Teemu Kivikangas (FI): Birds of Passage

Birds of Passage is a documentary community and video work that deals with globalisation from the point of view of a small, remote town. It explores migratory movements, an individual’s relationship with his place of living, young people’s expectations and fears regarding the future and the means with which they strive to plan and direct this future.

Birds of Passage is a documentary-like video work that is projected onto the wall of Lyseo upper secondary school. It deals with the present and formerstudents of the school who have moved to the Helsinki area. This piece has been carried out in co-operation with the students. The work sheds light on the way of life of one’s home town, the connection between history and locality and on the other hand globalisation and the growing instability of the world, the movement of people and global media culture. Kuopio-born people who have moved to Helsinki give a voice to the people who have crossed the gulf between two different types of city environments.

Teemu Kivikangas is a media artist, filmmaker and designer working and living in Helsinki. Currently he is working on his dissertation for MA in New Media at Media Lab of University of Art and Design in Helsinki. He is an active member in Helsinki-based media art collectives Katastro.fi and Amfibio.