My newest video Voyage is still in progress, but here is a short teaser.
Voyage is about a shaman's travel in searching for the connection with the mother nature. From time to time shaman is vanishing in the forest and becoming one with the nature. Shaman shows her adoration for the Earth and Universe by doing her ritual in a sacred place.
Video was filmed in Keissaari-island (in Yläjärvi town next to my home city Tampere) by Kirsi Tuuliniemi and Jemina Siltala. Kirsi is editing the video and she made the soundscape using sounds from Freesound.
Moves in the video are again TRE like in my previous video Trance (A Dream). TRE means Tension and Trauma Release Excercises ®. Automatic trembling has a lot in common with a real shaman's trance. I'm only simulating shaman's trance here.
I'm wearing my headpiece with real reindeer antlers. I got them from my friend. Antlers were in their summer cottage and were put on the outer wall of the cottage by the previous owner. Also the other materials for the headpiece are recycled. For this video I added many ribbons to the mask and I think it became great.
A real shaman always makes his/her ow mask. I wanted to follow the traditions this way. My shaman headpiece is sacred for me: I won't wear it for making fun of it or just for a show off. I'm appreciating it and the history and cultural meaning that it carries. With the headpiece I'm searching for my inner shaman. I feel connected with the old wisdom also by giving healing to people. There is something good and healing in my hands, and I wonder if there were healers in my family of ancestors who lived in Karelia, Impilahti, from at least 17th century untill 1944. Shamanism lasted longer time in eastern Finland than in western side. Russia occupied Karelia in 1944.
Video was supposed to be ready during the last spring/summer, but right away after the shooting I noticed that some of the necessary material for the story wasn't good enough. It was so cold on the island that we didn't watch too carefully the filmed material in situ.
Finnish weather gave the last obstacle: weather got warmer soon and the ice cover got weak. I didn't dare to walk to the island anymore. So we need to wait for the coming January/February to go again to Keissaari-island. Even I'm Finnish, I'm always freezing during our long winter. I have to tell that it was terribly cold on the island, minus degrees and windy and I was wearing a thin costume. Horrible to go there again, but what can I do? I have the pictures and film in my head and they need to be taken in the form of a video. For my art I can be a bit masochist. :D
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