When Vishnu Vardhani invited me to carry out the interviews for Pixelache's 2019 Breaking The Fifth Wall, I was very intrigued by what the concept of the 5th wall is and how we could challenge it through a flat screen.  I wanted to try to get to know the participating artists through conversation.  Letting thoughts flow and investigate what rises.  These conversations lasted one to three months through open discourse on an open google document.

Read the interviews here:
When will patriarchy end? When will there be a day when we don’t need to use a passport to travel?
On smells and the senses
Preconceived notions
Sawing, dimensioning, shaping
Incomplete manual for our living
Pingponging
Circle in a park
Phone out
50 likes

Vishnu and I took some time to reflect on my process of conversing with the artists and through that, we learned a lot about each other and where we are in the moment.  Below are snippets of our dialogue:
 
VV: Arlene, thank you for bringing alive the conversations with the artists. It was a pleasure to read the interviews. Talking about end, For me personally, end is when we take our final breath. Until then the great collective consciousness connects us in numerous ways… Like Knots. Knots :D Amazing.I love Knots myself. I feel so empowered since I started to tie. Breaking norms I have internalised. Having courage to express, and to formulate the boundaries, as well as asking for support and to attend to my needs. It was a huge preparation process.Now I discern conflict without losing my agency. The workings of rope metaphorically and factually, inspire me to work with what need to be changed or developed in order to accommodate norm criticism. You understand ? 

AT: Yes! I completely understand.  It’s also a way to hold on and have grounding, but at the same time let one arm go, let one arm free and let the head dangle.

Do you think it makes a huge difference whether you initially meet somebody online or face to face?

VV: Does it make a difference ? For me, YES. I have a tendency to walk straight into the narrative that is carefully spun. Some people have exceptional online personas. I still don’t have tools to decipher these personas. In person I remark If the two individuals have the capacity and orientation to hear and see each other. Stay open to understand one another. 

I am split on the question of difference. 

I am inspired by an artist, who does comic books and  who does a lot of political work. I followed him for years on Instagram, he always responded to my messages on insta, when I met him in person, my fantasy burst, I wish I didn’t meet him. As his ‘art’ wasn’t reflecting his ‘art-work’. That said, I am working at this year’s festival with the millennials. I am impressed, with simple online interactions. Yesterday, this person, was looking for our office, when I proposed to go find him, he counter-proposed to ‘just the share location- easy for all’. As I had walked a few times to fetch people that morning, I took note of this person’s exceptional screen interaction. That exceptionality also reflected in the hands on tasks. Also I thank the world wide web to have caught me this incredible being ‘Alaa Satir’. I follow her ‘art-work’. Recently I had the opportunity to talk to Alaa on Skype. This was a turning point for me in my life. 

I have taken a lot of space with this response. Do you still follow me ? I can elaborate on the talk with Alaa, before, I want to ask you a question. You mentioned earlier about ‘bubble’ , do you feel the bubble can exists across realms ? Mediums ? Do you think it’s possible to build communities where people meet maybe only annually ? 

AT: In my mind, bubbles are boundaries and borders that we create as individuals and as a society.  So, yes, they exist in any possible dimension, but it’s dependant on perspective and context. I look at borders also as comfort and uncomfortable zones.  Getting to know ourselves and stretching that boundary or breaking it, or just knowing we really cannot cross it. Awareness of our relationship to it.

Us talking about boundary, life and death triggered writings from one of my most inspirational figures, the Estonian Russian leader of semiotics and literature studies, Juri Lotman (1922–1993).  Wilma Clark, the translator of Lotman’s book Culture and Explosion comments on his chapter ‘The end! How sonorous is this word!‘ by saying, “the notion of the ‘end’ and the principles of continuity and discontinuity are reflected in the stark boundary between life and death. Death is marked out as both the beginning and the end. Lotman speaks of the ‘special semantic role of death in the life of man’. It is the boundary which frames all meaningful activity and which, simultaneously, marks the contradiction between life in the general sense and the ‘finite life of human existence’. And yet, what is finite, is continued in the memory of the ‘son’ so that even the boundary of ‘death’, as it were, is permeable and filtered” (Lotman 1992, xiv).

