THE VIDEO

Solarium

"Solarium" is the first film in a trilogy on athletics and the representation of human body in the contemporary sports world.The aerobics world championship competitors reduce the human body into a mechanical device of competence. The performance aiming to present vitality and power reveals painfully the amount of exercize and discipline needed to execute the choreography.

Director's statement:
Artificial tanning is an important esthetic feature in the aerobics - as important as the painfully smiling faces of the competitors. The unnatural tanning is considered a sign of healthiness, allthough it is the major cause for skin cancer in the Nordic countries.
A solarium is a sort of sun-machine, providing brown skin regardless of the season. Ironically, it is shaped like a coffin as if lying there would speed up the death.

To sum up the title of my film, "Solarium" symbolizes the technological and chemical training of the human body in contemporary sports, and points to the fake methods behind the machine-like performance. In aerobics it is important to perform the movements as mechanical as possible, to show just the competence of human body, without any emotions.

Info:
Original film title: Solarium
English film title: Solarium
Running time: 2 min. 6 sec.
Genre: Experimental
Country of origin: Finland
Year: 2002
Original language: No dialogue
Subtitles: -
Shooting format: 8 &16 mm film
Master format: DV
Screening format: DV, Beta SP Pal
Sound specifications: Stereo
Aspect ratio: 3:4

Director, producer, script, editing: Hanna Haaslahti
Camera: Panu Heikkilä
Music: Joonas Pirttilä

THE ARTIST

Hanna Haaslahti (b.1969) is a multimedia artist with a background in photography and set design. She has graduated from Medialab/University of Art and Design Helsinki with the interactive installation "Falling through the force of gravity". In her work she is interested in combining old media techniques into a new interactive framework.

Filmography:
"Falling through the force of gravity" 2000
"Be always with us" 2002
"Solarium" 2003

THE SPACE/COLLECTIVE

AV-ARKKI
Distribution Center for Finnish Media Art

The distribution center for Finnish media art AV-ARKKI is a pioneering organisation in the Nordic countries. It was founded in 1989 to promote Finnish audiovisual art of video, experimental film, computer animation, installation and other independent media. The artist-run non-profit association played a central role in introducing new technology and establishing video artists in Finland.

AV-ARKKI continues to work on international distribution of Finnish media art for festivals, events, museums and galleries. It distributes works by individual artists, and curated compilations, and provides expertise for collaborative projects.

AV-ARKKI holds an archive of media art open for researchers, curators, critics and artists.

AV-ARKKI represents its members, around 100 Finnish media artists - young and promising talents together with already established professionals. The distribution catalogue and information on the artists are available at our website www.av-arkki.fi

AV-ARKKI presents screenings and exhibitions on Finnish and international media art. It organizes VIEW - an annual festival and an overview on the latest Finnish video works.

Kirsi Väkiparta
AV-arkki
Toiminnanjohtaja / Director
Tel. +358 (0)9 685 4404

Distribution Center for Finnish Media Art,
(Kaapelitehdas / Cable Factory 4. krs. / 4th floor),
Tallberginkatu 1 E 76, 00180 Helsinki, Finland, Tel: +358 9 694 4089, Fax: +358 9 694 4187,
E-mail: av-arkki@av-arkki.fi, www.av-arkki.fi