memory_afternoons: “In the afternoon I listened to ancient echoes in the living room”, 2012 Photographer Laura Konttinen works along the liminal spaces of memory, where images fold into one another and diverging meanings open new roads in the heart of the unconscious. "I believe that memories are fluid," Laura says, "prone to mutations and holes that might fill out with fiction, someone else’s stories or anything that might have crossed one’s mind in any point in time." Senses become unmoored from their anchors and set to drift on unexplored, alternative waters. Konttinen works the images over like poems, opening their interpretational pores, allowing the unexpected to emerge. "I have worked through memories and the imaginary aspects of nostalgia and now I’m working on pictures about forgetting," Laura says. "I am not yet sure what the result will look like." AHC: What first drew you to art and photography? Was there a specific moment in your life or turning point where it became clear to you that you were being called to create? Laura: I wish I had a more exciting story, but basically I think art just suited my personality. As a teenager, instead of developing my social skills, I spent a lot of time just listening to music by myself, writing songs, and drawing and painting. I felt like art gave me access to a mythical, fascinating world of ideas and symbols. I only veered towards photography in art school. Photography was not a necessarily a medium that I liked or felt fluent in, but I became fascinated with the photograph as a strange cultural object. Then I really fell in love with taking pictures at the age of 21, when I was studying Photography in an exchange program in Edinburgh, Scotland. A local supermarket had a sale of Bratz Movie Star dolls that came with a plastic camera. It was a 35mm film camera with a cheap plastic lens that was somehow already worn and a painful advancing wheel with sharp, blood-thirsty teeth. But it became my favourite camera, and I would just wander around the city taking pictures of whatever and then head to school to process the film. I still shoot mainly on film. lightmare: “Lightmare Island”, 2015 velvetwood_island: “Velvetwood Island”, 2016 AHC: Could you talk some about your overall process, themes & inspirations? Laura: The basis of my work is using photograph as a material and an object. I like to print out pictures I have taken, cut them up and make these little sceneries. Crafting by hand is important to me for some reason. It gives me childlike joy, maybe because I used to do all kinds of crafts already as a kid. My mum and I made a “troll forest” in a cardboard box once. We made a little forest clearing out of mosses, rocks and different plants from the backyard and put in little plastic mushrooms. My process includes several stages: sketching, cutting up and glueing together photos, arranging little landscapes, shooting them on film, scanning the film and then having the final prints made. I like to include analogue “tricks” in my work, such as filters made from coloured plastic bags and long exposures. The main theme in my work is nostalgia and its relation to photography. It is an endless source of wonder. memory-vaihdokas: “Changening creeps into the garden”, 2012 AHC: Your series, Memories is a very unique, captivating project, can you talk about your approach to this series and your philosophy behind it? Laura: Memories started out when I realized that photography is what truly shapes my visual and personal history. For my generation, those born in the 80s, photography has been an integral part in the creation of memories – we tend to remember moments better when they were photographed, and our memories become intertwined with photographs of them. Photo albums themselves are ranking systems of events that someone deemed important enough to be photographed. And it’s almost easier to remember what a photograph looked like than the actual place. I think we are the last to generation to associate photography with memory specifically. Today, photography is such a natural part in experiencing the present and constantly defining your identity. With Memories, I wanted to figure out what kind of visual alternatives there are to memories. I believe that memories are fluid, prone to mutations and holes that might fill out with fiction, someone else’s stories or anything that might have crossed one’s mind in any point in time. I wanted to depict these odd structures and challenge photography’s power, while still using it as a material and a medium. I constructed little miniature views from photo scraps and various materials, that I then took pictures of. To me, they are photographs of memories that have been frozen in time at a later stage of their evolution. konttinen_echo: “Echo Rocks”, 2015 memory_tree: “Becoming a tree”, 2012 AHC: Who are some of your artistic influences? Is there anyone outside of the art world whose work has impacted your own, or who just generally inspire you, writers, filmmakers, musicians etc? Laura: It’s hard to tell what has actually impacted my work. The works of art that I like don’t necessarily have a clear link to my own. I admire the conceptual trickery of Sophie Calle, I like the intuitive symbolism in works by Louise Bourgeois or Marc Chagall, I like the aesthetics of the arte povera movement. I think artists are kind of interpreters in this interconnected world, everything affects everything. As humans we filter information all the time, but who knows what really goes on in the unconscious. For visual artists and visual people, the shapes and colours of the surroundings can have a huge effect. Spending time in forest versus spending time at sea will have different impacts on your depth perception, spatial sense and how your brain works in general. memory-linna: “Castle of uninvited guests”, 2014 AHC: What is the first work of art/photography you encountered that took your breath away? Laura: I honestly can’t remember. But I’ll tell you about the most recent experience. I saw a 3D printing exhibition at Centre Pompidou in Paris in April. It was more of a design show with various 3D printed objects, like chairs and such. But the materials, the structures and textures were like from a parallel universe. It made me realize that most of our everyday objects have their familiar shapes because of the qualities and limitations of the materials they are made of. If we had no limitations, how different would the world look. sepiarocks1: “Phoenix Tree”, 2016 memory-fishing: “Fishing for mermaids”, 2012 AHC: Are there times when you become blocked creatively? What do you do to rekindle inspiration? Laura: The biggest issue for me is difficulty concentrating. My mind wanders off easily, and it’s hard to get in the “zone”. Writing down words or poetry sometimes helps in reconnecting with the creative state of mind. luostari: “After the gate”, 2016 AHC: Do you have any upcoming exhibits or new projects you'd like to tell people about? Laura: Right now I’m working on a photo series called Monuments. It will be a third instalment to my Nostalgia trilogy. I have worked through memories and the imaginary aspects of nostalgia (in the series “Islands”, 2014 – 2016), and now I’m working on pictures about forgetting. I am not yet sure what the result will look like. I have started with simple collage-like pictures, with beautiful elements I would like to have memories of, but I don’t. I’d love to create a photo book or some other publications. And I’m starting my master’s studies in Photography at Aalto University (Helsinki) in the autumn, I hope I’ll find some new things to try out too. Time guarantees in a foreign fire nights / in a strange city I chased by a fire nightly 2010
For more visit www.laurakonttinen.net/ All images © Laura Konttinen Comments are closed.
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