In July, media artist and storyteller Taina Kontio and photo artist Satu Miettinen worked on the island of Vänö in the Archipelago Sea in the project SENSE OF THE SEA. In August, the project expanded to include the Perämere and the rivers that flow into the sea. The piece featured swimming and walking along rocky beaches, listening to stories about seas and rivers, and discussing life on the islands. Most often, while swimming or walking, personal stories were shared about shipwrecks or the Vikings’ Eastern route, or about the delicate boundaries of the human body. There was also a sense of collective pride in the importance of younger generations becoming skilled in boating. As artists, Kontio and Miettinen acted as filters for these stories, transforming them into words, photographs, video art, sounds, short films, and performances. They drew from their own knowledge of rocks and winds, and became beacons in the sea, marking the way like Viking graves. The creative process of MEREN TAJU has been open, allowing for daily updates and insights on social media. This openness has fostered meaningful discussions, the opportunity to learn from mistakes, and the chance to achieve success. Taina Kontio is a media artist and storyteller, as well as a Doctor of Arts. Satu Miettinen is a professor of service design, community artist, and photographer. Together, they have engaged in socially responsible art, pioneering community projects, and have written articles on shaping social change through art. THE SENSE OF THE SEA AND THE POETIC BACKLANDS will continue its journey along the rivers of Finland and Sweden as well as the Baltic Sea from 2020 to 2023. The project aims to collect personal stories from residents about their favorite swimming spots and their relationship with water. Through these stories, it also seeks to document cultural and ecological changes that have occurred in the waterways. The project has received funding from the Maaseudu Sivistysliitto and the John Nurminen Foundation.

See the video produced during the residency here.