PARITY LAW, 2010, 3:52 mins

The Constitution of Finland
Chapter 2 – Basic rights and liberties, Section 6 – Equality

Everyone is equal before the law. No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, health, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person. Children shall be treated equally and as individuals and they shall be allowed to influence matters pertaining to themselves to a degree corresponding to their level of development. Equality of the sexes is promoted in societal activity and working life, especially in the determination of pay and the other terms of employment, as provided in more detail by an Act.

 

THE ALIENS ACT

/ULKOMAALAISLAKI

2009

Helsinki, inside tram #6.

During one hour, she read out loud for all the tram passengers random excerpts of the Aliens Act – the part of the Finnish Law concerning any person staying in Finland without having Finnish Citizenship. In the beginning this text says its purpose is: to implement and promote good governance, and legal protection in matters concerning aliens, to promote managed immigration and provision of international protection with respect for human rights and basic rights, in consideration of international agreements binding on Finland.

This law involves matters such as employment, visas, residence permits, deportation, refugee status and trafficking in human beings.

There is no official translation of the text, meaning that such law can only be applied in Finnish or Swedish languages. A foreign who doesn’t have neither of those as mother tongues will possibly face difficulties. A person will not completely or directly access a content that strictly relates to him or her, which is subject to the subtleties typical of law texts,  and that mainly sounds absurd.

These conflict is disclosed when a foreign living in Finland is reading the Aliens Act, in Finnish – a law that directly affects her life, in a language that she does not speak or understand, which is obvious through her wrong spelling.

 

TAKE PLACE (MULTIFUNCTION APPARATUS)

2009, Helsinki

2 hours

Performance in the streets and in a local tram around a department store of Helsinki.

After considering the idea of sheltering and the situation of homeless people, another object was created.

The Multifunction Apparatus” was manipulated and worn in different ways and locations, like a vivid space for someone’s time. These pictures result of that time and question how much space each of us can occupy and how much time we can take.

Dimensions: variable.