Conversation: On Belonging, Environmental Change and Cultural Resilience (in English)
As a part of the opening programme of Kumu’s new contemporary art exhibition “They Began to Talk”, the Finnish environmental sociologist Outi Autti, the British film-maker Ruth Maclennan and the curators Ann Mirjam Vaikla and Hanna Laura Kaljo will lead a conversation exploring the notions of belonging, environmental change and cultural resilience. This event is in English.
The explored topics are reflected both in the exhibition “They Began to Talk” and in the works of the speakers more broadly. Thus, this is an opportunity to learn about the thematic and methodological undercurrents of the exhibition, particularly Maclennan’s film “A Forest Tale” (2022), set in the deep midwinter of the Arctic region, close to Arkhangelsk. How do we create our sense of belonging to an environment and what is the role of the body in this process? How are one’s sense of self and cultural heritage practices affected by abrupt environmental change? How might we remember and cultivate cultural resilience when change strikes? These are some of the questions we will be considering together.
This event is a part of the public programme of the exhibition “They Began to Talk”, an international group exhibition which takes the intertwinement of the body and the environment as its point of departure, in an era marked by rapid environmental change and inequality. Sudden changes in the physical environment, often caused by human activity, can lead to mental suffering in land-based communities. Stored in the body, this trauma is passed on to future generations, who perceive it as an interruption in their relationship with their surroundings. The exhibition brings together the practices of artists working in this region with those from indigenous communities in the Nordic countries, exploring the possibility of recovering and cultivating a sense of connection.
“They Began to Talk” continues the Kumu Contemporary Art Gallery’s programme of exhibitions on environmental themes, which began in 2023 with “Art in the Age of the Anthropocene”.
This event is supported by the Finnish Institute.
