FOREST CAMP

Forest Camp is a group of five visual artists living in Finland. The strategy we use in our art projects: partly improvised anonymous collectivism.

contact: fc(at)forestcamp(dot)info

Instagram: @kakutus_fc


A text on KAKUTUS by curator and critic Pontus Kyander:

A recipe for Sand Cakes

NEWS:

A Sculpture for Insects

in

Myllypuro, Helsinki, 2020 ->

The Villa Nova community artwork which was created by the Forest Camp artist collective in 2006 for the ARS 06 exhibition is remade into a Sculpture for Insects in spring 2020.

background: Villa Nova (renamed as Sanerva koti) was a housing community for “socially challenged groups” located in Myllypuro, a suburb of East Helsinki. The dormitory was closed in autumn 2005 due to renovations and the inhabitants were moved to a temporary accommodation in Kallio district in Helsinki.

In August 2006 as part of the ARS06 exhibition a communal art project was initiated by the Deaconess Foundation and the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma. One of the purposes of the project was to create an environmental work of art at Villa Nova. The artist collective Forest Camp was selected to work on the project by Kiasma. The art work, which was named Villa Nova, was carried out by Forest Camp together with the residents of the dormitory. It was seen in the Rear window in Kiasma and also as an environmental art work in Myllypuro. The central element of the outdoor installation was a nearly six-meter-long piece of log furniture.



Villa Nova, Helsinki, 2006


A Sculpture for Insects, 2020

Already when Villa Nova was created in Myllypuro, it was clear that the timber used for the artwork would deteriorate over time. Forest Camp the Deaconess Foundation and Kiasma agreed that instead of renovating the logs, the alternative could be for Forest Camp to develop the work in a completely new direction.



A detail of the deteriorating Villa Nova artwork in spring 2020.

In recent years, there have been alarming messages from biologists around the world that the pollinators are disappearing. The reduction in the number of pollinators is a global problem and people have tried to help insects survive for example by building artificial shelters for them.

Forest Camp addresses this issue in A Sculpture for Insects by making art in collaboration with insects. Insects help the artists in creating a new artwork and in return get a place to live.

Although Forest Camp is better known for its Kakutus sandcastle interventions, the work of the team has been very diverse over the years. Among the works of Forest Camp there have been several collaborations with nature e.g. with swallows (A String For Swallows , 2003), deer (Salt Lick, 2010) and birch trees (Nokia Park 2007, 2007).





A Sculpture for Insects under construction in spring 2020.



A Sculpture for Insects
by
Forest Camp, Helsinki, 2020.

NOTE! Due to the current Corona situation, there will be no opening ceremony. Forest Camp wishes that anyone visiting the site will not disturb the insects and will follow the prevailing instructions of the authorities for social distancing!

For more information and hi-res images contact:
fc(at)forestcamp(dot)info

Instagram: @kakutus_fc

#sculptureforinsects

Past:

Kakutus

in

Sculpture Expanded, 2019.

Kakutus happened in Hietaniemi beach, Aurinkolahti beach, Suomenlinna beach, Pihlajasaari island, Lauttasaari beach and Vallisaari.



Kakutus, Hietaniemi beach, Helsinki, 2019

Pop up: Suomenlinna beach, Pihlajasaari island, Lauttasaari beach...


Sculpture Expanded – Moving Laboratory of Public Art is a major public art project in Helsinki during which the urban space becomes a laboratory for movable works of art 17.5.-15.9.2019. The project is produced by The Association of Finnish Sculptors.


Kakutus, Lauttasaari beach, Helsinki, 2019

Kakutus

Haukanhieta beach, Helvetinjärvi National Park, Finland, 2018

Open Window

Time After Current Time at Gallery Lapinlahti in Helsinki, 8 July - 13 August, 2017

Gallery Lapinlahti is situated in a building originally designed in 1841 by the German, Helsinki based architect Carl Ludvig Engel to host the Lapinlahti psychiatric hospital. Aleksis Kivi and Jean Sibelius's sister Linda are some of the most notable ex-residents of the hospital. Open Window was a readymade consisting of a closed window in the exhibition space. Because it was hot during the exhibition the window had to be ocasionally kept open.

L'odeur de l'espace

5000m2, Lappeenranta, 2016

5000m2 was a art project happening in the Lappeenranta old city theatre building before it was going to be demolished.

L'odeur de l'espace was a mixture of nostalgic fragrances lingering in a corridoor of the defunkt theatre building during its grand finale.

Kakutus

Acciaroli, Italy , 2014

Kakutus-sand sculpture action happened in Acciaroli town in Campania region, Italy.

A Iron Bar Under a Carpet

Honor Your Father and Mother, XVI Mänttä Art Festival , Mänttä, Finland, 2011

Several different objects, a iron bar, a toaster and a watermelon were in turn placed under a carpet of the flat where Forest Camp was accomodated during a sculpture project in Tampere. It was not quite clear why it was done but some how it felt a meaningfull process. The Mänttä Art Festival gave a possibility to test the method in practise.

Salt Lick

Söderlångvik Museum, exhibition hall, 2010

The works were made in collaboration with elks and deer living in the forests surrounding the museum.

FC08

Perfume by Forest Camp, 2008

Forest Camp constructed a perfume with a special experience of a scent. All FC08 was sealed in ampules which remain as artefacts with an purely conseptual sillage.

Nokia Park 2007

Nokia park, Helsinki,2007

Forest Camp was invited to participate in a Art School MAA project which took place in Nokia park in Helsinki. Nokia park was a small derelict plot of waste land in Helsinki which was cleaned up by the MAA students and is now turning into a place for artistic events and concerts.

FC Nokia park 2007 is a wine made out of the sap of the Birch trees growing in the park. The sap was collected before the park was cleaned and the wine was ready for consumption at the opening party of the Nokia park-project. Some botles of Nokia Park 2007 were sealed and remain as artworks and cultural artefacts.

Kakutus.

Pihlajasaari, Terrortory, MUU, Helsinki, 2006

Kakutus-sand sculpture action happened in Pihlajasaari. The work took all night and was completed in the morning just before the first tourist boat arrived on the island.

Villa Nova

Villa Nova and Kiasma, Helsinki, 2006

A collaboration with men living in a hostel for marginalized people. A public piece is made for the renovated hostel in Myllypuro, Helsinki. A sculpture made by FC and the men and documentation of the process was presented in Kiasma Rear window as a part of ARS06

Kulta Palmu / Palma d'Oro

The Finnish Institute Madrid, Spain, 2003

A installation including sand sculptures and a 30 min video documentation of a poster on the wall of Kultapalmu bar in Helsinki.

Walk of Fame

Haaste City Art Project, Tampere, 2003

5 tons of concrete was cast in to a pit dug on a pedestrian road in Tampere. Before the concrete dried, a camp fire was burned on top of it. One of the organizers of Haaste, drove twice over the Walk of Fame with her bicycle as she was trying to find the artwork.

Forest Camp Mohni

Mohni International Live Arts project, Mohni Estonia, 2003

During one week on the island of Mohni FC made three works: 1. FC Mohni, a red mooring buoy was placed on the best mooring point of Mohni island. 2. After the Soviet troops retrieved they took down all the electric cables from the buildings by the Mohni lighthouse. A String For Swallows was hung for the remaining population of swallows. 3. A smoke sauna was built from scrap found on the island.

Tudor Style

Zvartava Castle park, Latvia, 2002

A old bench near the Zvartava castle was burned by FC and replaced by a new one in tudor style.

Ping Pong

Polis, Titanik, Turku, 2001

During the Polis city sculpture-project a concrete element for making wells was heated by burning two cubic meters of birch firewood in it. The burning took over 24 hours.

King Kong by Forest Camp

Linna Galleri, Tallinn, Estonia, 2000

Linna Galleri was made smaller by building new walls inside the exhibition space. As the new walls were 1m inwards from the old ones everybody visiting the gallery felt a bit bigger than before.

Forest Camp

Gallery Kari Kenetti, Helsinki, 1998

Works based on the first FC sessions.

Forest Camp

Lusto, Finnish Forest Museum, Punkaharju, 1998

The First Forest Camp. During two weeks FC made several site specific art works including the first sandcastle actions and fireplace sessions.