Allas: Peurala, 2019
collagraphy and drypoint on gampi, gauze, Petri dish, water from Lokka reservoir In Lapland, at the upstream of the Luiro River in Sodankylä, the scenery is dominated by a massive body of water. In its place, there used to be forest and bogs, villages and homes. When the Lokka Reservoir, or the “pool”, as the locals call it, was built in 1967 to regulate the volume of water in the Kemijoki power plants, both people and nature had to make room for it. The houses were sold or expropriated. The trees, fields, reindeer pastures and memories became submerged in water. In the Kuvan Kevät exhibition, I will show works that have been inspired by my expeditions to Lokka. I investigate the history of the reservoir and its societal and human consequences by means of art. I examine our native population, the Sámi people, and the Finns’ relationship with nature, and contemplate the true cost of our standard of living. When I watch the news, I see history repeat itself. For my part, I wish to draw attention to these things through my work. The process, the interaction between the work and myself, is important to me. I regard art as a medium which I use to make sense of both myself and the world in which I live. This body of work is my way of documenting a place that does not exist anymore. It is a place that I have heard stories of throughout my life. Peurala is the name of the houses where my relatives lived. It was an important place for them. It was a home. Now all that is left are memories, stories, and a vast pool of water. Allas: Peurala is a map of the Lokka reservoir. Allas in Finnish for pool. On the map, I have marked all the villages and rivers, swamps and homes that are now under the water or the reservoir. On top of Peurala I have placed a glass container of water from the reservoir.
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