TODAY WE LIVE 06. September - 12. Oct 2014 - Bomuldsfabriken Kunsthall

 

 

TODAY WE LIVE
2013, video 6’30”

 

An anonymous group portrait filmed in documentary style during a punk gig. In Today We Live, apart from sentimental music, the mode of expression also comes from the close ups of faces. The camera records genuine feelings, as it were secretly, and even from annoyingly close to the subjects.

 

I’m not trying to explain the world, but to document a racing moment and the aggressive motion it entails. I’m interested in moshing and mosh pits as an expressive visual action and as a symbolical gesture. When standing in the proximity of a mosh pit, you feel the fear of being crushed to the wall because of the power of the churning mass of people, but at the same time the pure energy of the movement produced by the ritualistic event will make you laugh. That feeling can be compared to the feeling of being in love; it is addictive and makes your blood boil – you can feel the need to be taken by the energy of the mosh pit again and again.

 

In Today We Live, apart from sentimental music, the mode of expression also comes from the close ups of faces. The camera records genuine feelings, as it were secretly, and even from annoyingly close to the subjects. Occasionally, the subject of the shot suddenly becomes aware of the presence of the camera, and in one frame even looks a little irritated, but in the end the situation still always carries them along with it. The faces have a natural purity and hope about them, and often reveal more then they conceal.

 

Credits:
Directed by Hannaleena Heiska
Cinemathographer Anu Keränen
Lights Kasper Hämäläinen
Stagesound Jaakko Hyvärinen
Grip Torsti Hyvönen
Camera assistant Mika Ailasmäki
Editing Oskar Franzén & Hannaleena Heiska
Music Erik Satie Gymnopedie no.1
Sound Oskar Franzén & Hannaleena Heiska
Sound mixing Roy Bosswel
General assistant Camilla Vuorenmaa

 

Financial support Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo and Finnish Cultural Foundation
Special thanks to Lighthouse Project, Foreseen, Henri Wegelius, Marianne Vesala, Samuli Niemine