Wildness Makes This World

Kunsthalle Seinäjoki, Finland, 2021.

Wildness Makes This World was a participatory project involving people living in the area of Seinäjoki, the Seinajoki Museums, the Laitakaupungin Orkesteri and Kunsthalle Seinäjoki that explored ‘wildness’ as a mode of being. The exhibition, at Kunsthalle Seinäjoki was a collective installation of new artworks, artefacts and historical objects as an examination of wildness, not just as it relates to nature, but more specifically as it relates to personal experiences and sense. Accordingly, acceptance of psycho-geographic knowing and the connection of experience to place was an important theme of the exhibition. The installation speculated that wildness is essential for living, something that we return to and re-perform in numerous ways that are sometimes unexpected and not always limited to natural worlds.

The exhibition was made with the grateful support of: Seinäjoki Museums, Culture Centre Vanha Paukku, Culture Office Office of City of Lapua, Tapaninlinna Village Association, Ylistaron Kisa-veljet Sports Association - wrestling division, the Laitakaupungin Orkesteri, and local people from the Seinäjoki region.

Thanks to all the participants in the exhibition: Anne, Alpo, Duncan, Juha, Kirsi, Manar and her family, Mauri, Maryna, Mervi, Lauri, Sanna and Suvi.

Also thanks to contributors to the video The Sound of the Culture Services, Seinäjoki: Sanna, Marko, Tero, Timo, Annukka, Piia, Minna, Jenni, Petteri, Alan, Maria and Jussi.

A catalogue of the exhibition and an LP Soundscape was published in 2021.

Supported by: Uniarts Helsinki.

[image credits: Jenni Latva, Mika Rinta-Porkkunen & Tomi Salminen]