MIIA AUTIO

Letter 1 / AIR

Image: Matteo Parrotto

The essayistic video piece introduces an ongoing four-part video series. The dialogue heard in the background of the video is based on a correspondence between the artist and a Beninese diviner Koffi Robert Djossou. Through this exchange, the artist seeks to explore a worldview unfamiliar to her – that of Vodun, the world’s largest nature-based religion. It is a dive into the invisible world of the Vodun and questions about the relationship between faith, images and reality. This pursuit of the invisible sparked a personal journey for the artist, during which various messages, dreams, and the whispers of the wind began to almost effortlessly propel the story forward.

The work highlights perspectives related to Vodun’s worldview through words and questions that arise from the meeting of two distinctly different interlocutors. While it is essential to recognise the differences in the backgrounds and positions of the participants, it is equally important to understand that this dialogue would not exist without them. The piece seeks to demonstrate that collaboration between representatives of different cultures can create new meanings when the interaction is open, respectful, and aimed at a shared goal. These meanings are illustrated through video images that, in the words of Koffi Robert Djossou, convey the artist’s experiences within the invisible world.

Letter 1 / AIR, UHD-video, 15:30 min, 2024

Excerpts from the video on VIMEO

The work has been supported by The Kone Foundation, the Olga and Vilho Linnamo Foundation and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike).