Tärähtäneet ämmät & Gabriel Mellan

DYSTOPIA/UTOPIA is a community art project executed together with teenagers living in a group foster home in Mynämäki. A three-photograph series (triptych) depicts alternative futures for each of the teenagers: a utopia, a dystopia and the present

DYSTOPIA/UTOPIA is a joint art project comprised of photography and scenario work by the art duo Nutty Tarts / Tärähtäneet ämmät Katariina Haikala and Vilma Metteri (FIN) and photographer Gabriel Mellan (USA). The Dystopia/Utopia art project is intended for 14 to 17 year-olds in danger of social exclusion, who are able to participate in a two week intensive project.

The objective of the project is to shed light on the future prospects of each of the teenagers through the concepts of dystopia and utopia and, together with the project leaders, to plan the concrete first steps towards achieving the participant’s dreams. In the project’s workshops, the teenagers envision their futures and choose nearby locations that represent each of their dystopian and utopian futures.

The participating youths will form a camera crew and each participant will be photographed at two locations of their own choice. Together with a picture representing the present, the three photographs will form a triptych, which will be displayed at a photography exhibition at location chosen by the teens themselves. Ultimately, the project challenges the participating teenagers to answer two key questions: How can I avoid the dystopian envisionment of my future and how do I make my utopia a reality?

TARAHTANEET.AMMAT@GMAIL.COM