Päivi Hirsiaho

visual artist

I am a visual artist working with hand-crafted animation, drawing, sound art and photography. I believe in DIY; I always do everything myself, from drawing the animation to playing the guitar tracks and recording them.

Among other things, I will be working on an animated diary during my residency. I draw for my diary every day with graphite and pencil, often for several hours in one sitting. In the beginning, there is only a big pile of paper and a big pile of pencils. The subjects of the animation will only become clear during my residency, but self-portraiture will be a strong element, since I draw by looking at myself in the mirror. A few seconds of animation are completed each day. It will be exciting to see what the final work will be like after two months of intensive drawing. I will also be recording the soundtrack for the film in and around the Saari Residence and combining those sounds with guitar and electronic sounds. I will, therefore, also be creating music, which I will later turn into a demo.

I also work with photography. My photography combines drawing and nature. I use my drawings as props in my photographs. Lately, I have been taking many pictures of myself holding a drawing in front of my face. The drawings are usually the heads of animals or self-portraits.

WWW.PAIVIHIRSIAHO.COM