CHORUS SINENSIS – Euran kirjasto
Pori Art Museum Visits Eura Library with an Exhibition Featuring the Chorus sinensis Video Artwork and Jan Eerala’s Photographs
The Pori Art Museum presents an exhibition at Eura Library, showcasing the video artwork Chorus sinensis from the museum’s collection, along with related photographs by Jan Eerala.
This exhibition provides broader public access to the Pori Art Museum’s collections within the Satakunta region. As the regional responsibility museum for Satakunta, Pori Art Museum works to develop visual arts services and networks in collaboration with local cultural organizations. The exhibition includes a public program featuring free guided tours and workshops. Admission to the exhibition is free.
The Chorus sinensis project consists of a choral composition and an extensive collection of audiovisual material, created in the Bothnian Sea between 2019 and 2022. The artwork takes the audience to the nesting areas of great cormorants, including Finland’s largest cormorant colony near the Port of Rauma; Enäjärvi in Pori, the first inland lake colony; Marjakari, a barren, treeless islet in the Luvia archipelago, where white-tailed eagles drove away the previously nesting birds; and the cormorant colony living near the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.
The history of cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) in the Baltic Sea stretches far into the past. In the early 20th century, these birds were driven from their breeding areas along the Finnish coast. After nearly a hundred years, they returned, rediscovering the outer islands of the Baltic Sea once inhabited by their ancestors. This time, they were protected under European conservation regulations. Their population initially grew rapidly before stabilizing in accordance with natural ecological balance.
During the cormorants’ century-long absence, Finnish culture evolved, and its landscapes and wildlife were depicted in literature, music, and visual arts. As absent creatures, the cormorants were forgotten—they remained without songs, images, or poems.
The Chorus sinensis choral composition was created by internationally renowned sound artist and composer Lau Nau, performed in the piece by the Poseidon Choir. The audiovisual component was produced by Pori-based photographer, video artist, and sound artist Jan Eerala. The filming, requiring patience, deep knowledge of the sea, and maritime navigation skills, was conducted over several years in the Bothnian Sea.
The cormorant-inspired costumes for the choir were designed by artist Merja Markkula. Literary scholar Karoliina Lummaa has explored the shared history and cultural encounters between humans and cormorants in an essay that accompanies the exhibition.
The project’s curator and initiator is Ulla Taipale, who became fascinated by cormorants twenty years ago. Her work brings together art, nature, scientific research, and ecological thought. Chorus sinensis premiered at Pori Art Museum in 2022, after which the video piece was acquired for the museum’s collection. The artwork was also featured at the Mänttä Art Festival last summer. Pori Art Museum is a co-producer of the project.
Public Program
The exhibition includes free guided tours open to all, as well as tours and workshops for schools, kindergartens, and other groups.
Open guided tours:
- Tuesday, November 21, 28, and December 12 at 5:30 PM
- Thursday, December 7 (in English) at 4:00 PM
The guided tours and workshops, led by visual artist Susa Pirttisalo, are free of charge. Organized in collaboration with the Cultural Services of the Municipality of Eura.
Exhibition Opening Hours
The exhibition follows the Eura Library’s customer service hours:
- Monday–Tuesday: 12:00–7:00 PM
- Wednesday–Friday: 12:00–5:00 PM
Group visits and workshops can also be arranged in the mornings before the exhibition opens to the general public.
For more information about the exhibition: Chief Curator Arttu Merimaa (arttu.merimaa@pori.fi)
For inquiries and bookings for guided tours and workshops: Visual Artist Susa Pirttisalo (susa.pirttisalo@pori.fi)