FINLAND: How do asylum seekers in Finland perceive the Finnish people and the Finnish society through the camera lens? Who is allowed to make a visual representation in a public space?

In an international collaboration, artist's Brynhild Bye-Tiller and Maria Nordbäck asked the public in Finland to invite refugees and asylum seekers to their private homes. The project was based on an intensive, intimate and extended ten-day photo workshop held by Bye-Tiller. The workshop had a number of activities: street photography during the spring festival Vappu and Labor Day, nature photography in Öjens Nature Trail in Sundom, environmental portraits during several home visits in the Vaasa region, editing sessions, producing images, setting up a public display of photography inside a wooden house structure built by the participants at the Spring Fair in Vaasa Square, setting up a dual photographic exhibition inside the Mikola gallery put up by the participants and the artists, two lectures and extensive use of social media. The project led to three different public display of photography.

The photo workshop gave the participants (immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers) the opportunity to develop their visual language as well as practical and technical skills. During the workshop several thousands of pictures were taken of which a small part was shown in the Mikola gallery and a substantial number (266) was displayed outdoor. The exhibitions gave the participants a chance to appear in a public space together with the artists. Photography became a way to connect with people inside postal code 65 (Vaasa city including Korsholm/ Mustasaari), hence the title, Bridging Zip-Code 65.

The participants: Marina Hokkonen (Russia), Anna Pettersson (Belarus), Ali Aljboory (Iraq), Khem Raj Pokharel (Nepal), Zuhair Qasm (Iraq), Ahmed Hakeem (Iraq), Othman Ibrahim (Iraq) and Mohammed Ameen (Iraq). Artists: Maria Nordbäck (FI) and Brynhild Bye-Tiller (NO).

ARTISTIC WORK
The artistic work explored questions like; How to create a space for aesthetic decisions while decentralizing the authorship in a social art practice. How can artists usefully engage with individuals or a community? How to work with asylum seekers in co-creation of a public outcome? What kind of challenges and possibilities does participatory methodologies and documentary photography offer? Is it possible to find a new context in the tension between documentary and participation, when photographic subjects also become participants and co-creators of artistic work? How to use the social and practical situations that arise as a result of a photo workshop to invent art? Can artists help in the fight against an increased destructive nationalism and to counteract xenophobia in a local scale?

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
– Maria and Brynhild both involve other people in their art practices. It's a way to relate to - and a way to exist in the world. They focus on various challenges that exist in today's society and attempt to facilitate an empathetic and user friendly involvement. At the same time they try to produce site specific and formally innovative art productions.

Maria Nordbäck (born 1957 in Vaasa, Finland) studied at Novia University of Applied Sciences in Nykarleby (1996-2000) and at Turku University of Applied Sciences (2006-2007) on the subject of community art. Her work is often site-specific and interactive with the community, to highlight art as a meaningful part of people's lives.

Brynhild Bye-Tiller (born 1968 Levanger, Norway) studied at the Art Academy in Trondheim, Norway (1990-1995) and Academy of the Arts, Reykjavik, Iceland (1992). Her artistic practice explores the borders between camera-based art, documentary photography in particular and socially engaged art. Nordbäck and Bye-Tiller has previously participated in a Mid-Nordic workshop ÆØÅ (2010) and together they completed the project Forgo (2011). Bye-Tiller was an Artist in Residence at Platform and Nordbäck is a member of Platform and a resident in Vaasa.

PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK BRYNHILD BYE-TILLER
EXHIBITION MIKOLA GALLERY		EXHIBITION HOUSE VAASA SQUARE
Exhibition period May 21 th - June 12 th 2016		Exhibition period May 20 th - 21 st 2016
Venue: Koulukatu 7 D, 65100 Vaasa, Finland		Venue: The Spring Fair. Space 110. Map Spring
Art work: 84 photo works indoor. 39 photo works made by me indoor. 45 photo works made by the participants. Details: Different sized 39 colour photographs. Chronologically displayed with narratives strongly influenced by the social interaction during the project and a small shelf with two objects. One roll of greaseproof paper and one roll of aluminum foil. 9 series of small format photographs from 9 participants with portraits of Finns and Finnish nature. Each participants showed 5 photographs. Documents: Lecture- artist talk Platform, Kasern 14, 2016 Invitation opening of exhibition 2016 Invitation photo workshop 2016 Key words photo workshop 2016 Programme RECEPTION (ENG) Programme RECEPTION (FI) Programme RECEPTION (SE) Draft Bridging Zip-Code 65 (SE/FI) Bridging Zip-Code (ENG) Form feedback artist (webarchive) Artist book made by Maria Nordbäck		Art work: A house with 266 photo works outdoor made by the participants inside a wooden structure. Details: Building a temporary wooden house (gallery) at the market square in Vaasa. Setting up 266 small format color photographs inside the house. Showing the exhibition during the two-day Spring Fair event. PARTNERS & TRIENNALE Local partners were MIRA Centre, Welcome Office Vaasa, Vaasa Reception Centre. Bridging Zip-Code 65 was part of RECEPTION the 1st triennial of the COMMUNITY arts in Finland. Coordinated by Suvi Solkio, the regional artist for community art, Art Promotion Centre Finland and Pia Bartsch, community artist Saari residence. The 1st Triennial of Coummunity Arts, can be found here: www.vastaanplusotto.fi Artists: LOCAL A Sculptural pavilon Felice Hapetzeder (SE) and Jenny Berntsson (SE). Bridging Zip -Code 65, Maria Nordbäck (FI) & Brynhild Bye-Tiller (NO) Spread the ink Janika Herlevi (FI) Comic workshop, Pertti Jarla (FI) and Emmi Valve (FI) Va mee, Sonja Backlund (FI)

RECEPTION, THE 1ST TRIENNIAL OF THE COMMUNITY ARTS, APRIL 1ST – JUNE 5TH 2016
IN HELSINKI–KEMIÖNSAARI–TURKU–MYNÄMÄKI–RAUMA–PORI–VAASA, FINLAND.