This happens only once in 16 years....

and then you can actually see people on the streets!
http://www.hs.fi/videot/1135266178890?kategoria=Uutiset&sivu=1

Coming back to Helsinki a couple of weeks ago got me thinking about the time when I first arrived here. One of the first questions people would ask me was what made me choose Helsinki of all places. Most of the time my answer was that my decision was made quite randomly. Well, I did have a lot of valid practical reasons, but I think that maybe the main reason I chose Helsinki was because it was completely neutral to me. I had no prior emotional or personal connection to the culture, the city, its landscape, its people, or history. I mean, I did have certain expectations, but it was also a clean sheet, an empty page.

Living, or growing up in Israel, one of the main things that come with the territory, no matter your actions, is having to deal with the heavy weight of history on a daily basis, and with the different meanings that are put into the very fact that you live where you do. This happens whether you like it or not - being indifferent is definitely political, and leading a daily life is political just by affiliation. There is no escape and no real possibility to be neutral about almost anything - neutrality just does not exist. It might get tiring and suffocating after some time - hence why I wanted to study and live abroad for a while, but I have to admit that right now I also really miss it.

Perhaps this could explain the charm Berlin had on me during the last few months. I could not be indifferent in Berlin. There too that option does not really exist. The city seems to generate a reaction and demand that you take a stand.

Maybe these emotions generated by surroundings are mainly connected to one's own narrative and point of view; or maybe the lack I feel in this sort of relationship with Helsinki is my own fault. I am mainly occupied with school and definitely haven't made enough of an effort to learn more about Finnish culture and history. Whatever the cause might be - up till now it's just not working for me here in that sense. I have to admit - Helsinki, I kinda like you, but you are still mainly neutral to me.
Even if the relationship I have with my surroundings in Israel might be at times full of rage, disappointment and frustration, I still think I'd rather have that than neutrality and indifference.

or not. cause I'm in Berlin.

It's really been a long time since I posted anything around here. Summer went by fast. It was super busy, and warm, and fun, and crappy, and frustrating, and hectic. In July I still thought I could survive the heat, but then came August - the month from hell - with the added bonus of loosing most of my valuable stuff to some '@#$% thief. Thank god for family and back ups and best friends and the beach and beer and all the stela girls and boys.

This new year did start off on a positive note (at least from my side of the deal), but with no camera, and no new photos for new posts. I couldn't take any photos back in Helsinki, where surprisingly I kind of felt at home, or here, where so many new and interesting things are going on.

So again, auf wiedersehen, Helsinki - until 2011(!) when we shall meet again.

This video is one of the end results of a two-week workshop held last February at Taik. The topic of the workshop was how people think about age and ageing and the gap between young and old. We started with listening to a few lectures on the topic and viewing some films, and then dividing into smaller teams worked on a motion and print representation of our thoughts on the topic.

my lucky team #2: Hanne Huotari, Kalle Jokinen, Jian Li, Tapio Matilainen and Juha Salonen (who is to thank for putting this online)

yesterday's show was a blast. too bad there was no alcohol and the
local crowd was way too sober and polite. great performance and some
funny observations none the less - all and all a nice farewell to
helsinki, at least for the next couple of months.

some more impressions from the festival (thanks to jian li) -
all the film posters are hand drawn, and usually much better versions of the originals.
one of the saunas from this film was present on site - operating full steam.
a midnight forest summer dance.
and finally a small sample of the early lappish mosquito clouds that ate me alive.

about a week ago I went up north to lapland. a 12 hour night train to Rovaniemi and then an hour and a half drive up north to Sodankylä where the midnight sun film festival was held.
The festival had a really nice and relaxed atmosphere to it and the whole 24 hour daylight thing is truly incredible. Stepping out of a film at 03:00 in the morning feels just like 15:00 with all the people around and bars still open (even in Finland, who would have thought!). I didn't make the best film choices (some planning ahead might have helped in that sense), but all and all the festival was great. I'll post some more photos and details about things I did get to see there in the next few days.

Before returning south we continued about an hour up north to the Urho Kekkonen National Park, to do some hiking and camp. The weather turned out quite miserable, but we did manage to enjoy a sauna, a nice campfire and some happy reindeer spotting (unlike the depressing kind).