Hello Juniper or esteemed Juniper, junipers, hello to you as well over there. Nice to be here for the first time recording our encounter. I was here once before Christmas and found you, so to speak, finally. I was looking all over the islands and there are not many junipers in this cluster of islands called Suomenlinna sea fortress. We are right now on the north-western most island, the one closest to the mainland but also closest to Harakka Island where I usually work and have my studio since many years, which was originally part of this sea fortress as well. When I came here before Christmas to look for junipers, I found one towards the South or south-east near the old submarine boat that is there on the shore, but in a place that was not accessible. And then I found a small juniper right next to the road on the very southernmost island. But finding you here, there's actually three of you growing nearby on this north-western island, which is called I think Länsi Mustasaari, the western black island, was a very nice encounter, because you are here somewhat secluded or in the tranquil place and very, very beautiful. So, I hope you don't mind, or I'm asking for your consent to come and visit you every now and then or maybe approximately once a month and to try to talk with you or have a conversation with you and even touch you as I do now, holding on to a branch of yours.
I have been working with junipers before more than ten years ago and at that time I was often holding on the junipers, but I was covered in a green scarf and that was very different. I was not trying to talk with you at all. And that is what I'm trying to do this time and to learn more about you. The reason why I came here to the sea fortress is because I hope to find studio here, to be able to rent a small working space here next year. Because I have to leave my studio on Harakka, and because Suomenlinna is sort of the mother island of Harakka, too, in ancient times at least. It felt somehow natural to come here because I want to be by the sea. But I've been also talking a lot with pine trees and in some sense pine trees are of course very, very beautiful and exciting, but I always when I worked with you, junipers, I always thought you were very special. One reason is maybe because my grandmother, my mother's mother loved junipers. And in the garden or in the area around the cottage in the countryside we were never allowed to cut down any junipers so there's plenty of old and young and small junipers growing all around the house, I think. There is a lot of mythological knowledge about junipers also in in Finnish folklore, but globally in different cultures. And I read some of it on the ferry coming here. And there was one detail that I remember, which I thought was funny, which was this idea that if you were to pick juniper berries you should remove your hat or your cap. And of course, removing your cap is a sign of respect so maybe that was thought of as a sign of respect, too. I don't see any berries on you, so I suppose you are a male juniper because the junipers are either male or female. And I guess the female ones have berries but sometimes also the form is different. So, you're more upright so you could be a male one also based on the form, whereas your neighbour nearby, closer to the sea, is more like spread out and it could be a female one. But that is not always correct because I met a juniper in Stockholm, and it was very tall, but it had berries. Now I say it because in finish we can say ‘se’ even of human being, so it doesn't mean that I think you're dead or an object if I call you an ‘it’. But in English maybe I should say you, they, or he, maybe you are he, I don't know. Today it's a very beautiful day to begin these conversations because there is almost no wind so this recording is not disturbed by the sound of the wind. I don't have so much to tell you yet so it's more like getting to know you a little bit. I also stand sort of partly behind you because here you have a small branch that I can easily hold onto even though it's very small so it's not really for support. I can see that your trunk is substantial so you're not a youngster even though you're not that tall. But I guess this is also not a very easy place to live in because normally you would have quite a lot of wind here on the cliffs. B I also know that junipers are very strong and resilient and can live in harsh circumstances. So yeah, I respect you for that. And in many cultures, you're the symbol of both death and rebirth. I don't think in Finnish folklore, it's not necessary that, but the smoke from your branches is used for cleaning purposes, also cleaning sort of spiritual cleaning. I've never experienced that, but they say that you can make like a ‘vihta’, what we usually, a broom out of Birch leaves, which we use to clean ourselves with in the Sauna. That you can make a broom out of juniper branches and have your aroma in the sauna, but with your sharp small needles using you for sort of brushing myself with, well, that's probably not very pleasant. But I thought I'd ask permission from you to take a small branch of you or maybe two, to put on my door, because that will protect the house from evil spirits and witches and so on. And then maybe another small branch to try to see if I could burn it to get some smoke to clean inside the house. I will try to take the branches from down on you, so not from the top branches and I hope it doesn't hurt too much. I'm very grateful and I realise it's quite rude to take something from you already during this our first meeting. But I thought it would be also a symbol so I could carry you with me in some way. And for the next meeting I will try to find something I could give you as a gift in exchange, but at the moment I don't have anything with me. I apologise for that. Anyway, thank you for this first encounter and I look forward to our next meeting, and yes thank you, thank you. And take care.
