Mieronsuo’s second album Pimeyden syliin is a murky journey into the abandoned rooms of the mind, past the egos and narratives that normally embrace us. Where the previous album “Kiperkotska” played with ideas of distant future, the new album dives into the past, navigating through the mind’s ever changing labyrinths of memory. Poet/time traveler Miihkali Kirjavainen takes a more personal approach to this trip, focusing on his relationship with trees, plants, overly large hats and the individualist productivity-psychosis in his time.

The great paradoxes of life, the incomprehensible mystery of the universe and the perception of human smallness are present as strong themes. The music uses the existential silence of North Karelia’s abandoned houses, harvests it and preserves it with the help of dusty ambient sound designs, analog tape textures and moldy synthesizers. Dancing is encouraged, particularly dancing on the ruins of ego and individuality. The album comprises a narrative piece, a story which is complemented by music videos. Lyrics are partly in Finnish, partly in a fictional proto-Ugrian-language.

Album:
“Pimeyden syliin” (fi)
“Embrace darkness” (en)
Artist: Mieronsuo
Year: 2024
digital/vinyl, 60min

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LIsten on Spotify

Thousands of years in the future, in the post-apocalyptic ruins of Finland, where little remains of our familiar world order. The sole relics of our current culture are the occasional plastic objects, leftover trash from another civilization, which may be preserved for thousands of years in the oxygenless ponds of the peatland. Of these remnant objects, most prominent are cassette tapes, which appear repeatedly across the story both as instruments and symbols of pervasiveness. This story is present across all songs and it unveils fragment by fragment throughout the album. While details are often left open and the viewpoint fluctuates across levels of diegetic narration, the world of Mieronsuo is clearly far from ours, beyond our time and convention. 

Album:
“Kiperkotška”

Eclipse Music Digital
Artist: Mieronsuo
Year: 2021
digital/cassette, 91min

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This book examines the iterative development process behind Suonsilmä (20”, ELO 2024), focusing on the period from June to November 2021 when initial ideas evolved into the foundation for the film. Through a subjective and reflective lens, I analyze how my thought process, worldview, and artistic interests shaped the project. In attempting to escape the egoism prevalent in contemporary art, I embraced a more outward-looking, interconnected approach, which significantly influenced the film’s early creative choices. By retracing this journey, I uncover how deeply personal an ‘objective’ perspective can be and reflect on the artist’s role within a cultural continuum. Ultimately, this process revealed to me that no artist works in isolation; we are all intersections of shared ideas and cultural currents, not endpoints.

“Inseparable from the stream – An exploration into the delusion of objectivity”

2023
MA thesis, finnish, 55+5s, [aaltodoc]

Too many passionate individuals suffer while working in film and television industry in Finland. This research sheds light on the atmosphere of the industry and working conditions through an anonymous worker called “Veera”, based on true events.

Veera’s story begins when a producer attempts to make an overly expensive production work with a pair of shoestrings, duct tape, and far too little funding. Veera navigates the contract loopholes, a stifling organizational structure, and treacherous waters, only to discover how ruthlessly a group of heartless “reptilians” break laws and violate her rights. Familiar tales of winter tires and the Winter War further illustrate the work culture.

In the end, the author looks in the mirror and asks: What could I, as a director, do if I see Veera suffering? There may not be a clear answer, but sometimes the questions alone can lead to progress. At least the reign of the reptilians seems to be nearing its end, and Veera already has a small voice to speak with.

“Production Equipment and Roe Sacks – The Work Culture in Finland’s Film and TV Industry”

2019
BA thesis, finnish, 25s, [aaltodoc]