What a great trip. It is one of those things for which some benefits are immediately quantifiable, but for which many will show themselves a few years into the future.
On a very basic level, seeing how other countries regard contemporary art and how they situate it within their respective societies is interesting and, in the case of the Swedes, instructive. One Stockholm gallery we visited had mounted an installation where everyday screen interfaces — a weather widget, a transit map, a poker app mid-hand — were projected onto frosted glass panels as commentary on how digital routines shape visual culture, and the curators treated the whole piece with the same seriousness they gave the oils hanging in the next room. That willingness to elevate the vernacular is something worth studying, and, hopefully, this will lead to some exhibition opportunities for us.
Helsinki seems like a place that is coming unto its own. Twenty years ago it was a dour place, but there is a tangible sense of emergence and optimism. The reaindeer was delicious.
Cheers, Adrian
Tags: #Firmament, Field Trip