Media Art and Travel

Kati Åberg lives and works in Helsinki. She has graduated from the Media Lab of the University of Art and Design Helsinki. Her works range from linear short films, multi-channel video works and interactive installations to live visuals and collaboration with performing artists. Her work is often based on documentary or the performing arts.

For me the world is for exploring. Of more than 65 countries I have visited, some of the most recent are covered in the travelog kati-on-the-road:

http://kati-on-the-road.blogspot.fi/

Most recent entries include Madeira, Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia

Interactive Dance dvd, 2004

Emotions in Man – an interactive dance, is a light-hearted dance on dvd. The viewer participates in the piece by deciding, which of five basic emotions – joy, sorrow, anger, love or fear – to give to the dancer.

Should one give the dancer more and more sorrow, or suddenly plunge him into the throes of love? The viewer decides, and in so doing determines how the piece evolves.

The viewer must participate in the piece. If she/he does not make a choice about the dancer’s emotions, the dancer gets fed up, leaves the screen and so the piece ends.

Shall we dance?

Emotions in man has been shown as an installation in: Shanghai Media&Dance Exhibition, China 2010, Vernissage-Danse, Montreal, Canada 2009, Dans Över Gränsen Exhibition, Dansens Hus, Sweden 2009, Culture Night, Dansens Hus Oslo, Norway 2008, Samsung Exhibition Centre, South Korea 2007, Woking Dance Festival, England 2007, Children’s Play – Nordic Design Exhibition, South Korea 2006, Ars Electronica Campus Exhibition 2006, Austria 2006, Neverland Rome Media Art Festival, Italy 2005, Interferenze 05 Contemporary Arts Festival, Italy 2005, Video Dance 2005 Festival, Greece 2005, Gallery 100 Degrees, Iceland 2005, MoA Festival, LUME, Finland 2005, View05 Festival of Finnish Media Art, Finland 2005, Monaco Dance Forum, Monaco 2004, Moving in November Festival, Kiasma, Finland 2004, ISEA Tallinn seminar, Estonia 2004.

The piece was made possible through the kind support of the Arts Council of Finland’s subcommittee for Media Arts and AVEK Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture.

Three Channel Video Installation, 2007

Duration 16’00

Premiere: Museu of Cultures exhibition “Korean Home”, 2007, Helsinki, Finland

Korean Triptych is a three channel video installation, which gives one point of view about life in South Korea today by following a day in the life of three individuals from very different environments – the bustling capital city of Seoul, the quiet rural countryside and an ancient Buddhist monastery.

The installation was made possible through the kind support of the Arts Council of Finland and Sonoann Organization.

Single channel video, dur 13:47 min

Seeing Things tells the true story of a woman who unexpectedly goes blind at the age of fifty. The piece follows her as she drifts further from the sighted community into her own imaginary world, which gradually becomes oppressive, even frightening. Now you see it… now you don’t.

More information and preview online at:

http://www.av-arkki.fi/en/works/seeing-things/

Previous screening include: Arctic Heat Film Festival (Finland), Signes de Nuit International Film Festival (France), Muu Gallery (Finland), Helsinki Short Film Festival (Finland), Reikäreuna Film Festival (Finland).

The piece was made possible through the kind support of the Arts Council of Finland’s subcommittee for Media Arts, AVEK Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture/Heidi Tikka and the Arts Board of the City of Helsinki.

2014, single channel video, 11:05 min

Walk on Sound follows Riikka Hänninen, a musician who was born blind, as she walks along unknown streets in Helsinki. She explains how she perceives her surrounding through sound and her other senses. We experience the city as she does.

Screenings include:

Ars Auttoinen (Finland), Messages to Man International Film Festival, St (Russia), Wäinö Aaltonen Museum (Finland), Cairo Video Film Festival (Egypt), Streets for People Festival (Russia)

The piece was made possible through the kind support of the Kone Foundation’s Saari residency, the Arts Council of Finland’s subcommittee for Media Arts, AVEK Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture/Heidi Tikka and the Arts Board of the City of Helsinki.

2017, duration 12:00 min

Premiere: XXII Mänttä Art Festival

 

Logbook is a three channel video installation and documentary on one of Finland’s last old tall ships m/aux Inga-Lill and her crew. The documentary covers all the seasons from sailing in the Finnish archipelago in the summer to repair work in the historical dry docks of Suomenlinna in the winter.

The piece is an ode to old ships and all who sail on them.

Introduction of the video:

The piece is in the collection of the Maritime Museum of Finland / Finnish Heritage Agency,

The piece was made possible through the kind support of AVEK – Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture/Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo.