Some Unexpected Remnants is an independent fragment of A Great Mess, a performance that premiered at the 2021 Helsinki Biennial. The video work takes us to the peak of Vuosaarenhuippu, a former landfill that has been transformed into a recreational area, and to an active, partially landscaped waste centre in Kuopio.

In the lingering video narrative the temporality and materiality of forgotten waste intertwine with the gentle actions of machinery. The matter that is laid to rest breathes through the permeable, porous layers heaped upon it. The video unfolds in a seemingly frozen but ever-expanding moment in time that evokes the idea of cyclicity and circularity.

The two-channel video installation, commissioned and curated by The Helsinki Art Museum HAM, opens as part of the group exhibition Shared Space in March 2023.

In addition to Some Unexpected Remnants, WAUHAUS has created A Great Mess – The Manual. The manual consists of a script and instructions for restaging the performance at a later time. The multi-part commission has been accessioned to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed by HAM.

Some Unexpected Remnants working group: From WAUHAUS Laura Haapakangas, Julia Hovi, Juni Klein, Jussi Matikainen and Jarkko Partanen working together with cinematographer Jonatan Sundström.
 
In collaboration with:
Composer: Tomi Pekkola
Voice artists: Aksinja Lommi and Marketta Tikkanen
Excavator operators: Noora Mäkelä and Janne Ollikainen
Staging assistants: Antti Kivikoski and Eveliina Pitkänen
Gaffer: Valdemar Virtanen
Curators: Kristiina Ljokkoi and Aleksandra Kiskonen
Production: Helsinki Art Museum HAM, WAUHAUS
Supported by: Kone Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation, City of Helsinki, Arts Promotion Center Finland, The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland
Still photos: WAUHAUS/Jonatan Sundström
English translation by: Essi Brunberg, Heidi Soidinsalo
Thanks to: Valofirma Jukka Nurmela, Jätekukko, Revisol Oy, ANTI - Contemporary Art Festival

Group exhibition Shared Space is open March 3–August 13, 2023
Location: Helsinki Art Museum HAM, Eteläinen Rautatiekatu 8, 00100 Helsinki