Hello dear Juniper, nice to see you again on this cold sunny Sunday afternoon. I didn't realise that the sun will shine directly on the camera at this time of the day so now I know I should come to you earlier, although of course the location of the sun will change later in spring. Now the winter is finally here. January was exceptionally warm, and it felt like there would be no winter at all, but now it's cold. It's not exceptionally cold at all but because of the warm January it feels colder. It's maybe -10 or now in the sun maybe -8 but the sea is slowly freezing. The small bay here in the Western Black Island or how you translate the name Länsi-Mustasaari is already frozen, but of course the open sea is open. I have not visited Suomenlinna Sea Fortress since we last met in January and not done anything to advance my finding a studio here. But I've looked at the website and no, there are no empty studios at the moment. I also I thought about talking with you about the text I more or less happened to read last night, a short polemical article. I don’t remember the exact title but something like Sustainable Art Should not be Placed in Nature [Sustainable art should not be installed at natural sites] by Riccardo Guiano [Guarino] or something like that, I don't know the writer. And he was very critical about art being placed in natural environments and in natural parks and well, anywhere in nature and especially on spectacular sites. Partly because they might do some harm to the local ecosystems but especially because they foster sort of a consumerist attitude to nature, and instead of an appreciation of nature for its own sake and its slow processes and so on. And that makes sense of course. He has a lot of examples from Christo’s huge packaging efforts to Andy Goldsworthy’s small very subtle and you would imagine very ecological works created of natural materials that will then melt into the surroundings, like leaves or materials from nature. But of course, this idea of also inviting people to go to, in large amounts, to spectacular sights to witness some strange sculpture or bench or frame there, it’s in a way not such a good idea. The only works that he somehow accepts or mentions as positive examples are by Agnes Denes, the classic work the Wheatfield in New York, but also the Tree Mountain, which is in Ylöjärvi in Finland, where a huge amount [number] of trees were planted on a site where they had taken gravel or other minerals and sort of, so the planting of the trees was like a restoration project. And of course, that's something beautiful to think that art could be both aesthetically interesting and restoring some damaged environments, and there is quite a lot of such things done. But of course, I then also thought about what we're doing here together, our so-called collaboration when I come and visit you and make images and sound works out of our encounter. Of course, I'm not doing much damage to the site; I triy to tread carefully although I'm trampling the plants where I stand. And I'm not inviting huge amounts of people to assemble here and destroy the surroundings. And anyway, this is an area, a public parc as part of Helsinki where people come anyway in masses and destroy the environment even without any art as an excuse. But the challenge of how to collaborate in a manner that would be beneficial for you, too, that is a constant problem. And I haven't been able to solve that in my previous experiments. And to be honest I don't expect to be able to solve that now either. But even though the text was provocative and as an artist I felt it was like accusing artists for [of] being hypocrites and claiming that the damage they do is counterbalanced with the positive interest that they evoke in people towards nature and so on. His condemnation was quite harsh but in a way to some extent I agree. So, it's not, a lot of so-called environmental art where you do stuff out in nature and then leave the materials there to rot and to participate in the natural life cycles; well sometimes they feel almost like litter. And I agree with that even though there are some very beautiful works, too. And I've never been really, I've never felt like I would like to place something in nature, to sort of create a work that would participate in the natural environment. I'm always taking away things from you. It's almost like picking berries or mushrooms and I'm collecting images and then I make my cakes or pies with them and hope that somebody might eat them. And I'm not saying it's in any way a more sustainable way of doing art, but it's nevertheless, it's different. So, I understand his criticism although as an artist I'd like to defend the artists who want to work out in nature and sort of show their love to their surroundings in that manner. I don't know if it's really, I don't know if I can say that I feel love towards you; we hardly know each other. But I'm I'm really curious about you and I would love to be able to initiate a more reciprocal relationship with you. But as I said before I haven't yet found a proper way to do that. In any case I'm very grateful that you allow me to spend time with you. And somehow, I imagine – and now it's of course a risk that I do imagine – but I imagine that you don't mind me standing here breathing some carbon dioxide on your needles or, well, making sounds that you might distinguish. I do appreciate your generosity and I wish you a really nice rest of February and beginning of March and enjoy the light that will now increase. And take care.
