Sunday, July 19, 2009

Skyscraper

Everybody gone already? Good. But maybe I'll throw in some landscapes to make sure. The one thing I've learned about attention over the years is that it always comes with a kick in the nuts. "We like what you do, but we hate your attitude." Thanks, I love you too.
So I do my best to keep my visibility at a comfortable minimum.

4 comments:

  1. I'm still reading - I do like looking at your photos. I'm not sure what the Finnish art scene is like but I think the one here can be quite difficult at times from what I've heard, even in the world of art outside the "mainstream". I don't do visual art myself, but in terms of the writing I do I often think obscurity isn't such a bad place to dwell in from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry. I'm just turning into a grouchy old man. Happily I remembered that there's a cure for that: Go out after dark and take lots of pictures. And happily, darkness arrives earlier than a month ago, so I can be in bed by 1 am.

    Art worlds everywhere are at least slightly whacked, since they mostly consist of nervous wrecks like me. And small countries with small audiences might be naturally inclined to envy and infighting. Not that I know. I ignore the art scene here.

    When I feel like company, I go to strange music gigs, and, as you might have noticed, the people in the Finnish music underground are wonderful. I don't deserve knowing them, actually.

    Someone should write a book about them while they're still fresh. Maybe I'll give it a try when I'm saner again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, a book about the Finnish music scene would be great - I'd buy it, though I don't know the Finnish language so translations are always nice.

    I think the NZ underground music scene is pretty nice too. There are some great people in it and the response to acts from overseas touring here is also particularly enthusiastic as we are such an isolated country.

    I don't think any Finnish acts have made it here so far, though.

    I also had a listen to some of your mp3's as well - very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks. I'm uneven. I get attacks of panic and listlessness. And I start lashing out at the first sign of success. But since all this is made purely for the joy of it, I don't mind.

    The book would be in English. There is probably no market for such a book here for at least ten years, since these people are nearly invisible in their home country. A couple of articles about "the people who make music with toys" and pictures of Islaja with ten lines of text is about the measure of it, I think.

    I'll need to learn some interview techniques. Write a list of questions, give the other time to think and answer instead of interrupting. Oooh, this is going to be challenging.

    ReplyDelete