for me the mutual and colelctive dialogues are important. that is what my projects are about.
- what about art?
- what about architecture?
- what about individual creativity in a modern society?
at a lecture john cage once got a question and his answer was that the question was very interesting and that he enjoyed thinking about it. as soon as he owuld have an appropriate answer he would answer the question. at the same tiem he invcited others to give their answers. and by doing so he was able to get everyone present in the room to participate in the thinking without showing any direction. the question does not matter. what is important is that many others got involved and could participate with their ideas, thought, feelingsn, contributions to the whole happenening without being narrowed down to one or two so called scientific definitions.
in the same lecture cage was asked to speak about (i am not sure, and again it does not matter) music. he told that he went to the libary and at random choose five dictioneries and wrote down the first line of their interpretation of the weord music. hoe brought the written down sentences with him to the lecture, cut the words lose and put them in a bowl. tyhen he took out the pieces with the different words of the different definitions and read them aload. the ocmbinations of words was completely unexpected, not known before but generated lots of new meanings breaking down the traditional ways of thinking.
the lecture was fun. he showed that thinking and speaking van be very very limiting for the creative proces, especially in a groupproces. he also showed that by reorganising that proces creativity coul be stimulated, without limiting the participants in their ways of seeing and thinking. everyone involved in that session could learn from the group happening and nobody had to play with words. it was not about narrowing down the concepts, but about opening up.
in one way or another my projects in finland, in pori, oulu and turku and also in helsinki deal with the same issue.
- is it art?
- is it architecture?
- where they initiated by an artist or an architect?
i know that these words have all kinds of meanings and that these meanings are based on all kinds of writings, theories and ideas, but doing something is one thing, writing and thinking about it is something else.
all projects involved many others. all those certainly have completeley different opninions about what happened, why it happened and how it happened. all projects were fun to do and i guess i am not the only one of that opinion. i like to work that way. i like to drop ideas, get others together and realize something.
it is important for me that my work invites cooperation, that others want to participate and help
and adopt the project as their own. in each project all kinds of individuals, companies, institutions and organisations cooperated to realize the project.
my projects are about individuals, cooperations and fun. about doing something together. for me the mutual dialogue is important and at the same time it still is my project.
- is my work art?
- is my work architecture?
- am i an artist?
- am i an architect?
that is not the question. it is important that the projects worked and challenged others to particpate, one of the french surrealist, andre breton, if i remember well, seems ot have said about art: "frappé moi", freely translated, hit me, touch me, move me by your work. i guess my projects in finland a.o. and elsewhere as well, work in that way for many others.i would love to go on that way.