Pasi Autio revels in experiences of reality in which realism intersects with feelings and imagination. With his work in Helsinki Biennial, the artist stirs mixed emotions by linking a grave global issue – biodiversity loss – with the seductive appeal of music.
Pasi Autio (b. 1974) is a Helsinki-based media artist who has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions since 2000. His touchingly frank art looks at loneliness, exclusion, the transience of life, and death, weaving together these underlying themes in a lyrical tapestry that wavers between simplicity and complexity, with seemingly straightforward ideas unravelling to reveal their true, greatly more complicated nature. Autio revels in experiences of reality in which realism intersects with feelings and imagination. Working across the mediums of video, audio and photography, many of his works consist of photograph-like video imagery paired with a painstakingly designed soundscape.
Pasi Autio: Bird Disco, 2021 ©Maija Toivanen/HAM/Helsinki Biennial 2021
Bird Disco, 2021
Everyone dances to a “chirpy beat” in Pasi Autio’s Bird Disco. Autio is fascinated by the rhythms and musicality of birdsongs. Drastic drops in bird populations have been reported in the news recently. With this piece, the artist stirs mixed emotions by linking a grave global issue – biodiversity loss – with the seductive appeal of music.
Autio synthesized natural birdsongs into rhythmic, minimalist, psychedelic “disco hits”. Dancer Saku Koistinen created the choreography based on typical avian movements. Koistinen is also the “dance teacher” in the Bird Disco.
The performances took place throughout the summer.
Photo 1: Matti Pyykkö/Helsinki Biennial 2021
Pasi Autio
Bird Disco
2021
Performance
Commissioned by HAM/Helsinki Biennial 2021