Blog Week Two
By Katey O’Sullivan
Last week I was lucky enough spend a long weekend in Rovaniemi (Roavve in Sámi language), Lapland (Sápmi – Sami cultural region). I enjoyed all of the classic tourist experiences including meeting huskies, reindeer and driving a snow mobile. I was quickly bewitched by the beauty of the forest and snow, and despite the cold, I happily went for a late-night walk on a frozen river to look towards the heavens in search of the famous Northern Lights. While I scanned the sky with my husband and a glass of wine for company, I noticed that we weren’t alone and called out a friendly greeting to shadowy figures carrying a spotlight. We were soon joined by two more Aurora hunters, friends on a weekend trip from Paris, so we chatted, sharing stories while we patiently waited for the ‘show’. Finally, after consulting various apps and having a quick lesson on the best settings for my phone, we saw a shy green and purple flare.
Initially I was disappointed, I have an overly competitive personality and I was hoping for something bolder, more like the pictures I’d seen online, bigger and better! Thankfully, it was a fleeting thought, replaced by gratitude as I took stock of where I actually was in that moment. It was an incredible privilege to witness such natural beauty and in such a pristine environment.
Only later, did I think back on how fortunate it was that the French women came by, and that they were equally willing to talk to strangers. We’d have surely given up the hunt and taken refuge in the warmth of our cabin long before we did, had they not come by and generously shared their knowledge.
And so, I come to write this week’s blog. I had intended to write about the philosophy of conceptual art and explain my practice a little more, but as is often the way with me, I’ve shifted focus. I could argue that my current thinking is leaning towards a concept, but it’s just beginning to form, and so I’m not quite ready to call it an artwork yet…just an idea. I’m squarely in the research phase. For now, I’d just like to work some more on my exploration of the value of conversations and human connections.
I’ll be back on campus at the University of Vaasa on April 1 (is April Fool’s Day universal?) and April 2 and would really like to set up some meet and greet sessions, at Oskar in the Ankkuri building and keep the conversation going. I’d personally love to hear what you think about art and its place at the university. What creativity you value. How you incorporate art into your life, or anything else you’d like to talk about around Vaasa, local history, and Finnish culture. I’d also love to hear questions from you! If you agree, I’ll take notes and ideally, your responses will inform my research and the work I make while I’m here. I see this as a really exciting opportunity for cross cultural dialogue and a chance for me to get to learn about what matters to you. You can email me at klos@deakin.edu.au to set up a time; and if you’d rather write to me, that’s welcomed too.
A final note, I love conceptual art, but acknowledge it can be confusing and polarising. Many of us have a limited understanding of the visual arts beyond traditional forms of painting, sculpture, drawing and photography. Our response to contemporary art can have us tilting our heads or scratching our chins as we say, “what is the point?”, “I just don’t get it”, or maybe the perfect Finnish phrase is “no niin”?!
And it’s no wonder, here is a brief explanation of what Conceptual Art is, provided by the good people of Kiasma the Finnish National Gallery:
“The physical embodiment of a work of conceptual art can be a sentence on a piece of paper or a polished section of the floor. The actual object may even be missing altogether.
The important thing is the idea, which makes the viewer think.
Conceptual art emphasises the active reception and interpretation of art. It challenges the viewers’ habits of thinking and observation and their ideas about knowledge and reality.”
How about you and I talk more about this when we meet?
Kiitos, Katey