One thing I noticed when I was having these conversations with the artists and something I was trying to develop these past few months was feeling their borders, being sensitive to their boundaries and timing through the computer.  With all of them except the conversations with Laura, Vidha, and Samir, I did exclusively online through a Google Doc, like the one we are having now.  With some people it clicked immediately and we were off talking about very deep and personal topics whilst with others, I could sense that they needed more time understanding my proposed process of opening dialogue, the point of meandering, and the importance of setting a pace in which we can safely and naturally delve into different topics.  I could not have done this without everybody’s full participation.  Most of the conversations lasted a good two months.  Sometimes it stretched longer than that from the first initial contact as “life happens”.  

With every artist, we would write to each other every few days or with some every day.  It largely depended on their personality and what was happening in their life at that moment, but I tried to be sensitive to their response and how they responded.  I really got to know every artist in an intimate way, which was very unexpected.  I could see which times of day they were most active and how the changing of the seasons had or didn’t have an affect on them.  From this, I also got to get to know myself in a different way too.  Very grateful for that!

The second graders at Ressu comprehensive school have been investigating How does food change?  Where does our food come from? and What kind of communities and what kind of relationships are found within and between food?  Every student chose a food to research these aspects.  Along with traditional methods of researching, we also used art as a medium to explore our findings and fuel our curiosity.  Naturally, one question led to another.  

It was serendipity that one of the works on display at Kiasma, as part of the Coexistence exhibition, fit perfectly with our topic. Kalle Hamm & Dzamil Kamanger's Immigrant Garden / Emigranttitarha / Emigrantgården "consists of four parts: a collection of plant illustrations, a map, a book, and audio works. The watercolour studies portray various ornamental and edible plants that are commonly found in Finland, but which are all originally non-native" (Kiasma).

I was lucky enough to meet Kalle and Dzamil last spring so felt the comfort to reach out to them. Here, again, as lucky art goers, we bumped into each other at Kiasma the other day when we were taking a tour of the exhibition.  Kalle and Dzamil agreed to make an interview with us as their artwork is so relevant to us, in every way possible.  They said yes!  

Arlene: I asked one of my students what part of the trip he liked and he said ”meeting Kalle”. : )

Kalle: :-D Say my greetings to him!

2B: Why did you start making this project?

K&D: Dzamil noticed that here in Finland grow the same plants than in his home country Iran, but they are smaller and grow in pots and greenhouses, not in wild nature like in Iran. We wondered how these plants had found their way to Finland, and this is how we started to track the travelling routes of the plants, and this was the beginning of making the whole piece.

2B: What made you choose the plants to research?

K&D: We chose that kind of plants, which should be known by most of the Finns, and had been cultivated here already hundreds of years (for example potato and onion), but none of them are originally from Finland, either Europe, but imported here form other continents.

2B: How did it feel when you were making the artwork?

K&D: When everything went well it felt hilarious and fun, but when we had obstacles it felt extremely stressful and we just wanted to start to do something else.

2B: How did you make this art?

K&D: We read lots of books to study how the plants travelled from their home area here. We bought lots of seeds and planted them and grew the plants by ourselves (not in Kiasma, but when we made the artwork first time). We practiced drawing flowers and made many plant drawings. We also recorded many plants and made sound pieces based on that material.

2B: How did you know how to draw plants?  Was it fun drawing the plants?

K&D: I studied drawing in the art school, but you can also learn drawing plants without going to art school. You just have to see the plants very carefully and draw exactly what you see. Drawing plants is fun. They don't change their position, move or run away. They stay nicely still. But you have to water them or otherwise they will wilt.

2B: When did you start this project?

K&D: We started to make this art work 14 years ago and it took two years to make it ready.

2B: How long did it take for you to finish this project?  Is it finished?

K&D: It is finished in such way, that we don’t add more new plants to the artwork, but every time when we install the whole artwork, we have to think about how everything should be set up: what kind of pots, what kind of chairs and etc...

2B: Which plant sound do you think is the most relaxing?

K&D: Of course potato!!!

2B: Out of all the plants you researched, which one is the oldest?  

K&D: Onion

2B: What was your favourite plant? 

K&D: Persian yellow rose

2B: What surprised you about that plant? 

K&D: Plants sound totally different comparing to what they look like!

2B: Which one was the hardest to find information on? 

K&D: Garden mignonette

2B: ​Which one was the weirdest?

K&D: Artichoke had the weirdest sound, even thou I love the taste and look of artichoke

2B: What was the first plant you researched?

K&D: Persian hogweed, but it is not part of this artwork :-(

2B: Did you first sketch your drawing or draw them straight away onto the paper?

Kalle: I first sketched them very lightly on very same paper I used for the final drawing. I made quite many mistakes, and I had to redraw atleast 5-6 drawings.

2B: How old are you now?  When were you born?  Where were you born?

Kalle: 50 years, born in Rauma (Finland) in 1969 
Dzamil: 72 years, born in Mariwan (Iran) in 1948

2B: How old were you when you made your first piece of art?  What was it?

Kalle: I think I was age of 16. I had then my first exhibition. It was a drawing a man holding a woman in a desert. 

Dzamil said he cannot remember exactly, but he made his first embroideries in age of 30-32. It was a birthday present to his friend.

2B: Was your dream to become an artist?  How did you get the idea of becoming an artist?

Kalle: Yes it was, but I didn’t know what kind of artists. I wrote poems, played flute and acted in children’s theatre group. And of course drew a lot.

2B: Where do you live? 

​Kalle: We both live in Oulunkylä, Helsinki.

2B: How many artworks have you made?  What kind of art?

K&D: You can count them on our website www.beelsebub.org. and see what kind of artworks we have made.

2B: Do you have kids?

Kalle: I don’t have kids, but Dzamil has a son. He is living in Stockholm.

2B: Have you ever had a different profession, other than being an artist?

Kalle: Yes, I was working as a principle of the art school for children and young people. I was also working in Kiasma as an educational curator. Dzamil worked as a forester in Iran.

2B: Do you have a pet?  If so, what is it?

Kalle: Not any more. Dzamil had a dog, but he passed away many years ago. Dzamil had also canary birds, and lots of them, about 70-80 all together. They had they own room. They sang very loudly.

2B: Do you like your art?

Kalle: Yes, we both like art!!! …and we hope you like art, too!

The list would go on, but here are some comments from the students about Kalle and Hamm's work:
"I think it's really good artwork"
"I love your art. It was interesting"
"I felt amazing when I saw your art"
"I liked the potato sound because it sounded like it was playing rock n roll"
"I felt excited about learning about the plants"
"I felt great!"
"The drawings were beautiful"
"The drawings look very real"

Thank you very much for taking the time to share with us!

XOXO Arlene & 2B

Arlene Tucker & Sanni Weckman
Me
August 2019

Since January 2019, Tucker and Weckman have been sharing a work studio in Bokvillan.  They have gotten to know each other’s artistic process, techniques and choice of materials. This exhibition brings together their own individual pieces, as well as, collaborating on how they could open dialogue through their artworks. While planning the exhibition, ideas of translation, weaving, kept on coming up as these are close themes for Tucker and Weckman. 

As a means to initiate the concept for the exhibition, Weckman translated Tucker’s family portrait into a tufted relief. Tucker, as she often uses mail art exchange in her projects, used letter writing as a way to explore relationships and imagined personalities. In turn, Weckman wrote a letter to little Arlene. This exchange was born from wanting to get to know each other in a deeper way and to share something personal. From a picture, we can imagine a million things, and to verbalise what we see in our minds grows a galaxy of ideas.  

“Me” as the exhibition title reflects the translation process between languages. This ultimately has a large effect on how we imagine roles and understand different perspectives.  In Finnish “me” means “us” in English. In English “me” means “I” in Finnish.

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Arlene Tucker is an artist and educator, and her work focuses on adding play elements to daily life through her art. Inspired by translation studies, animals and nature, she finds ways to connect and make meaning in our shared environments. Her process-based artistic work creates spaces and situations for exchange, dialogue, and transformations to occur and surprise all players. She is interested in creating projects that open up ideas and that engage the viewer; that invite the viewer to be a part of the narrative or art creation process. In translation, your participation continues to propel the story. Her chapter, Translation is Dialogue: Language in Transit was published in Translating across Sensory and Linguistic Borders: Intersemiotic Journeys between Media (Editors: Campbell, Madeleine, Vidal, Ricarda, 2019). Tucker has been collaborating with Prison Outside since 2017 and is author of Translation is Dialogue (2010). www.arlenetucker.net

Sanni Weckman is a visual artist, illustrator and graphic designer living in Helsinki, Finland. As a visual artist Weckman mixes traditional portrait imagery with unconventional techniques and materials. Weckman founds inspiration for the techniques from DIY-culture and traditional folk crafts. Materials can vary from textile to flowers or anything imaginable, everything can be used to paint an image. The material, the technique and the portrayed image all tell their own stories inside one art piece. Weckman has graduated as a Master of Arts from Aalto University and as a visual artist from Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Weckman’s works have been presented in various museums and galleries such as Amos Anderson Art Museum, Jyväskylä Art Museum and Kajaani Art Museum.

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Arlene Tucker & Sanni Weckman
Me
Elokuu 2019

Näyttelyn taiteilijat Tucker ja Weckman ovat jakaneet työhuoneen Bokvillanissa tammikuusta 2019 asti. Tämän myötä he ovat päässeet tutustumaan toistensa taiteelliseen työskentelyyn, tekniikoihin sekä materiaalivalintoihin. Näyttely tuo yhteen niin molempien omia teoksia, kuin myös yhteistä pohdintaa siitä, miten saada aikaan vuoropuhelua taideteosten avulla. Näyttelyä suunniteltaessa nousi esiin ajatuksia käännöksistä ja yhteen kutoutumisesta, näiden ollessa läheisiä teemoja molemmille taiteilijoille. 

Saadakseen näyttelyn konseptin alkuun, Weckman muunsi Tuckerin perhekuvan tuftatuksi reliefiksi. Tucker, joka puolestaan käyttää usein kirjeenvaihtotaidetta projekteissaan, käytti kirjeiden kirjoittamista tapana tutkia ihmissuhteita sekä kuviteltuja persoonia. Weckman puolestaan kirjoitti kirjeen Arlenelle pienenä. Tämä vuoropuhelu syntyi halusta tutustua toiseen syvemmällä tasolla sekä tarpeesta jakaa henkilökohtaisia asioita. Kuvasta voimme kuvitella miljoonia eri asioita, ja niiden sanallistamisesta kasvaa jälleen lukematon määrä uusia ideoita. 

Näyttelyn nimi ”Me” heijastaa käännösprosessia kielten välillä. Prosessilla on on suuri vaikutus siihen miten käsitämme erilaisia rooleja sekä näkökulmia. Suomen kielen sana ”me” muuttaa merkitystään luettuna englanniksi, ja tarkoittaakin: ”minä”. 

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Arlene Tucker on taiteilija ja kasvattaja. Hänen kiinnostuksenaan on lisätä taiteensa kautta leikkisiä elementtejä jokapäiväiseen elämään. Semiotiikan opinnot, eläimet ja luonto inspiroivat häntä luomaan merkityksellisiä hetkiä jaetussa ympäristössämme. Hänen taideteoksensa luovat usein tiloja avoimelle keskustelulle ja yhdessäololle jättäen erilaisille tulkinnoille ja yllätyksille tilaa.  Taiteellisen työskentelyn lisäksi Tucker on myös ensimmäisen luokan opettaja Ressun peruskoulussa. Hänen tekstinsä “Translation is Dialogue: Language in Transit” on ollut osana julkaisua “Translating across Sensory and Linguistic Borders: Intersemiotic Journeys between Media (toimittanut: Campbell, Madeleine, Vidal, Ricarda, 2019)”. Tucker on perustanut projektin Translation is Dialogue (2010) ja on vuodesta 2017 asti tehnyt yhteistyötä Prison Outside -projektin kanssa. www.arlenetucker.net

Sanni Weckman on kuvataiteilija. Weckman on valmistunut taiteen maisteriksi Aalto-yliopistosta vuonna 2018 sekä kuvataiteilijaksi Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulusta vuonna 2016. Weckman käsittelee teoksissaan ihmisen kuvaa, yhdistäen muotokuvan perinteeseen epätavallisia materiaaleja ja tekniikoita. Weckmanin periaatteena on, että maalata voi millä tahansa: kukista kierrätystekstiiliin, kudonnasta kollaasiin. Weckman löytää inspiraatiota tee-se-itse-kulttuurista, arkisista kädentaidoista ja kierrätyksestä. Teostensa kautta Weckman käsittelee ihmisen kohtaamista uudella tavalla, niin kuvan kautta kuin myös arjessa. Weckmanin teoksia on ollut esillä muun muassa Amos Andersonin taidemuseossa sekä Jyväskylän, Kajaanin ja Keravan taidemuseoissa. www.sanniweckman.com

*Текст на русском языке ниже*
>English version below<

Tulkitaan vapaita käännöksiä

Tervetuloa meidän taiteen tekemisen sarja. Katsomme ja keskustelemme taiteellisista töistä, jotka ovat saapuneet eri puolilta maailmaa vastauksena vapaiden käännösten (Free Translation) avoimeen kutsuun. Teoksia ovat luoneet ihmiset, joihin on vaikuttanut vankeus, ja ne ovat olleet esillä MAA-tilassa marraskuussa 2018. Kaksituntisen tapaamisen aikana tutustumme teoksiin ja kuulemme tarinoita niitä luoneilta ihmisiltä, joista monet ovat tälläkin hetkellä vankilassa. Tämän jälkeen teemme käännöksiä, vastauksia taideteoksille, ja lataamme ne verkkonäyttelyyn, jossa myös taiteilijat ja suurempi yleisö voivat osallistua dialogiin. 

Käännökset voivat olla visuaalisia, kirjallisia, kuunnelmia, valokuvia tai muita ilmaisumuotoja. Olet tervetullut tuomaan valitsemiasi materiaaleja – tai vain tuomaan itsesi.

Paikka: Bokvillan Kirjasto, Hämeentie 125, 00560, Helsinki
Milloin: 5. marraskuuta, 2. huhtikuuta, 7. toukokuuta
Aika: klo. 15.30-18.30
Kielet: Suomi, englanti, venäjä
Kenelle: kaikkien ikäisille

Lisätietoa tapahtumasta meihin voit ottaa yhteyttä Anastasia Artemeva ja Arlene Tucker sähköpostilla osoitteeseen info(at)prisonspace.org.

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Interpreting Free Translations

Welcome to our art-making sessions. We will view and discuss artworks received from all over the world in response to the Free Translation open call. These artworks are created by people affected by incarceration, and exhibited in MAA-tila in November 2018. During the two hour session we will view the works and hear the stories of people who created them, many of whom are currently in prison. We will then create translations - responses to the artworks and upload them on the online exhibition, for the artists and for the general public to see and continue the dialogue. 

The translations can be visual, written, audible, photographic, or in any other form. You are welcome to bring materials of your choice - or simply bring yourself. 

Place: Bokvillan Library, Hämeentie 125, 00560, Helsinki
Date: March 5th, April 2nd, May 7th
Time: 15:30-18.30
Languages: English, Russian, Finnish
All ages are welcome

For more information please contact Anastasia Artemeva and Arlene Tucker at info(at)prisonspace.org

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Интерепретируя Свободный перевод
Добро пожаловать на встречу по теме выставки Свободный перевод. Мы будем изучать произведения искусства, полученные из разных стран мира, и созданные людьми, на судьбу которых повлияло ограничение свободы. Эти работы были показаны на выставке в пространстве MAA-tila в Хельсинки в ноябре 2018 года.
В течение трехчасовой встречи мы рассмотрим рисунки, услышим стихи, и узнаем личные истории авторов работ, многие из которых в настоящее время находятся в тюрьме. Мы создадим свои собственные творческие работы, интерпретируя, “переводя” услышанное и увиденное, и загрузим из на сайт онлайн выставки, где их увидят авторы и публика.
Мы будем писать письма, рисовать, фотографировать, и использовать разные другие формы художественного самовыражения. Приносите любимые материалы, или просто приходите.
Место: Библиотека Kafilla Bokvillan, 00560, Hämeentie 125, Helsinki
Дата 7 мая 2019 года
Время 15.30-18.30

К участию приглашаются взрослые и дети любого возраста.
Bokvilla: http://arabianasukastalot.fi/
freetranslation.prisonspace.org/
prisonspace.org/

Tavataan kerran kuussa tiistaisin keskustellaan kirjasta. Voimme valitaan kirjaa, joista on sopiva kaikille. Jos tykkäät tarinoita, keskustelimista, löytää uusia ystäviä ja parentaa suomen kielien taitoa tämä ryhmä on sinulle : ).  Tervetuloa mukaan lukemaan ja jakamaan ajatuksia!

