LIGHT CASTLE Project – Anne Salmela & Anna Turunen

The project brings art closer to the members of the community by creating light installations in co-operation with the residents of various housing communities. The exhibition consists of photographs and videos of these projects.

In co-operation with: Porin Videotuki.

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MEDIA RELEASE

ANNE SALMELA & ANNA TURUNEN: LIGHT CASTLE
26 September 2014 – 11 January 2015, MEDIApiste

Public Artist Talk
Friday, 26 September 2014, at 12:00 PM

Exhibition Opening
Friday, 26 September 2014, at 6:00 PM

Visual artists Anne Salmela and Anna Turunen create collaborative light artworks aimed at integrating art into public spaces and the everyday lives of city residents. These public light installations transform familiar surroundings into momentary, vibrant, and magical environments as residents share their chosen lights, colors, and images with the entire community. The artworks foster new encounters and experiences among participants and spectators alike.

The Light Castle exhibition offers an internal perspective on the light artworks created in urban public spaces. It showcases the creative processes through audio recordings and videos, while highlighting the intimate aspects of the artworks. The exhibition features numerous photographs of participating residents in their homes illuminated by the light installations. Additionally, video compilations showcase the external view of the three light artworks created in Pori, including clips of the images and videos chosen by residents for their windows, as well as personal and meaningful elements from their homes.

The artists, based in Pori, began exploring ways to use art to enhance community and interaction among urban residents. They chose as their first project site Heikinlinna, a residential building in Pori’s 5th district where Salmela lives. The artists went door-to-door to engage willing participants. Initially, residents were somewhat hesitant, but months of collaboration culminated in the first Light Castle project in 2012.

In the Light Castle project, residents worked with the artists to select themes or colors they found appealing. Even the choice of a single color often became a surprisingly significant decision, with some families deliberating their choices together. The windows of Heikinlinna were illuminated from within with colors, and residents’ own videos or photographs were projected onto them. On a dark October evening, colorful lights, images, and videos lit up the windows of Heikinlinna, drawing a large, amazed crowd of Pori residents.

The project was repeated in 2013 with even greater resident participation. A lengthy planning and ideation process, involving the residents, preceded the installation. This iteration incorporated more experimental features, such as light installations designed as dialogues between neighbors. In addition to colorful lights, more moving images and personal videos were displayed, showcasing residents’ interests, such as sports, music, and nature. Drawings and messages from residents adorned not only windows but also the stairwells of the building.

On Valentine’s Day Eve in 2014, a similar large-scale light project was implemented in the Sampola district, involving two opposing apartment buildings. A total of 85 residents participated in the Light Castle project in Sampola. A free “light bus” transported visitors from the city center, and the event included a public ice-skating event between the two buildings.

Beyond the Light Castle series, Salmela and Turunen have collaborated on performance art projects. They are currently working on pieces for Mikkeli Art & Design Week and the Contemporary Art Weeks of the World of Tango Festival. Anne Salmela will also create a light installation for the Valoa Oulu! light festival in November.

About the Artists

• Anne Salmela graduated as a sculptor from Kankaanpää Art School and is currently studying at Aalto University’s Department of Art. Since graduating, she has focused on photography, installations, and participatory artworks. http://annesalmela.com
• Anna Turunen graduated from Kankaanpää Art School and Aalto University’s Department of Art in Pori. Her work includes experiments in urban spaces as well as videos and animations. http://www.taidesatama.fi/taiteilija/52

The Light Castle projects were carried out in collaboration with the Pori-based artist association NYTE ry and Videotuki.

Translated with ChatGPT