BATTERED
In a park, 22.35
85 x 85 cm
2007
Hit with a bottle, 02.35
60 x 60 cm
2007
Second beating that night, 03.15
60 x 60 cm
2007
Tried to help his colleague, 20.15
85 x 85 cm
2007
Outside a bar, 23.10
60 x 60 cm
2007
A Finnish-Swede hit by a Finn, 01.20
60 x 60 cm
2007
In the main square, 01.15, # 2
60 x 60 cm
2007
Second beating that night, 03.15
60 x 60 cm
2007
A Finn hit by a Finnish-Swede, 01.15
85 x 85 cm
2007
After an Estonian-Russian street fight, 02.35
60 x 60 cm
2007
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BATTERED
Within my Battered series, I have focused my camera on the people who are victims of interpersonal direct violence that takes place in public spaces. In these photographs, I have been mainly concentrating on the physical marks that an assault leaves to the body. I have also photographed fights as they appear and the places where fights have taken place.
Batteries and street fights are everynight activities during the weekends in Finland. People have a strong tendency of getting rather intoxicated during the partying and once drunk, people are released from their inhibitions. Aggression turns into physical acts, to direct violence.
There is a social awareness on this topic in Finland, the issue is recognized and it is considered a severe social problem. But the discussion has mainly literal dimensions, it appears in news headlines and it is discussed in seminars. There are no images from these happenings. By photographing assaults and batteries, I wish to show the real faces of street violence in Finland. In contrast to the stereotypic portrayals of male heroicism and the worn-out attempts at shocking people I am interested in addressing the utmost banality inherent in violence. What I find more unsettling than any single representation of physical injuries is the everyday nature of street violence and the laissez-faire attitude towards it in the Finnish society.
I worked with the topic for two years, spending many of my weekend nights in the center of the town called Turku (in South West Finland) looking for fights and battered people. Also I have worked in cooperation with the Turku Police Department, travelling with them in their cars.
Battered is based on traditional social documentary practice, and visually images are related to crime scene photography and police pictures. Historical references (Jacob Riis, WeeGee, Enrique Metinides among others) have played on important part in the creation of this project.
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Altogether Battered consists of 33 pictures. As finished exhibition pictures they are handprinted chromogenic colour prints mounted on Dibond and laminated and framed.
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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.