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Day 44 – Tuesday 15/8/17
Weather conditions: 20 degrees, blue skies
Well, it had been along time coming, but I finally got to go out on a boat trip with Sakari who works at the Serlachius Museums. Sakari is what we would call a Jack of all trades. As well as invigilating across the two museums, he repairs the museums’ push bikes and fixes door handles to name a few. Sakari has a jovial dispositon, he always makes a point of saying hello and shares some interesting titbit. We had been trying to go on a boat trip since I first started my residency. It was Ignacio who got the ball rolling. However, climatic conditions thwarted our early attempts. The day was perfect with blue skies and a gentle breeze. Sakari’s power boat was big enough to take 4 passengers comfortably. It had a navigator, which does all sorts of wonderful things. For example, you can see what’s happening underwater. There’s another program that picks up fish numbers and you can even tell how they are reacting to the fly. On the boat that day was Saija and myself. I had the hydrophone with me so recorded the boat for a bit as it travelled the lake. I also bought along the DPA 4060s as well so I was able to record some of Sakari’s wonderful stories of incidents that occurred on the lake long ago. For example, there was once a priest who was travelling on the lake to deliver a sermon. During the trip he requested the oarsmen had to pull in at one of the uninhabited islands, where he was able to find relief. The island’s name Papinpasko is a reminder of the undignified pitstop. We too pulled up to one of islands, but our time was passed exploring the woodlands looking for a geocache, which we successfully tracked down. There was time to enjoy the general ambience and then we boarded the boat again and did a spot of fishing. We had some success a massive pike was caught, shown off and then returned to the water. Unfortunately there was no photo documentation to mark the event.
Day 45 – Wednesday 16/8/17
Weather conditions: 21 degrees, blue skies
This would have to be one of my most successful sound recording days. I spent 5 hours in the roof of Gosta Museum recording plant room 1 and 2. The machinery hummed away and my ears were finely tuned to the different rhythmic nuances. For this session I used the B&K 4006, DPA 4060 and Soundfield ambisonic microphone. I will return again for a second record session with some B&K accelerometers. The recording session kept me busy to mid afternoon and as I had an early rise for an Australian Skype call, I opted not to go out filming, choosing instead to cycle down to the studio and work there. It was nice to be seated at my desk over looking the lake and Metsa Tissue paper mill as it had been some since I had been last there. With a smile on my face and feeling chuffed I listened and catalogue the days recordings.
Day 47 – Friday 18/8/17
Weather conditions: 20degrees, dull skies
My days are spent mostly out in the field. I’m rarely in my studio at Alekanterin Linna or engaging socially. However, Friday evening saw a break in this routine. All the residential artists along with a few other guests were invited to Leea and Jan Lundell’s place for dinner. We had met Leea at the Serlachius Residency Coffee soireé, this is event were locals are invited to come and meet the artists. It was an extraordinary night. Leea and Jan prepared an absolute feast. The table was covered with all sorts of tasty treats, exotic salads, lamb, chicken, fish, plus an array of different yoghurts. Jan pulled out some delicious Italian wines and there was much social discourse. Stories from many countries were shared and laughter was plentiful. We were all sad when the evening came to a close. But as I cycled back to Einola with Saija, Johanna and Saatar who joined us for a bit, we all agreed how amazing and generous our hosts had been to orchestrate such an evening
Day 48 and 49 – Saturday/Sunday 19–20/8/17
Saturday - weather conditions: 20degrees with grey and cloudy with rain
Sunday - weather conditions: 20degrees with blue skies
The weekend was a productive one. Saturday was bleak with intermittent rain but I had the van, which meant I could sit it out. On viewing the footage I had gathered over the last 10days I realised I needed some aerial shots of Halikontie and Pavintie forest areas, so that’s where I worked over the weekend. I filmed to about 6pm on Saturday before heading back to the residency house. When I got back I charged up the equipment and pulled out the macro SD card to download the days footage. In my fatigue I misplaced the card, I then spent 2hours looking for it. To my relief I eventually found it in the compost bin. I had been eating dates so I figure I must have tossed it there when I threw the seeds in the bin. Being in Mänttä shops are limited, I don’t have the convenience of popping into a store like JB Hi-Fi to pick up another one. Sunday I rose to find blue skies, which was great. I focused on filming with the drone and I was rewarded with a couple of excellent shots of the forest and Kinnaskoski Oy saw mill.
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