Filmverkstaden Analogue Film Organization in Finland!

Hi!

While I was in Finland, I was generously invited to travel to Vasa on the west coast of Finland, in the predominantly Swedish speaking part, to give a talk about my work. It wasn't just any old talk, it was a luscious vegetarian brunch in an old soap factory! On arriving in Vasa, I was struck by the immense natural beauty of the place - Britt, who was hosting me, told me that the birds had only just returned after the long hard winter, and what a joy it was to hear them sing again! That place is just perfect for making films, and I imagine with those long summer daylight hours, you could make an entire feature-length film in a short amount of time.

Filmverkstaden is an analogue film and sound art organisation, founded by Britt Koostra and her partner Arvid van der Rijt, who are both artists and who live in a gorgeous house in the countryside by a river that keeps overflowing its bounds and that their son Heikki loves to gondola across! They showed me such amazing hospitality, they're beautiful people, I hope years don't elapse before we see each other again!

As well as hosting screenings and artist talks, Filmverkstaden organise filmmaking workshops including workshops on Super 8 and 16mm, analogue photography workshops, and sound art workshops. During my visit, I met an artist called Patrik Qvist, who kindly gave me a copy of his book on shacks - a beautiful, poetic piece of work with a collection of honest, touching, beautiful writings and drawings and paintings of shacks he has imagined and also physically made. A very interesting artist.

The brunch took place in Patrik's appartment, with all manner of delicious foods prepared by Britt and Arvid, and great coffee from Patrik. Oh and a pretty amazing raspberry cake was there too! Britt and Arvid's family were also there - Heikki (9), Pirkko (6) and Bogi (2). The event was open, and I met some really great people, all who were interested in filmmaking and who were such a receptive, brilliant audience to have  - I couldn't have wished for better! We discussed all kinds of things, and I showed two of my films, and some of my pinhole Polaroid photographs I'd been working on at Arteles during my residency. I also passed around the black and white Super 8 films I'd processed in coffee for people to take a look at. After the talk, we also watched a few of the Super 8 reels from the recent Filmverkstaden Super 8 workshop Britt had run, playing them on an 'agfa family' projector.

Ah, what a wonderful experience! I went back to Arteles by bus afterwards, glowing with pleasure and feeling all inspired and happy. Thanks so much, Britt, Arvid, Heikki, Pirkko, Bogi, Patrik, and all who attended the talk!

I was even paid well for my time, which was an added bonus to an already great day.

I took a Polaroid of the brunch that conveys it really well, but I haven't scanned my Polaroids in yet so it'll have to come a little later, but in the meantime here are a few photos!

And here's a link to Filmverkstaden!

x Martha

What is Cherry Kino?

Hi!

Recently I've had a nice fresh look at my dreams and goals, and it seems a good time to define what Cherry Kino is, so here it is!

Cherry Kino:

My name is Martha Jurksaitis, and I'm an analogue film and photography artist.

I channel my activities through Cherry Kino, which is and always has been a very personal expression of my love for analogue film and photography, presented for others to experience and share. Cherry Kino encompasses my filmic and photographic art, my curatorial and teaching work, creative writing, and resources about analogue film that hopefully help others become inspired too.

I believe we are born to do what we love, and I love making analogue images! 

I’m fascinated and moved by all the wondrous techniques that can be applied to film, and I’m delighted to share Cherry Kino with you. Thanks for visiting me!

x Martha

Arteles Arteles, how I miss you...

Hello!

Well, I'm back in Leeds/Bradford now, after spending the whole of April in Finland at Arteles on a residency. It was... how can I say? Immense? Intense? Beautiful? Happy? Sometimes a real challenge? Moving? All of those things. And you know, it gave me something huge - it gave me a brilliant perspective on how to move forward, how to fulfil all those visions and dreams, how to stay in touch with myself and be inspired and happy and full of positive energy for life! I know this all sounds a bit full on, but, well, it is! Full on in the best possible way! So one thing I realised when in Finland was that I have too many belongings, and that many of them have become things that stop me moving forward, so I've decided to sell lots of equipment from my lab studio, and also to complete half-finished projects I've been working on for ages, and share them with people at long last. I also want to make a book of the work I made at Arteles, which means I have to professionally scan the hundreds of analogue images I made! I'd better get started then, hadn't I! 

x Martha 

Ulvoa & Kirsikka

Ulvoa (Howl)

Peachy

Skinny dip

Skin,

Feel, Touch, Mountain -
Feels like velvet.

The path,

The compromise.

Mouth.

Glaring.

Howl.

Pine-scented,

Shivering.

Feels like rain.

Kirsikka (Cherry)

A cherry on top of the snowy mountain

Just far enough out of reach that I

Yawn

And leave it for another day

Another hour

Because this moment

This exact spot

Is where I want to be

Right

Now.

x Martha 

Strings

Strings

A stringed instrument hangs on the wall

A strange thing

With markings in a language I don’t yet know

Or care to

So much.

