02 Second Skin
03 Bearded Virgin
04 Insect Collection
05 Dialogue
07 Borderlne
08 Reformatory
09 Bodyspace
10 Dialectics of the Surface
12 Pyromania
13 Anti-dualistic Dualism
14 Neon-forest
15 various works
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If we take the concept 'evolution' as our starting point, we could say that we are living in an era of simplification. By this I mean that while the biodiversity diminishes, the number of individual plants or animals in those species that can be exploited by humans is on the increase. The majority of these species live in an industrial environment, such as cattle-raising centres, cages, factories, and laboratories. They are subject to serial production culminating in duplication, such as cloning, or breeding techniques such as gene technology.
A similar simplification trend is also prevalent in cultural evolution and finds its manifestation in globalisation. Thus, the name Reformatory encompasses more than just mere animals; it also refers to those who raise and use them. Hence, it is a question of the psychological state of mind that has, just like animals, nurtured us, the citizens of the techno-society. My installation Reformatory seeks to outline the cognitive structures which lead to the simplification and uniformity currently under way. 'Utility', in the end, is quite a biased concept.
The fur balls in my work are made out of old fur hats which were collected for me by the recycling centre. Because the fur balls are made out of hats, the human head became the natural size for them.
The steel-wire cages refer to the process of defining borders but also to protecting oneself. The work also comments on the glass and steel architecture of office buildings - an increasingly popular construction material in city centres throughout the world. In search of the architectural equivalent for his ideology, Mussolini wrote: 'Fascism is a transparent building.' A transparent cage is a manifestation of two phobias that become realized simultaneously, that is, claustrophobia and kenophobia, fear of the void.
I took the photo of Kekko the cow on a farm in Karkkila, South Finland. Since then Kekko has passed away, but during her lifetime she gave birth to two calves and produced 16 199 kilograms of milk.
(c)Timo Heino