Hope.
As the sun rises every day we all yearn for a positive and bountiful tomorrow. This is a sentiment that has existed for as long as humans have lived but feels harder to hope for.
HOPE is powerful. Its definition has renewed strength and wider meaning in the current environmental, political and social climate.
We all hope that life will get easier, better or just simpler.
Hope will be A site-specific installation planned as a celebration of Juhanus - Finnish Midsommer - consisting of a series of wooden monoliths.
Each individual monolith stands separately and represents each human as an individual. The group of monoliths as a whole represent humans as a collective community.
As the sun rises on the years’ longest day, Adam seeks to highlight the intrinsic human desire to look forward to a positive and bountiful future. A sentiment that has been harder to evoke in recent years.
Adam would split funding into two elements:
1. Research to support his working practice, build a community of collaborators and test his hypotheses
2. Implementation of a site-specific project to support his investigation.
Research themes
Can we build a stronger sense of community through a collective sense of Hope? Yes.
Are there universal themes that bring humans together to build toward a better future? Yes. Can the visual arts enhance, support or highlight these universal themes? Yes.
Is it possible to fabricate secular (non-religious) symbols to unite us in positivity without creating division as a byproduct? Adam seeks to research the idea of universal beliefs outside of traditional religious worship.
Project Implementation
A site-specific installation will create a narrative between location, environment and symbolism.
Location:
It will be located to the East of Fiskars Village in the Järnvik area. It will face the sunrise but most specifically the sunrise on Juhanus (Summer Solstice). Fiskars Village is, for now, the planned location. It is not fixed and could potentially locate somewhere else or relocate periodically.
Currently planned for the fields in the Järnvik area to the North East of Fiskars Village in Southern Finland. See Map for details.
There are 5 rocky outcrops spread over approximately two square kilometres. Each outcrop would have an individual monolith, which, collectively would create a community.
The community will face towards the sunrise but most specifically the sunrise on Juhanus (Summer Solstice).
Fiskars Village is, for now, the planned location. It is not fixed and could potentially locate somewhere else or re-locate periodically.
Environment:
The community of sculptures will face roughly East towards the sun and moon rise. They are designed to be comfortable with and in the landscape but they are not intended to hide in their surroundings.
Their presence seeks to highlight the continual need for strength in the community
Their presence wants to be the edge that breaks social, political and geographical borders. We all need hope but hope may present itself in different forms.
Medium:
The materials used for the duration of the project will focus on and communicate positive environmental practices.
The distances travelled will be minimal. By keeping material delivery, production and implementation within a limited area, the carbon footprint will remain close to zero.
All materials will have been recycled, recyclable or repurposed in order to support the central theme - hoping for a better future.
At the time of writing, there are many potential materials with three leading options:
Papier mache – this would create a dialogue between the local community to collect and supply the paper as well as then building the structures.
Recoma AB (www.recoma.se) – construction boards made with 0 additives, 0 water, 0 emissions; only renewable electricity. 100% made from recycled material, 100% recyclable.
Construction surplus - Waste or byproducts from local construction. There is a huge amount of timber waste during the construction process. There is extensive growth and development in Raasepori that creates a huge amount of ‘leftover’ material. Adam would seek to collect and utilize as much material as is salvageable.
By using less conventional and perhaps less valuable materials, Adam wants to remove the financial value placed on materials and the value of the material should be irrelevant.
Sadly, within the creative industries, the perception of value does not fall in line with the greater global need to preserve our natural resources.
Size:
The individual units would be between 1 and 3 metres tall and follow similar proportions to those shown in the maquettes.
There are intentional parallels made with Neolithic stone monuments, henges and other symbols of communal reverence that are found throughout Southern Finland and Europe.
While our ancestors’ circumstances were different, they faced challenges, needed individual strength and communal belief – HOPE - to empower them to build towards the future.
HOPE will be a site-specific environmental installation that seeks to draw parallels with the Land Art movement.
It will be available for all to see for free.
Without external funding, the project will not be able to materialize.
