2011
I have collected letters written by anonymous individuals at pivotal moments of the twentieth century.
One of the central themes in Jari Silomäki’s art is the position of the individual within the history of his or her own time. For this work, he gathered texts written by anonymous individuals at moments of major historical significance, including the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Kristallnacht, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Neil Armstrong’s landing on the Moon, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and September 11. Alongside the textual collage, the installation also includes a 16 mm film featuring iconic images from twentieth- century history, projected onto the bare, hunched back of an elderly man.
The U-2 reconnaissance flight revealed that the Soviet Union was constructing missile bases in Cuba. The world stood on the brink of nuclear war. Sirkka wrote:
“There is my darling, over there / beyond the ocean. Oh, why don’t you come, oh woe / I knew that you’d go, oh oh oh.”
The uprising began in the Warsaw Ghetto. On the same day, Viljo cursed the authorities:
“They took away my higher benefits category. I’m getting a medical certificate about my heart condition. They have to pay me my benefits. No way will I eat this mess they keep offering, not even if I have to pawn all my things to pay for it.”“The east wind is getting cold. I must start wearing the fur hat soon. Tapani has a slight cough—that is to say, he coughs sometimes, not always, at night. Spent the weekend in Järvenpää. I left on Saturday morning at eleven and returned on Sunday at half past five in the evening. Closed my eyes. No news, no new developments.”
Juan Perón was overthrown in Argentina. Helmi finished a postcard to her friend, writing:
“The apples have grown big and there are lots of them, also on the wild apple tree.”
Two Palestinian terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa Boeing 727 en route from Damascus to Frankfurt. Eila wrote:
“The east wind is getting cold. I must start wearing the fur hat soon. Tapani has a slight cough—that is to say, he coughs sometimes, not always, at night. Spent the weekend in Järvenpää. I left on Saturday morning at eleven and returned on Sunday at half past five in the evening. Closed my eyes. No news, no new developments.”
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. On the same day, Aatto wrote:
“I’m surprised myself to be alive. But this depends (damn it all) on many things… My Danish (heart symbol) left last Saturday (tear symbol). Tristesse… You see, everything got OK before she left, I suppose. Wa-wa-woom, boy, we really had some fantastic nights…”
Soviet tanks rolled through the streets of Prague. At the same time, Eila wrote:
“I haven’t done any gardening even though it is autumn, and likely will not be doing anything. I don’t know if it is better to sell the house and then find a flat, or to try and exchange it. A boatload of big questions for me to think over.”
Demonstrations against Slobodan Milošević broke out in Belgrade. On that day, Vappu sent a postcard from the USA:
“Dear mother, I’m writing from this side of the border for a change. We are in Nevada, at a state park campsite. It is free, so there is no telephone here. It is thirteen miles to the nearest village to post this. John will take the postcard there (by moped).”
Nelson Mandela delivered his I Am Prepared to Die speech at the beginning of the Rivonia Trial. On that day, Liisa wrote:
“I wear the new hat and have gotten used to it. The girl is fine now. I don’t need anything to sweeten my coffee. The girl went to the eye doctor. Don’t need glasses.”
The Battle of Belleau Wood took place during the First World War. On the same day, Wilho attached a note:
“If you have strong work-cart wheels with axles, I ask you to dispatch one to me on my account.”
Japanese troops took Manila. On that day, Aino wrote:
“A healthy girl was born near two in the morning, so Kaarina is now a big sister — she is exactly three years and five months older than the new daughter. It was a happy reunion.”
16 mm film
Duration: 8 min 46 sec
Sound & design: Joni Virtanen
Camera operator: Veli Granö
Cast: Esko Puustinen