Matthew Cowan

The creation of new video or performance based artwork, based on interaction with local people and communities to draw on traditions of folklore, ritual and customs

I am intrigued by the cultural histories of Finland, the post-modern aspects of cultural celebrations, and the continued relevance and persistence of traditional folklore today. I am interested in how these celebrations continue to belong to relevant festivals and celebrations, how performers, participants and audiences from all backgrounds view them, and how they gain an essence of the ‘contemporary’.

My art often works closely with established traditions, paralleling their structure and form in order to take on a new perspective – one that celebrates and progresses the meaning of a particular ritual. I would like to work with local people, visitors and historians to establish the role and tone of these celebrations, and make a new work – performative or otherwise which takes for its inspiration these traditions and adds something new. One thing that never fails to strike a chord for me as an artist is how rooted to a ‘locale’ folk celebrations become. By their own definition, a locality’s folk customs give an impression of the essence of that place’s community, showing off the spirit, the character of a place.

Something that I am interested in investigating at Saari is the possibility of making work based around the celebration of Christmas and midwinter in Finland, exploring old rituals and mythologies.

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