Hello dear Juniper, great to see you again. Now it's a cold sunny Sunday, 16th of February, and the sun is shining right in the ‘eyes’ of the camera so to speak. I will talk to you only briefly because it's cold. And for some reason the camera doesn't like the cold now. But I guess you like it somehow; you look fresh and like you're doing fine. It's amazing actually. January was so very warm that I didn't believe there would be any proper winter, but now after that warm January this feels really cold, although it's only -10 or maybe -8 now in the afternoon. I haven't done anything for, to promote my project of finding a studio on this island, but I've looked at the website and there are no empty studios at the moment. But I'm looking forward to the idea of a new studio. It's a new start in some way, when you have to clean away all of the old stuff. But I tried to talk with you about, or planned to talk with you about, but I don't know if there is time because I want to make this short, is a text that I happened to read last night, by Riccardo Gujano [Guarini], I don't remember the name properly but, a text about sustainable art that should not be placed in nature. And it was a provocative text but somehow also reasonable. Because there is a lot of art, so-called environmental art, which is sort of spectacular gestures put in spectacular places that according to him don’t foster any love for nature but more a consumerist attitude towards spectacular views and so on. And the only artworks that he would somehow accept would be environmental artworks that would include some restoration aspect with them, like Tree Mountain by Agnes Denes in Ylöjärvi, which was planted on a disturbed and destroyed site. Well, I'm going to say goodbye to you after this very brief encounter, to be sure that the camera doesn't collapse on its own. But I must say I'm very thankful, grateful to be able to come and talk with you, and I appreciate your generosity. I wish you a very nice February and a good beginning of March. Enjoy the light and take care.
Hello, hello dear Juniper. Nice to see you again. I was here actually a few days ago on Sunday. But it was colder then, and I had problems with my camera so I couldn't really record a proper conversation, so I decided to come again. And today it's more warm. It was cold in the morning and there's plenty of snow but now the sun is warming. It is the end of February and it's already warming. This cold spell is supposed to be short, but it makes the world beautiful with all the snow. And it's also funny because you can see the traces of all humans and all animals; plenty of them have been walking around the days now since Sunday. I had the idea to talk with you about my efforts to find a studio here on the island in the sea fortress, but I haven't proceeded with that at all, I must say. Except that when I came with a ferry boat today and it was not so crowded as on Sunday, I somehow felt like I would, I was going to my studio. So, at the moment you are my studio in a way. Well, I hope I will find a more comfortable studio, because right now this is very pleasant with the sun but otherwise it can be quite complicated. And then I also need space for all my old stuff and my tools and so on. So, let's see. But the other thing I wanted to tell you about was the lecture I listened to last night or in the afternoon, organised by journal called Resistance - Radical Environmental Humanities. I haven't read the journal, but I saw the advertisement on Facebook and just found the YouTube channel and listened to the talk. It was a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru university in Delhi in India, professor Nidvedita or Nidvita, Nidvidita I think, Menon. And she spoke about, I don't remember the exact title but something like ways to reach beyond capitalism. [Reshaping Worlds – beyond the capitalist horizon] And she's professor of political thought so she presented all kinds of different attempts at solving the current crisis. I didn't really understand what her main proposal was, but she was discussing UBI, that is universal basic income, she was discussing green energy transition and efforts at sustainability. She was also mentioning rewilding as opposed to conservation and degrowth of course. And then the trends among young people in China and Japan nowadays to just quit or sort of try to do the utmost minimal work and not having ambitions and trying to join the rat race or the capitalist system of accumulation. And she found something good and something bad in all these efforts. But I think somehow in the Q&A she clarified one of her main arguments, [which] was about secularisation. Modern secular society being sort of a pretext in away or the effort at secularisation was a pretext in order to disturb the relationship between humans and nature in a manner