Wallflower, 200610:35 video
Wallflower documents an intervention based at several dance-events in Pärnu, Estonia, for Finnish tourists, which imitate the traditional Finnish summer pavilion dance. Mostly older couples on their holidays come to these events and dance only with their partners, here they don’t ask strangers to dance, which would be appropriate at the proper dances held in Finland. The intervention is a subtle act; just the artist, a younger woman, going into the dance in a shiny dress and sitting alone the whole evening waiting for someone to ask her to dance. Just being overdressed and obviously expecting to get to dance creates a very awkward situation and pushes the boundaries of Finnish modest mentality and the Finnish idea of politeness. Everyone is embarrassed on the lonely girls behalf, but no one thinks they are the man to ask her to dance.
Camera: Hans Rosenström, Juha LaatikainenCommissioned by Rael Artel Gallery: Non-Profit Project Space, Pärnu, EstoniaThanks to: Siri Baggerman, Tero Laatikainen, Karol Kallas, Haide Rannakivi, Jukebox OÜ, Jukka Sauramäki and VictoriaSupported by Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki; Finnish Institute, Tallinn and Estonian Cultural Endowment
