Dear Audience, It’s a great honor to stand here today in front of the Rovaniemi Art Museum to unveil my latest work, Kurkkio. This neon light artwork now graces the museum’s entrance, creating a strong visual experience even before stepping into the gallery. Inspired by northern waterfalls, Kurkkio symbolizes a sense of constant flow, change, and movement, bridging nature with art. The name, Kurkkio, comes from a local term meaning "waterfall." This reference is woven into the piece's form and structure. Rather than just representing a falling stream, Kurkkio plays with our perception, creating an illusion of movement within its static form. Curved and zigzag patterns suggest flowing water, and as our eyes meet contrasting colors and repeated patterns, the piece evokes a sense of perpetual motion. The piece invites you to pause and reflect on how often we interpret our world through movement and change, even when things are not as they seem. This effect relies on our brain's tendency to "complete" what we see – it responds to the repetitive shapes and vivid neon hues by constructing an impression of flowing continuity. In this way, Kurkkio reveals how our brains shape dynamic interpretations, even from still imagery. Kurkkio is a call to slow down, to observe, and to immerse yourself in the art of perception. It merges the wild beauty of the North with the timelessness of light and color, creating a unique experience for all who encounter it. I invite you to take a moment, let your eyes wander across its surface, and allow your own interpretations to unfold. Thank you, and welcome. From LED to Neon: The Dialogue of Light and Space
Light has an exceptional ability to transform space and atmosphere, and I’ve aimed to bring this experience to both my art projects and performing arts productions. The use of neon and LED technology has opened up new possibilities for expression in my work, but the differences between these two light sources also matter. The sharp, directional light of LEDs and the soft, diffused glow of neon not only change the quality of light but also how viewers perceive my works. The dialogue between these lighting technologies has become a key part of my creative process, and with each project, I strive to explore what light can express and how it can alter space. Over time, neon has become increasingly important to me. It’s not just a light source but an independent form of expression through which I can create soft, organic shapes that seem to merge with their surroundings. My first significant step into the world of neon came two years ago when I was commissioned to create a piece for the entrance of the Rovaniemi Art Museum, Korundi. This project marked the beginning of my exploration of neon, and since then, I’ve found myself noticing neon lights wherever I go. Working on the lighting for the Stockholm Opera allowed me to see how neon was used in diverse ways in our neighboring country. With Osram LED tubes, I’ve long been able to create graphic, linear works, or media pieces like Vuolas Vuo, where pixelation and color gradients are central. However, working with neon offers a different approach. Neon can be bent into zigzags or rounded shapes, offering a freer form of expression compared to the linearity of LED tubes. In public spaces, neon and LED lights create their own spatial experiences, and advertisements, often seen as purely commercial, are actually a significant part of urban life. The soft quality of neon light blends into its surroundings and brings a certain atmosphere. Meanwhile, the brightness and sharpness of LEDs can sometimes be too intrusive, causing light pollution and disturbing both natural darkness and people’s experience of space. This distinction has become evident in my work, where neon has become a softer medium for creating aesthetic spatial experiences. The images here show examples of my work, where I’ve used neon and LED lights in different ways. For instance, in the Night Town performance, neon lights were shaped into letters and bent to play with the corners of the space, while in the Green Meadows immersive performance, the Olympic rings took form through neon. Each piece seeks to harness the unique properties of light and highlight its role in shaping space and experience. I’ve been a huge fan of science fiction all my life, and having the opportunity to create the scenography for Harry Martinson's Aniara at Skånes Dansteatern feels like a dream come true. The chance to design the scenography for such a profound sci-fi story, which explores themes of isolation and hope, is the perfect extension of my artistic journey. Sci-fi has always been a major part of my life—my first encounter with the genre was through Frank Herbert’s works, and later, I became a big fan of aesthetics of the Dune movies.
For the Aniara production, I wanted to push the boundaries of sci-fi and bring it to the stage in a new way. We are using four video projectors to create a dynamic, projection-mapped environment that evolves with the dancers’ movements. The projections form a vast, ever-changing cosmos that reflects the characters’ journey—both physically through space and emotionally as they search for meaning in a universe that feels overwhelming. One of the most exciting aspects of the project is the chance to play with scale. We work with miniatures, creating spaceships and celestial bodies in both small and large scales to emphasize the vastness of space. During the performance, the actors carry lanterns, symbolizing planets—this was a particularly fun element, as it feels like I am creating my own miniature universe. These elements help to highlight the fragility of human life in the vastness of the universe. The scenography is also honoring the Bauhaus movement, which emphasized simple, functional forms and the fusion of art and technology. I wanted to bring a similar sense of grandeur and abstraction to the stage while still grounding the story in something intimate and human. Throughout the performance, the spaceship appears both as a miniature and a large set piece, depending on how the action unfolds. This duality adds to the immersive experience, where reality and infinity blend together. As the premiere on October 18th approaches, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction. Designing the scenography for Aniara has given me the opportunity to combine my love of science fiction with my passion for stage design, and I hope the visual experience resonates with the audience as much as it has with me. Choreography & Direction Carl Knif Music Ville Leppilahti Costumes Karoliina Koiso-Kanttila Set design, projections & Lighting design by me All photos Tilo Stengel |
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