Within my “Battered” series I have focused my Hasselblad camera on the people who are victims of the interpersonal direct violence which occurs in public spaces. I have mainly concentrated on the physical marks that an assault leaves on the body. I have also photographed fights as they happen and the places where fights have taken place.
Battery and street fights are every night activities during the weekends in Finland. People have a strong tendency to get intoxicated whilst partying and, once drunk, people are released from their inhibitions. Aggression turns into physical acts, to direct violence.
There is a social awareness of this topic in Finland, the issue is recognized and is considered to be a severe social problem. However, the discussion has mainly literal dimensions; it appears in news headlines and is discussed in seminars. But there are no images of these events. As this is the case, I wish to give an artistically interpreted visual appearance to this phenomenon. I believe the images introduce a different approach to the discussion by showing the actual outcomes of this violent behaviour. An image tells a story using a different grammar, and, as such, it alters the discussion by adding sensory-based knowledge and, perhaps, emotion to it.
“Battered” is based on social and contemporary documentarism, and the images are related to crime-scene photography (all the way to WeeGee) and police pictures.
I worked with the topic for two years, spending my weekend nights in the center of the town called Turku (in South West Finland). The series is now concluded and altogether the series consists of 33 images. Battered was exhibited for the first time in its total volume in Gallery Uusitalo in Helsinki from 29.11.−21.12.2007.
"Battered" is also part of my PhD project at the University of Art and Design Helsinki.
The project has been supported by Finnish Cultural Foundation / The Regional Fund of Varsinais-Suomi, Patricia Seppälä Foundation, National Council of Photographic art and The Arts Council of Varsinais-Suomi. Also I wish to present thanks to Turku Police Department, and to the people I have photographed.