We need oil to breathe
2018
This photograph depicting a terrain (with traces) is accompanied by a shaft that is meant to be used as part of a diesel motor ventilation system in public community shelter spaces in case of a need for oxygen.
Painted steel, inkjet print on glass-fibre wallpaper, 400 cm x 200 cm, shaft (found in Turku 2018)
Courtesy of the artist
Two months of black plastic bags mixture II
2018
Newsprint, Plexiglas, synthetic rubber (found in Paris 2018), steel, 15 cm x 127 cm x 127 cm x 165 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Blueprints_silver_room
2020
Metal holder for emergency shafts (found in Turku 2018) laser print on overhead projector films, spray paint, 10 cm x 21.5 cm x 6 cm (thickness)
Courtesy of the artist
This installation sheds light on Sirviö’s process and reflects on the themes he has been exploring over the years: histories of places, dilapidated infrastructures, the intersection of analogue and digital worlds, and the evanescence of information. Sirviö collects information using the method of place-hacking, which plays a key role in his artistic practice.
Artist’s Bio:
The artist Sauli Sirviö is an explorer of unusual places. His works are forms of experimental “documentarism” created by methods incorporating observation, exploration, collection and archiving. Sirviö’s background is in photography, which he studied at the Lahti Institute of Design before taking up master’s studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, from which he graduated in 2015. Sirviö is a co-founder of the artist-run space SIC in Helsinki, Finland.