The Northern seasons are greatly pinpointed by the radical changes of dark and light, and cold and warm. After the lightless fall and early winter, the amount of light gradually begins to increase. The physical and mental effects of the light can be experienced as early as in January. As Northern people, we have an innate connection with nature. Thus, we don’t even consciously notice the small signs in the urban nature or in the forests that hint the coming-along of the spring or fall. Year after year, the bright spring skies in March feel as amazing.
I discovered that the progress of spring, in addition to following the nature, could be followed from the colors of the ads on the main newspaper. When the snow that had covered the streets and parks finally started to melt, the white ads melted away, too. Likewise, when the lawns started turning green, the same color appeared in the ads.
I collected newspaper ads from January until April, and turned them into color mass with the help of a shredder. I sorted out the primary colors according to months, and put together a work that suggestively follows spring.
There is an installation called Sadepuutarha (“Rain Garden”) in the back room. The Japanese text has been kindly translated by Mayuko Ozaki.
Elina Strandberg
elinastran(at)gmail.com
Tel. +358505648143
