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H E R E, I N A B S E N C E
P H O T O G R A P H Y : M I K A E L S I I R I L Ä
M U S I C : T H E H U M B L E B E E & O F F T H E S K Y
F E B R U A R Y 2 9 T H , 2 0 2 4
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Mikael Siirilä:
"I am a darkroom artist (b. 1978) based in Helsinki, Finland.
My small individual photographs examine the themes of absence, presence and outsiderhood. My characters appear immersed in their inner worlds and moments of being: simultaneously absent and intensely present. The pictures also reveal the outsider’s gaze, lost in observation and reflection. My pictures are true observations captured with minimal interaction with the subjects. Their origin is in the act of looking, and they feel causally connected to the world.
The craft of printmaking is inseparable from my artistic expression. I work solely with black & white film and the darkroom. The slow, contemplative process lends the pictures a calmness. I make physical pictures I want to stare at, feel and become
lost in. Again and again.’’
Here, In Absence is his first book. The 51 photos included in the book spanning several years of work and exhibitions in 2022-2023.
After a first release in 2019 on IIKKI ("All Other Voices Gone, Only Yours Remains"), a second one in 2020 on LAAPS ("We Were The Hum Of Dreams"), Craig Tattersall (The Humble Bee) and Jason Corder (Offthesky) come back with a third stunning out-of-time beauty, paired with the Mikael Siirilä photography works, "Here In, Absence"
Craig Tattersall is a former member of The Remote Viewer and Famous Boyfriend bandmate Andrew Johnson. Tattersall's music can be found these days more often under his alias The Humble Bee; as a founder member of The Boats; and in his collaborative works with the likes of Bill Seaman in The Seaman And The Tattered Sail. He has run the wonderful label Cotton Goods from 2008 to 2015 and since 2009 he has recorded 16 solo albums on his moniker The Humble Bee and almost the same under his name on some collaborations.
Jason Corder is experimental-ambient multimedia artist based in Denver, CO. He has been producing music, video art, audio software, and the occasional interactive sound sculpture, for over 20 years. He teaches private courses on generative music and occasionally lectures on various sound design topics at Denver University. He currently is the Audio Director at the Denver based videogame studio Dire Wolf. Over the years, he has worked with labels such as Home Normal, 12k's term, Facture, LAAPS and more. Over the years he has performed at Mutek, Decibel, Communikey and other festivals,
sharing the bill with likeminded artists Pole, Matmos, William Basinski, and more.
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Initiated by IIKKI, between March 2023 and January 2024,
Here, In Absence is their dialog.
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E D I T I O N
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Book: limited edition to 500 copies, (special edition to 25 copies) hand numbered & hand stamped. first edition and only edition (no re-print). hardcover book (18 cm x 24 cm), 80 pages, 51 photos printed on Munken Lynx 150g/m2, logo and slot embossed, visible seam and cutting covers pages.
weight: 0,42 Kg
ISBN: 978-2-9586157-2-7
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Book: Special edition of 25 copies numbered (01-25) including an original handmade silver gelatin photograph by Mikael Siirilä on fibre-based paper. The print is stamped, signed and numbered on the back by the artist.
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Vinyl: limited edition to 300 copies, first pressing and only pressing (no re-press), hand numbered, selective UV varnish. Cutting lacquer, 12'' black vinyl, matt outer sleeve + printed on 300gm paper, white inner sleeve. mastered by Ian Hawgood.
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Cd: handmade limited edition to 200 copies, glass mastered, pantone. digisleeve: white cardboard 300 gm. outside : adhesive glossy paper. hand numbered.
mastered by Ian Hawgood.
available: HERE
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