Manifestations / When do I exist (Goas mun lean)?
An intimate view into the Arctic Sápmi landscape, where the fates of humans and the reindeer are deeply entangled.
Manifestations (16 min) is a short film made of the compilation of text messages and emails sent between the authors: Leena and her partner Oula, a Sámi reindeer herder. The film allows an intimate view into the Arctic landscape, where the fates of humans and the reindeer are deeply entangled. Everyday messages and observations convey glimpses of engaged modes of knowledge in a changing life world. Through a collage of text and photo messages between Oula A. Valkeapää, a reindeer herder in the secluded fells of northern Lapland, and his partner Leena, a space is created for questions to become a part of life, rejecting the need to find clear answers. Living with questions and the mystery of life provides a space for creativity and maybe even an intensive meditation on the purpose of being.
When do I exist? – Goas mun lean? (7 min) takes the viewer into the life of a reindeer herder on the fells, where the world is seen from a human and a non-human perspective. The main characters are a small flower and a particular rock. The author himself is a wanderer among the reindeer, as one of them. The transience and permanence of life are revealed. What appears is the permanent and the ephemeral. The work conveys a reindeer herder’s view of the world in which humans and nature are intermingled.
Connected events:
Leena and Oula A. Valkeapää
Leena and Oula A Valkeapää are living with reindeer in the Arctic Sápmi where they follow the Sàmi herding tradition, continuing in Oula A´s heritage.
Leena Valkeapää is an artist and researcher with DA (Doctor of Arts) from Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture. She has exhibited as a visual artist since 1988 and has produced several public environmental artworks. She is currently part of the research project Past Present Sustainability (PAES) at Helsinki University and works as a mentor at the Ars Bioartica Residency program in Kilpisjärvi, Finland.
Since 2001 Oula A and Leena Valkeapää work together producing internationally recognised art and research-driven projects. Their artworks emerge from everyday practices and life with the reindeer in the Arctic Sápmi.