Cat valley

Haapoja Terike

Thousands of people visit the Helsinki Zoo every year. Besides presenting values of nature conservation and helping to protects threatened species, the zoo also functions as a place of representing ”the wilderness”. The cages of animals from distant areas have been carefully designed to have the appearance of a jungle, a desert or mountain side, even though constructed in the Northern hemisphere. The behaviour of the animals is hardly authentic, as their interaction with other species as well as their habitat is dramatically narrowed down. As the visitors perceive this scene, they witness an imaginary view, a nature documentary come true, willingly forgetting the constructedness of the scene. In Cat Valley, the artist documented the reflections of visitors in Helsinki Zoo from the glass walls of the cages. Three life-size screens show the visitors gazing though the glass, trying to see a glimpse of the "real" they were promised to see. However, only an artificial landscape is visible. The video and its audio track have been slowed down; the sound of the visitors starts to resemble moans of the beasts.

Production Year
2007
Duration
00:20:00
Tyyppi
Asiasana
Original Title
Cat valley
Finnish Title
Cat valley
English Title
Cat valley
Dialogue
No
Aspect Ratio
4:3
Sound
Yes
Cast
Terike Haapoja (Author), Petteri Mård (Sound Design)
Press Photos
Terike Haapoja is a visual artist based in Helsinki, Finland. She has a MA degree both from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and Theatre Academy. Her work consists of videos, installations and stage projects, characterized by the innovative use of new media and new technology. Her work has been show widely in solo and group exhibitions and festivals both nationally and internationally. Haapoja represented Finland at Venice Biennale in 2013 with a solo show in the Nordic Pavilion. She has received awards and grants in Finland since 2001 and she was nominated as candidate for Ars Fennica Award in 2011.