The sound though

That sound

It runs through me like translucent leaf veins held up to the sky

Vivid - too bright

But gentle,

Tender lilt of alien tongue

Inside my mouth

As you

Oh you

Say things

I understand.

x Martha

Some new poetry

There are photographs in all the books I chose to bring with me to Finland. Nadja, Travelling Light, and The Summer Book. It’s interesting that I also feel compelled to create a book with images. I have wanted to since Australia, when I found Nadja but didn’t read it.
Here are some new poems I have just written, up with the dawn.

Toi (Finn)

The rims of her eyes were dark for a blonde -

what was so extraordinary about what was happening in those eyes?

Convulsive, crushing embrace,

beautiful as a seismograph behind great thickets of tears.

You should have hidden her from me,

the beginning of hope.

Light Travel

They were afraid of being left behind.

I opened the front door and only then realised how lucky I was,

waded out into the wet night, fascinated.

When I eventually stopped, utterly exhausted, I was almost alone and it was completely silent.

All those days and weeks of being imprisoned in darkness.

I’ve always been fascinated by woodlands.

The rare, furious joy of clasping

their glorious bosoms stained with earth and grass.

The island became unreal.

Was it something about nature?


Sylva Shade

Something draws me to you.
A berried whisper,
soft tongue of pine,
the promise of a bed of needles
to while away some time
in your luscious sylva shade,
filling myself up with your
strong steady scent
that strengthens my muscles,
stretches my spine.

A cool woody balm
for such a boiling heart.


x Martha

Arteles Residency in Finland!

Hello!

I just arrived at this beautiful place in Finland a few hours ago called the Arteles Creative Center. I was (luckily!) selected to come on this residency and managed to rearrange my life a bit so I could be here for the whole of April! I'm looking out of my bedroom window right now, from my bed, and I can see forest and snow, it's so bright and sunny and the sun is warming the room. There is an antler on the floor in the corner - a ready-made sculpture.

Looking around the spaces in this little outcrop of buildings there are quite a few of them, and some skins too, one of a wolf. Thick fur. I wonder if there are many of them around here? There's so much untouched forest that I imagine there could be a few packs of wolves roaming about. Outside there's a great bird sound, perhaps some kind of woodpecker, inspiring all kinds of ideas about soundtracks and images already. Did a grocery shop, and have decided to eat a really healthy, clean, natural diet while I'm here, to try to connect with nature as much as I can and hopefully that will come through in what I make here. Here's a view from my window.

I've unpacked, and all my film stock is laid out on the table. It's hard to know which to begin with! But the Impossible (instant) film stocks are calling my name. I brought a Spectra Pro so I can shoot lovely wider Polaroid images and do interesting things like multiple exposures and long exposures, for example at night. I also brought my Hasselblad (120 film), Kiev 30 (16mm Russian spy stills camera - fitting, considering Finland's historical relationship with Russia), Minolta 16 (16mm spy camera that feels like silk to use! And no, I'm not talking about tampons, though it is about the same size!), Nizo 801 macro Super 8, 600 Polaroid, Job-Pro Polaroid, and a Noon 5x4 large format handmade pinhole camera, with some expired 5x4 Polaroid film to shoot in it.

I came to this place with the idea of a project called 'Travelling Light'. This is a bit of a layered title, since film and photography are all about light travelling. Also, I have decided to experiment with all sorts of more eco-friendly and eco-involved developing and image-making techniques, such as processing film in natural substances, and making cyanotypes that work with the power of the sun to develop them. I've been feeling a bit bogged down by the fact that analogue filmmaking uses a lot of toxic chemistry. The amounts I use are pretty small, but the fact I use them remains. This residency is a chance for me to explore alternative methods that might tread more lightly upon the earth - travel light, so to speak. The irony is that I brought 3 cases of equipment and film stock with me! Not really the light traveller I envisaged! I just couldn't help myself, thinking of all the different possibilities for using different formats and cameras, and I'll be here for a whole month so I want to make full use of this time to create!

Well, being here is lush - it totally makes up for a hellish night spent sleeping on a hard bench at Stansted airport only interrupted by numerous puke visits to the loo because of eating something weird. Yuk! Am feeling a million times better now, but am about to go to sleep for a few hours and give my poor body a break! The strange purging I experienced at the airport somehow fits perfectly with Travelling Light - I've now got fresh fruit and veggies and herbal teas to help my body heal itself and to kick-start this beautiful light time! Another little coincidence happened that makes me think 'Travelling Light' is the right project for me at this time. I've only read one of Tove Jansson's books (author of the Moomin books, as well as a lot of lesser-known but amazing fiction like 'The Summer Book'), and while I was googling my title to see if it was already being used for anything similar, I found a few other things called it too - a theatre company in Bristol, and - you guessed it - a compendium of short stories by Tove Jansson! So I have the book with me now and will read it while here - in Finland, a land Tove Jansson came from and adored, the landscape and feel of which permeate her writing.

Chris Fell - if you're reading this - am missing you already my beautiful. And have already slipped on my ass on the ice, you'll be amused to know!

Thanks to you all for reading, and I'll keep posting about my experiences while I'm here, it'd be ace to know that someone's reading, leave me a comment if you feel like it!

x Martha