Darkness workshop at Titanik; three photos by Reino Koivula

In Åbo/Turku, the Darkness workshop continues, and, returning from Venice, Reiska and I join in again.
One three-dimensional piece of felt is produced by using a smaller part of the bell-shaped textile form; the technique works out well, but the gutefår wool seems too coarse to make good felt. From now on, I will use only the wool from the värmlandsfår breed.

Today is warm and sunny, so I move outside to work. People stop to look, and some share their experiences of wool, sheep and feltmaking. I hear stories about felt soles being made out in the Finnish archipelago and sold in the town’s fishmarket; about coalmining in Australia and its fatal consequences for sheep; I hear memories from travelling in Kyrgyzstan as well as arguments for vegan activism. Somebody remembers his childhood, when clothes weren’t bought but made by the mother from hand-spun and handwoven wool – that was northern Finland in the 1940’s.
All these stories go through me, down into the whirl of dark hair I’m working.

http://www.arte.fi

On Friday, June 19th, Midsummer’s Eve – Juhanni – is celebrated in Finland. The day is cold and rain is in the air, city’s almost deserted. I keep working darkness. Because of the low temperature, I decide not to do the actual felting, just prepare for the making of the bell. Wood sculptor Timo Nenonen helps me in trying out the equipment.

Reino keeps company, while I build the shape by filling wool from the bottom (which will eventually turn out top), spiralling out outwards and upwards and making sure that fibres are criss-crossing so as to keep together well when felted. Finally, I insert the inner bag filled with saw-dust (kindly provided by Timo) which is meant to keep the material fixed in shape while felting. But for the time being, I leave it there.

‘Darkness’ workshop is going on at gallery Titanik, in the heart of a Northern midsummer’s abundance of light; right now it’s almost 10 pm and still daylight outdoors. Reino Koivula, my appreciated colleague, non-organizes the event which develops graciously.

Darkness workshop at gallery Titanik; photo by Reino Koivula

I’m the last to leave the gallery, having figured out a possible technique to make three-dimensional bell-shaped pieces of felt and now making the equipment for it. Today’s accomplishment was another carpet, striped in lighter and darker gray and measuring 1,0 x 2,4 metres, later to be cut and shaped by Reino.

Today, the first felting was done at gallery Titanik by the bank of Aura river in Åbo/Turku. Wool from värmlandsfår and gutefår, two old Swedish sheep-breeds, was used. Two ewes of värmlandsfår, Stina and Brita, had provided us beautiful dark brown/black fells which were successfully turned into one flat, thick piece of felt measuring 1,1 x 1,5 metres. Moreover, we did some experimenting on three-dimensional felting with gray-black gutefår wool.

Last week, the Nomadic University held its eighth oasis called ‘Crisis? What Crisis?’ – once more in Åbo/Turku. There were lectures by Roger Säljö, Bruce Johnson, Karl-Erik Norrman and others … the opening of Hanna Varis’ exhibition in Åbo Castle… and some good working which will hopefully turn out fruitful.
For full programme, see the NUrope webpage:

Now, after a short visit home, I pack my car for returning: one bag of course literature, a cool bag for milk and honey, some personal things – clothes and toothbrush, mainly; a huge big cauldron, ten litres of liquid soap, a carpet, a tarpaulin, a bed-sheet and a young tree-trunk plus eight sacks of first-class quality wool in different shades of darkness. Let’s see what will happen next.