Niskanen & Salo’s recent works have delved into the world of the senses, human interactions, memories, experiences of solitude and togetherness, and their associations with global themes. Their installation in Helsinki Biennial invites visitors to immerse themselves in a nocturnal landscape in which every sea mark light around Vallisaari Island is assigned a particular musical note.
Mark Niskanen (b. 1991) and Jani-Matti Salo (b. 1984) create multidisciplinary installations that weave together everyday phenomena and technologies. Their work draws on their respective backgrounds in music, lens-based media, audiovisual research and scenography. The duo’s recent works have delved into the world of the senses, human interactions, memories, experiences of solitude and togetherness, and their associations with global themes. Their work takes the form of site-sensitive situations of a personal, amorphous and ephemeral nature.
Niskanen & Salo: A Scene, 2021 ©Maija Toivanen/HAM/Helsinki Biennial 2021
A Scene, 2021
A Scene, an installation by Mark Niskanen and Jani-Matti Salo, invites visitors to immerse themselves in a nocturnal landscape in which every sea mark light around Vallisaari Island is assigned a particular musical note. Each light flashes at its own rhythm, creating a musical composition that slowly unfolds apace with the cycle of daylight.
In addition to the installation on Vallisaari Island, the work comprises a second part which can be viewed after dusk on the observatory hill in Kaivopuisto Park at times of good visibility. On the hilltop, the sea mark lights are momentarily synchronized with the musical rhythms; they meet for a fleeting moment, and then the connection vanishes, over and over. The work can be accessed online at ascene.fi.
The work was produced with the kind support of Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Uusimaa Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Greta and William Lehtinen Foundation.
Photo 1: Sarah Mueller
A Scene, 2021 ©Niskanen & Salo
A Scene II, 2021 ©Niskanen & Salo
Mark Niskanen & Jani-Matti Salo
A Scene
2021
video installation
24-hour loop
Video, music, audio mixing, spatial design, and light design: Mark Niskanen and Jani-Matti Salo
Color: Michael Macalincag
Construction: Kari Jääskeläinen, Tuomas Siltala, Jesse Sipola, Titta Vilhunen and Eero Yli-Vakkuri
Production: Outi Järvinen / Arts Management Helsinki
Essay: Maiju Loukola
The work was produced with the kind support of The Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the Uusimaa Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Greta and William Lehtinen Foundation.
Thank you: Vanessa Kowalski, Emilia Lindholm, Eeva Semerdjiev, Heidi Soidinsalo, Teemu Vilén, Mana Contemporary, and Väylävirasto.
Commissioned by HAM/Helsinki Biennial 2021