Kasper Muttonen
Architecture of Climate Change
13.9. – 6.10.2019
The structures in the exhibition are linked to the structures of the human era, the Anthropocene, as well as the images of climate change, the greatest threat of our time. I feel that as an artist I rather build landscapes than depict figures. These built landscapes want to deal with the landscape of climate change through the image of a space we have built. The landscape of the buildings turns inwards so that natural phenomena can be seen inside the buildings. Perhaps this inwardness is characteristic of our culture at this revolutionary moment in time.
The black plexiglass used in the works moves the image inside the structure further away from the viewer, while reflecting the esthetics of Trump Tower and Dubai. The darkened glass architecture covers itself with a sunglass-like coating, yet denying the idea of climate change. The surface of the black plexiglass is also like a seductively beautiful mirror or the surface of oil, which is the original source of the material. The drops of water are created from synthetic varnish, freezing the movement of water on the surface of the plexiglass for eternity.
The human era also shows in that the world has seen perhaps more buildings being built during the current millennium than during all other periods combined. I cannot help but admire good architecture and impressive urban environments, but at the same time this volume also becomes something threatening. The illusion of control within a space turns into being in someone else’s space, where power moves further away behind the darkened glass.
Water is related to the cycle of nature and its different elements through the different forms of water. I wanted water to form part of my built spaces, adding a new variable which creates its own distortion in a built landscape. Water has been linked to the idea of a built dream space for thousands of years, but the thought of rising sea levels makes the element more threatening. For me, water is an emotional and slightly melancholic element in my structures, like the moment before a season changes to the next one. My structures are not solutions against climate change, but they are based on related images and they will inevitably drown in it.
Architecture of Water
Lapinlahden Lähde, Venetsia Building
14 September – 6 October
The second part of the exhibition will be on display near the Venetsia Building at Lapinlahden Lähde, in the old Lapinlahti hospital area. The idea was to create a route between two cultural venues established through civic activity. Venetsia is a stone building that is perhaps closest to the sea in central Helsinki and also a place where the works featured in the exhibition were designed and created. The City of Helsinki is currently running an idea competition to find a buyer and a concept for the Lapinlahti hospital area. My work makes a statement in favor of continuing the current activities.
The exhibition has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland / Arts Council of Uusimaa.
