Harmony in Displacement – Tasapaino Muutoksessa @ HAIHATUS ART CENTRE’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY SUMMER EXHIBITION 15.6.–25.8.2024

Sound artist and organizer: Jaakko Autio / Choir conductor and arrangement: Anna Voutilainen / Ukrainian lullaby: The Dream Passes By The Window (1844) / Haihatus Director: Risto Puurunen / Forest of Strength (Voimametsä) curator: Kaisa Vigman / Recording engineers: Risto Puurunen & Kari Mutenia / Installing: Jaakko Autio, Kari Mutenia, Lassi Halttunen, Väino Arvola & Risto Puurunen / Singers: Anna B, Anna N, Anna V, Anastasia K, Artem K, Elina M, Emily C, Julia S, Karina P, Anastasia K, Ojeksandr K, Oksanka L, Vadym L, Vera L, Vadym L, Maija S, Maaria M, Mikko E M, Nastrka, Lyaba L, Karina K, Rachel M, Reetta K, Vera L, Victoria V, Vorobey V. / Also as part of the installation display: Panu Ollikainen’s Attendants -sculptures / Other artists in Voimametsä: Anna Miller, Daniela Reis, Santiyago Delgado, Aino Säävälä / Thanks to: Hilla Väyrynen, Riikka Voutilainen, Julius Valve and Joutsan Refugee Center.

Harmony in Displacement – Sound Installation

Harmony in Displacement emerged in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting displacement, uncertainty, and fear experienced by Ukrainian refugees. The work centres around the community formed by Ukrainians who have settled in Joutsa, Finland, while also warmly inviting participation by Finns, Russians, and Estonians – all welcomed to sing in Ukrainian and become part of this shared, communal moment.

Every voice is heard through its own unique speaker: each participant’s lived experience forms both an individual and a collective story. By highlighting these intertwining yet distinct voices and personal reflections on hope, fear, and the future, the piece challenges boundaries and stereotypes, and resists the collective anxieties that so often arise in times of crisis. The work embodies a radical philosophy of empathy – a belief that true belonging is only possible in a safe, inclusive, and benevolent space.

Exhibition Layout

Harmony in Displacement is presented as a site-specific outdoor installation. Twenty uniquely designed speakers are placed around the Haihatus Art Centre’s yard. Each singer’s voice resonates from its own distinct point in space, inviting visitors to move freely, pause, and choose their listening perspective. The natural environment – the presence of field, trees, bird song, and open air – blends seamlessly with the recorded voices, deepening the sense of connection and contemplation. This spatial arrangement highlights the values of radical empathy, safety, and shared humanity that are central to the work.

My practice is guided by principles of radical empathy, listening, and fundamental emotional security. I strive to create spaces in which everyone is met with openness and care, and where difference is not simply tolerated but seen as vital to our shared humanity. Harmony in Displacement invites stories, perspectives, and geopolitical backgrounds into simultaneous presence, creating new ground for human encounter and learning.

The installation features a three-part lullaby, “The Dream passes by the window / Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon,” originally composed by Ukrainian Mykola Leontovych (1916) and arranged for the occasion by Anna Voutilainen. Woven between the singing, listeners encounter authentic and unscripted testimonies: the singers’ own hopes, fears, and thoughts on home, belonging, and new beginnings. At the installation, each visitor can choose to focus on a single voice or experience the choir as a whole. The software weaves together different takes, introductions, and spoken reflections on the present, the past, and the future, making each experience unique.

Harmony in Displacement stands as an artistic statement against dehumanization, polarization, and the freezing of compassion in public discourse. Through genuine, open listening, the work enables small but meaningful moments of connection, hope, and care. It invites visitors to pause, to truly listen, and to encounter the simultaneous diversity and unity of our shared humanity.

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ABOUT THE HAIHATUS 25 EXHIBITION:

The Haihatus Art Center in Joutsa, Central Finland, celebrates its 25th anniversary with the HAIHATUS25 Fine Arts Summer Exhibition, showcasing diverse works by contemporary Finnish and international artists. The exhibition, curated by Risto Puurunen, Panu Ollikainen, and Kaisa Vigman, features works from Haihatus’ history and new pieces displayed at the Fantasia-house gallery and Haihatus yard, including the communal art project Voimametsä. Additionally, the House of Kinetic Arts KITA presents the independent exhibition “Invisibility” curated by Tuomo Vuoteenoma. Participating artists in HAIHATUS25 include Sheung Yiu, Bogna Luiza Wisniewska, Sakari Vinko, Minni Välipakka, Alma Tuuva, Lada Suomenrinne, Juliana Irene Smith, Azar Saiyar, Samra Šabanovic, Golrokh Nafisi, Bruno Moreschi, Adnan Mirza, Jade Lönnqvist, Jenni Laiti, Gülbeden Kulbay, Minjee Hwang Kim, Anna Karima, August Joensalo, Nayab Noor Ikram, Gabrielė Gervickaitė, Paola Fernanda Guzmán Figueroa, Piergiorgio Colone, Camille Auer, Uzair Amjad, and Joss Allen. Jubilee artists include Raimo Auvinen & Merja Metsänen, Martina Buck, Veli Gränö, Hilma Harju, Heikki “Morgan” Hämäläinen, Johanna Juvonen & Biagio Rosa, Tero Jartti, Marko Kaiponen & Katja Öhrnberg, Ella Keihäsniemi, Mauri Korhonen, Virpi Lehto, Tia Matikainen, Kari Mutenia, Pasi Mälkiä, Ben Nozrachev, Lempi Peltonen, Markku Pennanen, Kalle Turakka Purhonen, Pauliina Turakka Purhonen, and Vesa Väänänen. Voimametsä artists include Jaakko Autio, Santiago Delgado, Anna Miller, Eija Peltola, Daniela dos Reis, Aino Säävälä, Allianssi, Helperi, and Joutsa Comprehensive School.