PEKKA KANTONEN Generational Filming A VIDEO DIARY AS EXPERIMENTAL AND PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH Generational Filming PEKKA KANTONEN Generational Filming A Video Diary as Experimental and Participatory Research © Pekka Kantonen 2017 Publisher: The Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki Graphic Design: Mika Aalto-Setälä English translation: Hannah Ouramo (Ch. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 11) and Perttu Järvenpää (Ch. 4, 5, 6, 10) Proof reading: Annette Arlander Image editing: Sakari Viika Cover picture: Pekka Kantonen Printing: Tallinna Raamatutrükikoja, Viro, 2017 ISBN 978-952-7131-31-2 (printed) ISBN 978-952-7131-30-5 (pdf) PEKKA KANTONEN Generational Filming A VIDEO DIARY AS EXPERIMENTAL AND PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH Acknowledgement The video diary, that my research is based on, was begun in 1990, while my family, together with the help of professional builders, friends and the security of a loan, was building a house in the village of Hermanonkimaa in Mäntsälä. Also, I was able to complete this research with the help of professionals, friends, a loan, and luckily some research grants. The main setting for the video material is mostly the aforementioned house. I am in gratitude to architect Timo Jeskanen for designing our home, Rauhala. The most important people during the first few years of shooting the diary were the three families who were simultaneously building houses in Her- manonkimaa. I am especially thankful to the neighbours’ children who are now all adults. The Haarlas, Ahos, Lukinmaas, and later, in the 2000s the Kutvonens and Heikkinens formed a community, which helped me under- stand that there are two types of friends: those who like to be filmed and those who find it awkward. Recognising this boundary was particularly useful as the video diary shoots extended to other communities. The encouragement and critique towards the project during the decades has marked my friendship with Heidi Tikka, Agnieszka Wolodsko, Irmeli Kokko-Viika, Sakari Viika and Mika Aalto-Setälä. Saku has, for two dec- ades, faithfully photographed our works and processes. The illustrations in the book testify to the fact that Saku has played a crucial part in our projects. Mika’s distinctive and minimalist lay-out, sensitive to my expla- nations on the contents of the book, is present throughout the work. The main viewing laboratory for the video diary has been the Doctoral Studies Department at the Academy of Fine Arts, run by Jan Kaila, whose seminars and international meetings have provided me fertile ground in which I have been able to show my videos and the filmed comments on them. I am grateful to all my colleagues and the professors for their cri- 4 tique and comments during my seminars between 2007 and 2009. Thank you to Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Simo Alitalo, Jan Erik Andersson, Eeva Anttila, Annette Arlander, Niran Baibulat, Stig Baumgartner, Rustom Bharucha, Dan Graham, Terike Haapoja, Minna Heikinaho, Timo Heino, Hanna Johansson, Shoji Kato, Petri Kaverma, Pertti Kekarainen, Esa Kirkkopel- to, Jay Koh, Johanna Lecklin, Liisa Lounila, Tuomas Nevanlinna, Maija Närhinen, Robert Palmer, Merja Puustinen, Heli Rekula, Markus Ris- sanen, Elina Saloranta, Henk Schlager, Jan Svengungsson and Denise Zie- gler. Extended thanks go to Sami van Ingen, Pekka Niskanen and Marjatta Oja for filming the seminars, and to Jari Haanperä, Jay Koh, Ray Langen- bach and Johanna Rossi for filming some of the viewing situations. The case study Autobiography of a Friend would not have been finished without discussions with Katri Hirvonen-Nurmi, Ray Langenbach, Anita Seppä, Helena Sinervo, Heidi Tikka and Elina Vuola. Both of my supervisors, art historian Grant Kester and artist, researcher, curator Ray Langenbach have been ideal. It has been a luxury to have two supervisors who are at the top of their fields. Grant is an exemplary coach and his help was essential at the start and the finishing up of my disserta- tion. During my research Ray has become one of my closest friends and I have started to call him my “theory slave”. One of Ray’s greatest attributes is the ability to only read meticulously. His remarks left the pages full of comments and suggestions. He eagerly shared his knowledge, views, artis- tic and research ideas, as well as the warmth of a friend. After my spouse, Lea, Ray has definitely had the most influence in the contents of my re- search. In May 2007, at a viewing in Leeds I was given the best description of Ray’s part in our videos: ”Your camera really loves this Leonard Bern- stein looking guy.” In the fifth chapter, Scolding, I explain how the research method emerged through an anthropological field work exercise. I took part, as a (lifelong) anthropology BA student, in Thomas Strong’s, a visiting US lecturer at the University of Helsinki, courses in 2007 and 2008. Tom’s lectures are the liveliest and most encouraging university education I have received in over 40 years. Another route towards the emergence