to desacralize nature in a way that it can be used as a resource. So that's not the main aim of modernity of course, but it's like, it's an important sort of side effect, which is not discussed directly because the aim is progress and development and so on. But secularisation means also destroying the relationship of humans and nature and considering nature as a resource. And I think that was clarifying, because I understand the traditional societies needs for sort of criticise secularisation, but I'm so grown up in a secular society, even though I'm a member of the Christian Church for convenience I suppose, that I would love to find ways of restoring human respect and reverence for nature and sort of participation in nature without returning to sort of spiritual or old religious traditions. But of course, indigenous people who have those traditions alive, they can teach us a lot, but I would, yeah. So, I understand her point and especially with India in mind, but when religion today, and not only Christianity or Islam but also Hinduism and other religions are used for sort of ethnic nationalism and in support of very sort of rough capitalism, so it's not, that's not a solution. But OK, I'm not an expert in political thought; it was very interesting talk. But what I came to think about was that actually when I try to establish this weird relationship with you, dear juniper, which is somehow symbolic or more like a gesture, but it's still, it’s an attempt at restoring, if not the sacred or the spiritual in nature, because I don't address you as a spiritual being. I try to address you as a as a living being like I am a living being. And you're very, very different but somehow this, for me as an animal the natural way would be to respect you as a shrub or a tree also as an individual or let's say you are probably a collective. But anyway, you're somebody. Yeah, OK, I'm not saying that talking to junipers would solve the current crisis or would even lead the way beyond capitalism, no. But I just realised that there is something behind this attempt of mine, which tries to find the sort of, restoring a healthy relationship without spiritualism. I have nothing against spiritualism as such, but yeah. Well, I also, another, a completely different thing, which I thought I might mention is a book I'm reading now by Johan Eklöf. It is a manifesto for darkness. And it's absurd in this time of sort of bright, bright sunlight. But it's actually quite convincing. It's funny, I read the book in English although it's written by a Swedish author and published in Sweden to begin with. But it's about the disastrous influence of light on many ecosystems. And especially sort of for instance relationships between pollinators and plants because they, most plants are very, very sensitive, you, too, are very, very sensitive to light, and different nuances and colours of light, and like the cycles of light, and have adopted your way of growing and blossoming and so on, to that. And when that is disturbed by artificial light created by humans, then you might bloom at a different time than the insects that would pollinate you and so. Well, now reading about this of course, I had to check, and you are not pollinated by insects. You’re like coniferous trees you’re wind pollinated. So, this collaboration between the insects or bugs and your reproduction, that's not an issue. And of course, you are not that sensitive to light and darkness in terms of shedding your leaves or your needles, because you keep them on. But I'm sure that you're still influenced by, or how should I say that you react to the cycle of light and the yearly, not only the temperature but especially light, and the length of night and the length of day and their relationship. And of course, luckily here on this Länsi-Mustasaari, Western Black Island on the tip here you don't have streetlights. This is like, of course it is in a way park area, but it's more like a sort of wasteland with the fortifications, remaining fortifications, and a few buildings nearby. But there are no, this is not a path that is illuminated for instance for people running in the evening and so on. Of course, you will see the lights at sea and also the reflected light from the clouds because all of Helsinki is very, very much light all night, so if it's cloudy there won't be a real darkness at all. But still you're quite privileged compared to many, many of your colleagues living in city parks, that you have the chance for a good night's rest here I suppose. Well, but today it's good sunlight instead. So, I guess you're slowly awakening to the fact that light is increasing, and it might get warmer, although it is still cold, especially at night. Thanks again for this possibility to chat with you, and I wish you a very nice rest of February and see you again in March. Take care.