Cosmic Archaeology – Mox Mäkelä

Experimental film

Strange by Mox Mäkelä is a part of the idiot ibidem series, which was originally started by Mäkelä in 1995. In the series Mäkelä has, taking some artistic liberties, traced the connections between her own Karelian ancestor and Dostoevsky’s Idiot.

Mäkelä has defined her piece as an audio play in film form. The audio and video run as separate, only loosely connected entities. At times the visuals flow alongside the narration, while at other times providing associative commentary. Narrated by a shrew and a lion, Strange tells the story of how the main character, Riša, half-accidentally visits an unusual party.  

Mox Mäkelä

Mox Mäkelä (b. 1958) is a Finnish concept artist with over 40 years of active working experience. The intertwining and recurring themes in her works reflect on ownership, the shallowness and slowly advancing decay of civilization and the deterioration of environment. Through various combinations of these themes, Mäkelä glides from one art form to another: from films to installations, from cinema to audio narrations. Instead of viewing her wide productions as individual art pieces, they could be seen as parts in a series, as sequences or as an all-encompassing whole. Mäkelä’s pieces have been on display both in Finland and in international art viewings and film festivals. 

Photo: Ville Mäkilä, Museum Centre of Turku.