15.7. – 6.8.2022
The goal during our stay in Art in Lov residence was to work with the youth in Loviisa.
As artists we wanted to challenge our own artistic guidelines and work processes. Our platform was the street, an environment that young people hang out in. By showing that it is possible to make temporary sculptures/installations that don’t bother or harm anyone enables us to reclaim the street.
This was a completely new way of working for us. We have attempted to formulate the different stages here. We began by giving an artist talk, where we presented earlier works that had to do with the public space.
1. In the first phase the youth got to create objects with materials that were accessible. We had bought spraypaints, acrylics, clay, wooden sticks and a hot glue gun. They began by building tiny houses. After several days of work were they “finished” so Restlessminds added small details to bring them together aesthetically, by setting all the houses on legs and adding runny clay.
2. In phase two we concentrated on a few youngsters visions on what they would like to do in the city. In this way we could help with artistic guidance around the choice of materials, techniques and the installation of the sculptures.
3. Then came the installation of the sculptures in the city. To look carefully at the surrounding architecture and the small places that you don’t otherwise pay attention to received a meaninful role in this stage.
4. In this phase it was we (Restlessminds) that began the sculptures and the youth got to finish them and install them during an “exciting” night time expedition.
We also organised an introductionary evening to all youths on how you play miniature wargames (Warhammer).
Restlessminds are an artist duo from Sweden consisting of Fabian Olovson (b.1981) and Emily Al-Ghussein (b.1977). With their complex identity and confused mindset, they confront current concepts and contemporary perceptions. In their projects they experiment with the visitors’ attendance and participation. They have a great desire to combined and create contrasts between materials. As sculptors their outcome can be multifaceted, they create photographs, performances, social interventions, videos and sculptures. At the beginning of their projects, Restlessminds formulate new characters like a role-play. And let these personalities be a driving force in the creative process.
Olovson and Al-Ghussein have studied at Chelsea collage of art in London and Konstfack in Stockholm. They both graduated with Master degrees in sculpture from the Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts 2014. Together they are active on the experimental contemporary art scene and have carried out a number of major art projects both in Finland and internationally. 2017 they got the “Promising Young artists” award by the Merita Art Foundation.
