The Bystander
Valja Pinja
Topi is a retiree living on the island of Utö. He used to work at Utö, and also met his Swedish-speaking wife on the island. During the years Topi also learned Swedish, but lost the language due to a stroke. Via Topi’s story, the film deals with the relationship of man and language with nature. What remains after language disappears?
Production Year
2013
Duration
00:07:48
Tyyppi
Asiasana
documentarism, landscape, lighthouses, media art, old age, people (phenomena), seas, semiotics, water
Original Title
Sivullinen
English Title
The Bystander
Production Countries
Finland
Dialogue
Yes
Sound
Yes
Cast
Pinja Valja (Author), Pinja Valja (Cinematographer), Pinja Valja (Director), Pinja Valja (Editor), Pinja Valja (Script), Pinja Mustajoki (Sound Design), Topi Kovanen (Actor), AVEK (Funder)
Press Photos
Pinja Valja is a Helsinki-based media artist whose work is shaped by a sustained engagement with binary oppositions. Her practice often explores what kinds of worldviews might emerge if the structures built upon such oppositions were dismantled. Accordingly, her work consistently focuses on analyzing and challenging the structures that uphold these divisions.
Valja received her Master of Arts degree in 2016 and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Art at Aalto University. Her works are included in the collections of HAM Helsinki Art Museum and the State Art Commission of Finland.
6 works