IV @ Purkutaiteen näyttely – Ihmemaa X 1.6 – 28.8.2024

Sound Artist: Jaakko Autio / Choir: Nomad Vocals / Composition and Choir leader: Jussi Mattila / Installation Builders: Sanna Tenkanen, Katri Leppänen, Joonas Bullinger, Laura Jarva, Tuomas Kiuru & Jouni Väänänen / Event director: Jouni Väänänen / Producer: Laura Jarva: / Singers: Narva music school Ensemble «Yakub-bend-A»: Alissa Milovidova, Valentina Starodubtseva, Evelina Koop, Kristel Treinbuk, Sille Reinsalu, Marija Eroshkina. Teacher Alla Yakubova / Nomad Vocals: Tatu Huotarinen, Emma Jämsén, Kaisa Karhunen, Juulia Karppi, Vilppu Kekkonen, Lasse Kettunen, Eero Lahtinen, Tiina Leskinen, Emma Pitkänen, Joona Rytkönen, Jaakko Örmälä & Kasper Omenasaari.

I am brushing the floor in the exhibition space of Purkutaide, located in the former Anttila building in Kerava. The opening of the Purkutaide exhibition is on June 1st. I wanted to create a site-specific work with the youth and adults of Kerava, but I didn’t receive any funding. Currently, the space is filled with the sounds of OrigiNation, where I ask all the singers, “Why do you sing?” The singers are from Finland (Nomad Vocals) and music students from Narva, Estonia. In this piece, Estonian Russians and Finns sing a new version of our national anthem (Mu Isamaa), an improvisation-based sonic fabric that includes small clusters from our national anthem. The Narva singers specifically wanted to sing the lyrics of this song and were sorry that their singing reveals a Russian accent. They are absolutely delightful singers.

On the borderline between the recognizable and the unrecognizable, devoid of sharp contours, AlkuLähde refers to the reality of detachment from oneself, from the individual, groping beyond narrative, human-created boundaries. The cluster is multifaceted; a convergence of wind, human, and bird. It ends in a surplus conversation from a song, where one of the singers poses an amused but very pertinent question contemplating finitude: “Is it allowed to deviate from the plan?” This statement raises questions encapsulating the exhibition’s themes about what happens if detachment is not optional, but mandatory, a forcible tearing away or alienation dictated by societal structures? -Review by Tuija Huovinen (Mustekala Kulttuurilehti).

This summer’s Purkutaiteen näyttely (Wonderland X) exhibition is hosted in the old Anttila department store. The exhibition is held in a building awaiting demolition in the center of Kerava, offering visitors a opportunity to see a diverse range of art before the building is torn down.

The Wonderland X exhibition features a wide array of art, including street and graffiti art. Artists hail from both Finland and abroad, including countries like Italy and Germany. In addition to professional artists, the exhibition also includes works by individuals in substance abuse and mental health rehabilitation, bringing diversity and different perspectives to the showcase. Purku Art Collective, which organizes the exhibition, is a well-known Kerava-based art collective rooted in street and graffiti art. This is the eleventh exhibition organized by the collective. The exhibition is open from June 1st to August 18th at Kauppakaari 1. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.

OrigiNation – Part III @ Vene Teatern (Russian theatre) Tallinna “COMPOSTER” 23 – 25.11.2023

COMPOSTER
ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL

Sound Artist: Jaakko Autio / Installation Builders: Artur Onno, Merily Prii, Yuliya Deriabina, Denis dzyuba / Consept and production: Aleksandr Žedeljov, Heili Vaus-Tamm, Miina Martensoo, Svetlana Mar / Artists: Taavi Varm, Nuno Correia, Sten Saarits, Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes, Tarmo Johannes, Jaakko Autio, Aleksandr Žedeljov, Malle Maltis, Diana Kiivit, Gerhard Lock, DJ Bandit, Daniil Zandberg, Darja Tokranova.

Electroacoustic music festival transforms the house of the Russian Theatre into a temple of alternative art. Lecturers and students from different universities will create audiovisual spaces, while audiences engage in workshops and experiment with the latest technological solutions during the performance Hominem quaero.

Evening concerts, daytime film and theatre workshops, student thesis presentations, art installations on different floors and much more. Electronic music workshops will be accompanied by installations to highlight the festival area.

OrigiNation – Part II @ Tampere-Maja galleria, Tartu, Estonia 21.10.-20.11.2023

Sound Artist: Jaakko Autio / Installation setup: Jaakko Autio & Hilla Väyrynen / Curator: Sakari Neuvonen / The work has been supported by: TAIKE and Kimmo Kaivanto Säätiö.

“I am particularly pleased with the Tampere lodge’s connection to Tartu. The Estonian version of the tune was sung precisely in Tartu in 1869 at the first Estonian song festival”, says Autio. “The words are different, but our country’s song has one thing in common.”

OrigiNation – Part I / AlkuLähde – Osa I – M_Itä biennaal, Joensuu Art Museum, 12.5 – 17.9.2023

Sound Artist: Jaakko Autio / Installation setup: Daniel Rodriguez, Mikko Santaniemi, Lauri Niemelä & Anssi Jukarainen / Curator: Giovanna Esposito Yussif / Artists selected: Jaakko Autio, Baran Caginli, Disconnected Space Research Group (Jaakko Ruuska, Kati Korosuo, Timo Jokitalo, Hanna Koikkalainen and Pavel Rotts), August Joensalo, Nana & Felix, Katriina Rosavaara, Lebohang Tlali and Riitta Turunen & Outi Särkikoski / The work has been supported by: TAIKE and Kimmo Kaivanto Säätiö.

‘On the borderline between the recognizable and the unrecognizable, devoid of sharp contours, AlkuLähde refers to the reality of detachment from oneself, from the individual, groping beyond narrative, human-created boundaries. The cluster is multifaceted; a convergence of wind, human, and bird. It ends in a surplus conversation from a song, where one of the singers poses an amused but very pertinent question contemplating finitude: “Is it allowed to deviate from the plan?” This statement raises questions encapsulating the exhibition’s themes about what happens if detachment is not optional, but mandatory, a forcible tearing away or alienation dictated by societal structures?'” Review by Tuija Huovinen (Mustekala Kulttuurilehti)