of the method was through the Asking for Advice performance (Chapter 4: Hot Soup), an idea which Lea got in 2002 from our artist friends Jay Koh and Chu Yuan in Singapore at the International Symposium and Seminar on Investigating Public Engaged Art. Jay made a simple proposition that an artist could ask her collaborators for advice during the process rather than wait for feed- back after the work is finished. Afterwards, Jay and Chu Yuan have organ- ised Asking for Advice performances internationally. The first Asking for Advice 5 performance was organised by artist and curator Agnieszka Wolodsko in Gdansk in August 2005. For organising the viewing situations I would also like to thank Janne Ahonen, Rocio de Aguinaga, Mirka Flander, Jari Haanperä, Oscar Hernán- dez, Marja-Liisa Honkasalo, Aare and Rieka Hõrn, Shauna Laurel Jones, Kristiina Kajesalo, Andreas Kalkun, Irmeli Kokko-Viika, Jón Próppe, Am- paro Sevilla Villalobos, Anna Thuring, Roberto de la Torre, Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen, and the following institutions: Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, Aalto Uni- versity, Imatra Art School, University of Helsinki Student Organization Mana, Mänttä Art Festival, Finnish Antropological Society, Society for Cultural Studies in Finland, Becoming Bologna research seminar at 53rd Venice Biennale, European Association of Social Anthropologists EASA, University of Leeds, SIM-house in Reykjavik, Laznia Centre for Con- temporary Art in Gdansk, Suomesta-gallery in Berlin, Värska Cultural Centre, Seto Museum and Seto Seltsimaja in Obinitsa, Tartu Literary Museum in Estonia, Secondary school Tatutsi Maxakwaxi in San Miguel Huaistita, Photographic Center Manuel Álvarez Bravo in Oaxaca, ITESO University in Guadalajara, Nacional Institute of Anthropology and Histo- ry INAH, La Esmeralda, National Center of the Arts in México City, Sun- way University, University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Lost Generation Space, MAP-White Box –gallery, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Post-Museum, P-10 Gallery in Singapore, NICA, Yangon in Myanmar. The list of professional help is not distinctively different from the list of friends. After building the house, professional help was mostly needed as we created the most important artistic part of my research, the Ripples at Home exhibition at Helsinki Kunsthalle in the spring of 2011. In a few days Eero Yli-Vakkuri, with the help of Lauri Isola and Jani Karimäki, and Kunsthalle’s personnel built the exhibition, while Pro AV Saarikko’s group finalised the more demanding video projections. Epa Tamminen helped with sound editing before the show. Three communities have been extremely helpful and inspiring in my re- search. A chapter has been dedicated to each. The Seto song mothers liv- ing in Helbi village in southeastern Estonia greeted us with open arms and taught us about the aesthetics of their traditional Leelo song and how best to film it. As I write this the members of the choir, Alovere Olli, Kala Man- ni, Kilevi Alli, Kuhi Anne, Kukka Manni and Sillaotsa Liidi have passed into another world but the Leelo they fostered thrives in Setoland. With the Tarros and Hõrn families, Õie Sarv, Ülle Kauksi, and Evar Riitsaar, who live in the village of Obinitsa, we have been able to continue recording and 6 researching the Seto song, and to take part in traditional festivities and cultural events. The teachers and pupils of Tatuutsi Maxakwaxi shool in the Wixárika village Tsikwaita (San Miguel Huaistita) allowed us to use our filming method in the planning of their community museum, which is also sup- ported by the Finnish Saami community, especially Irja Seurujärvi-Kari and Ilmari Laiti, the Siida Museum, and The Saami Education Institute SOGSAKK. Outi Hakkarainen, Pauliina Helle, Katri Hirvonen-Nurmi and Heli Kuusipalo, all long-standing members of the non-governmental or- ganisation CRASH, have shared the troubles and dreams of the Tunúwame project. The Tatuutsi Maxakwaxi school community has shown us how to get the best results – also in our art project – when decisions are based on communal discussion and aspire to consensus. The third community is the size of a nuclear family, the artists Goa Zweygbergk and Ilkka Sariola’s blended family have shared both the dialogical art project and a decades- long conversation on art that has enriched our method. In over fifty filmed viewing situations hundreds of people have given valuable comments. Only a fraction of these are quoted in the research. I hesitate to mention any one of the precious sources of information as, should I mention one, I would leave another one out. One of the central features of the method is that no comment is meaningless nor indisput- ably more important than another one. I am thankful to the support of the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the ArtsEqual research initiative of the University of the Arts Helsinki, the Academy of Fine Arts and the VISEK Centre for the Promotion of Visual Arts for the support in publishing my research.