ENTROTOPIA

PIA MÄNNIKKӦ - "Body, space and their interaction..."

Your studies started in 2005-2007 at Art School Maa, Finland. Then you continued in 2007-2010 at The Glasgow School of Art, Scotland: Sculpture and Environmental Art and then in 2010-2014 at Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, Finland where you studied Sculpture, MFA. What does studies in Glasgow gave you and what is different on educational system, teaching methods or vision between Helsinki and Glasgow? In Glasgow the system in art university was much more school-like, we all went forward in our studies following the same program at the same pace, continuing from one year to the next. We were even given numeric grades for our progress once in every three semesters each year. In Helsinki you are much more in charge of your own studies, you can freely choose which courses you want to take, even from different departments, not only from your own department. From each course you get study points, which you need certain amount before you can graduate. There are good sides in both systems. For example In Glasgow I got to really concentrate on my own studio work and develop ideas, some of which I have continued to work with even today. In Helsinki I took a lot of interesting courses, and I had an opportunity to talk about my work with many visiting artists. You studied sculpture but your artworks aren't “typical” sculptures as we're used to. You work with light materials as a foils, fabrics, threads etc. What does making sculptures mean to you? Why do you chose this kind of materials? If I tell people that I am a sculptor, the first question is often "what is your material", expecting wood, stone, metal etc. to be the answer. But like quite many artists today, I have not wanted to choose only one material to work with. I choose materials according to the idea of what I want to achieve. Sometimes I also find an interesting material, that leads to a work. For example I found these golden rescue blankets in a pharmacy market when I was in residence in Berlin. I opened the package in my room on a sunny day, and saw how beautiful reflections it made on the walls with light. To get more of those reflections I wanted to make the blanket move. I bought more blankets, put them together and had a fan underneath to give the blankets movement. Only then I realized that there was also sound, and waves like water, in addition to the light effect that I was originally after. There has been many development stages and different versions of the work, and the latest version of "Midsummer Night´s Dream" is now in Trnava. What describes your way of thinking and creating most? What is the “top topic” for you? What inspires you most? What is the main message of your work? What would you like to share with world? Body, space and their interaction are the often the starting points of my work. I am interested in how we observe our surroundings. The bodily connection between a viewer and an artwork is substantial and I endeavor to create immersive situations, works that have an impact on viewers, works that tickle their senses and imagination. Mapping the passage of time, as well as creating objects that gradually grow and change, plays a central role in my working process.

We can see using of natural elements in your artworks, like “air” and “water”. Are they essential parts of your work or just a side effects?

I am also inspired by the different natural and physical phenomena and varying spatial scales. I am originally from Kuusamo, very diverse and beautiful area in Northern Finland. I spent a lot time in nature as a child, and it certainly has had an impact on me even to this day.
What does Entrotopia / and participation on this project means to you? What do you think is an advantage and a disadvantage of a joint exhibition project like Entrotopia? Entrotopia is a great way to show my work to new audience and make connections to new people. It has been great to get to know also the fellow artists in our exhibition. The best way to make lasting connections with other people working in the field of arts, would be working together for some time, for example in a workshop. But the time we got to spend in Trnava was very short. I would definitely want to come back! Where do you think is your work heading and what are your future goals in art's field? At the moment I am working as a set designer for a theater play. I hope to be able to work in collaboration with artists from many fields of art also in the future. The materials and techniques I developed for the play have given new ideas also for my own art practice. I hope to be able to continue my art work for many years to come. But right now I am trying to organize the horrible mess in my studio, and get time to just experiment and develop ideas for new works.

https://piamannikko.com/