A relationship gift made in Finland to represent the Mayor of Espoo.
Sisu is a collection of eggs representing Finland's sauna culture. Only with the smell of burned wood in a faraway place from Finland can the owner of this gift continue to enjoy a typical experience as a reminder of his/her/their meeting.
The eggs embody purity and are made from local Finnish material: alder wood, also known as Lepa.
Based on the question:
"How can I share Finnish silence in a meeting with international partners?"
The individuals engage with one another through its recognisable smell and are comforted in sharing a typical Finnish silence.
The purpose of sisu is to embody the Finnish culture in a symbolic experience. Its existence brings together mayors from around the world and makes their connection with one another recorded analogously.
Sisu’s shape is based on the Finnish cultural story Kalevala. This story tells the origin of life on Earth.
"In the vast expanse of nothingness, where time had no meaning, there existed only the boundless sea and the boundless sky. Upon the surface of the sea, a lone waterbird soared through the air, its wings beating against the emptiness.
As the bird flew, it grew weary, and it sought a place to rest. It spotted a tiny speck in the distance, and as it drew closer, it saw that it was a knee floating in the middle of the sea.
The bird landed on the knee, and as it did so, it felt a warmth emanating from it. The bird began to build a nest on the knee, using feathers and twigs from the sky. As it worked, it felt the knee pulsating with life.
And when the nest was complete, the bird laid an egg in it.
The bird sat on the egg, keeping it warm with its body. And as it sat, it sang a song of creation. The song was so powerful that it caused the egg to glow with light."
[...]
With its outer skin burned and black, the egg represents its founder: nature, where decay, death, and darkness meet with creation, purity, and light, which are found in its inner core.
This project was made possible by my dear friends, Emile Rebours, Alice Duret, Vincent Delrue, and Alissa, whom I got to know during my Erasmus Exchange experience. Professional photographer Sidonie Ronfard took all the pictures for this project.
- dedicated to Sidonie Ronfard