Ensimmäinen kirja on Tuomas Kyrön Mielensäpahoittaja.

Tiistai, 19.3
Tila Bokvillan Kirjasto
Klo 17–19
Lisätietoja Arlene arlene.dearyou(at)gmail.com

Nähdään silloin!

(English version below)

Avataan yhdessä dialogi käyttäen ääntä, kuvaa, ja piirustuksia. Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge ja lintulintu kutsuvat luomaan SUORAN ja VÄLITTÖMÄN reaktion taideteoksiin, jotka ovat esillä Vapaa käännös -näyttelyssä. Sinun taiteellinen vastauksesi antaa mahdollisuuden inspiraatiolle virrata vapaasti.

Milloin: Sunnuntai, 18.11.2018, klo. 13:00-16:00
Kenelle: kaikkien ikäisille
Missä: MAA-tila, Pääskylänrinne 10, 00500 Helsinki
Kielet: Suomi, englanti, ranska
Lisätietoa: arlene@prisonspace.org

( ( ( Tartunta < > < > ääniaallot käännöksenä) ) )
Resonanssi, väreily, kommunikaatio ilman sanoja. Dialogi meidän kesken, keskellämme, itsessämme, Vedä syvään henkeä. Jaetaan vaihtoehtoinen kieli, välitetään väreily kommunikaatioksi, rakentaen siltoja, yhteyksiä, resonanssi on kaikkialla ja kaiken aikaa. Ääni liikuttaa sinut lähemmäksi ydintä, jättäen taakseen materian rajoitteet. Muokkaamme tilaa läpi seinien, otamme kimmokkeen edestakaisin. Kuule mitä kuultavissa on, käännä oma äänesi kohti tilaa.

) ) ) kuva <—> teksti ( ( (
Teleskooppinen katselu, laajakulmaiset rakenteet.
Tässä hetkellisessä kollaasi/installaatio työpajassa luot vastauksen tarkasti rajattuun tilaan tai tilojen väliseen suhteeseen. Esim. tietty kulma galleriassa, tietty laatta lattiassa, oven kahva , kahden seinän välinen etäisyys. Tämä kollektiivinen kuvan tekemiseen ja tekstiin pohjautuva kokeilu tutkii tekstin käännöksiä kuvaksi ja toisin päin näyttelyssä esillä olevien töiden kontekstissa sekä synnyttää dialogeja materiaalien rajallisuudesta, että kysymyksiä saatavilla olemisesta.

Taiteilijoista:
Vapaita käännöksiä on näyttely, joka käyttää tulkinnan prosessia ollessamme vuorovaikutuksessa ja luodessamme uusia teoksia MAA-tilassa. Tilassa esillä olevat kerätyt teokset ovat vankien, ex-vankien ja henkilöiden, joiden elämään vangitsemisella on ollut vaikutus. Nähtävillä olevat teosten ehdotus on yleisölle käydä kiihkeää keskustelua, inspiroitua ja luoda luovasti aktivoitunut tila. Poikkitaiteellinen näyttely esittelee kansainvälisen kattauksen töitä MAA-tilassa marraskuun 15-29. sekä netissä.

lintulintu on kokeellinen. Identifioidumme heteroseksuaaliseksi ja etuoikeutetuksi ääni-duoksi, kaksi lintua-yksi kivi. Meillä on hintavat elektroniset välineet ja maalliset vartalomme, jotka yritämme saattaa harmoniaan. Huolimatta itseaiheutetun kärsimyksen tuottamasta valttikortista löydämme tiemme hyvän olon tunteeseen. Kaaos vaihtuu niin kutsuttuun ääni-taiteeseen ja kriittinen näkökulma on vain jalostunutta keskustelua. Äänitaidetta, performanssia ja kokeellista musiikkia avant-garden vivahteilla, dystooppinen leikki ja kolmen kuukauden pimeys tuotuna valoon.

Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge syntyi pienessä ranskankielisessä rannikkokylässä Quebecissä, Kanadassa. Keskeistä Evelynin työskentelyssä ja projekteissa on kiinnostus aktivoida tiloja, joita usein ylenkatsotaan tai jotka ovat näkymättömissä, tutkien siirtymien ja muistin teemoja sekä teemoihin sulautuneita monimutkaisia tasoja ja mekanismeja. Evelyne on suorittanut taiteen kandidaattia vastaavan tutkintonsa (bachelor of fine arts) valokuvauksesta, Concordian yliopistossa (Montreal, Kanada) ja taiteen maisterin tutkintonsa elektronisesta taiteesta Alfredin yliopistossa Taiteen ja suunnittelun laitokselta (School of art and design-Alfred, New york). Tällä hetkellä hän toimii apulaisprofessorina Rochesterin yliopiston Taiteen ja linssiin painottavan median laitoksella (Art and lens based media-Rochester, New York). Evelyn kiittää Rochesterin yliopistoa ja Kanadan valtuuston taiteiden jaostoa (Canada council of the arts) avokätisestä tuesta viimeisimmässä tutkimustyössä.

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Let’s open dialogue through sound, image, and drawing. Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge and lintulintu invite you to create DIRECT and IMMEDIATE responses to the artworks on display at Free Translation exhibition. Your artistic response makes space for inspiration to flow. 

When: Sunday, November 18, 2018 from 13:00-16:00
For whom: all ages
Where: MAA-tila, Pääskylänrinne 10, 00500 Helsinki
Languages: Finnish, English, French
For more information: arlene@prisonspace.org

( ( ( Transmitting < > < > translating soundwaves ) ) )
Resonance, communication without words. Dialogue between us, around us, within us, take a deep breath. Sharing alternative language, translating resonance into communication, building bridges, connections, resonance is all around and all the time. Sound moves you closer to the core, leaving out material restrictions. We’ll shape the space beyond the walls, bounce back and forth. Hear what can be heard, turn voice into sound.

) ) ) Image <—> text ( ( (
Telescopic viewing, wide-angle configurations.
In this ephemeral collage/installation workshop, you will make a response to a very specific space or trajectory, for example, one corner of the gallery, one tile of the floor, a door knob, the distance between two walls. This collective image-making and writing experiment will explore translation(s) of text into image and vice versa in response to the work presented in the exhibition and ignite dialogues about material limitation and question(s) of access.

About us:
Free Translation is an exhibition that makes use of the translation process as we interact and create new artworks at MAA-tila. The collected artworks are created by incarcerated people, ex-convicts, and anyone affected by imprisonment. The works on view will encourage the audience to prompt dialogue, inspire thoughts, and creatively activate the space. The multi-disciplinary exhibition showcases international works at MAA-tila from November 15-29 and online.

Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge was born in a small francophone coastal village in Québec, Canada. Central to Evelyne’s practice and projects is an interest to activate spaces that are often invisible or overlooked, and to explore themes of displacement and memory and the complex layers and mechanisms embedded within. She received her BFA in photography from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) and her MFA in electronic integrated arts from the School of Art and Design at Alfred University (Alfred, New York). She is currently an Associate Professor of Art and Lens Based Media at the University of Rochester (Rochester, New York). Evelyne would like to thank the University of Rochester and the Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support on her recent research projects.

lintulintu is experimental. We identify as heterosexual and privileged sound duo consisting two birds one stone. We have expensive electronic equipment and our earthly bodies, which we try to harmonize. Despite the advantage of self caused suffering lintulintu finds a way to feeling good. Chaos switches into so called sound art and critical point of view is just advanced conversation. Sound art, performance and experimental music taking flavors of avant-garde, playing around dystopia and bringing three months of darkness into light. We’ve gone to few schools and worked with institutions.

Prison Outside #2 is a cross-disciplinary discussion on artistic projects in and around prison. It takes place on November 21st-23rd in Helsinki and will present speakers from Finland, Russia, Ireland, Canada, USA, and Belgium. The program in PUBLICS and MAA-tila will include presentations, round table discussions, film screenings, and workshops. Free Translation, an exhibition of artistic and literary works on imprisonment will be launched during the conference. We will discuss artistic practices in prison, and their effect on rehabilitation, understanding the histories of incarceration, and encouraging communication between people of different walks of life.

​Artists, researchers, teachers, students, ex-convicts are very welcome to join the discussion. This event will be held in English, Finnish and Russian languages. Full program coming soon!