Den finske contemporary dance performer Taneli Törmä er artist in residence på Teater Momentum og i disse dage aktuel med sin forestilling Zoom. Vi fik et kort interview med ham.

Your performance is titled “Zoom”, tell us what that’s all about?

Beginning concept: Zoom is a project that researches ways to stop time and see life with new eyes. The research aims to see small details, the things we in life forget or do not recognize. The project’s task is to deal with space, time, light, and the act of zooming in and out on aspects of our lives, surroundings, and other phenomena.

Solo:This solo researches zooming in and out of our own mind. Finding our true self. Take a photograph for example. You try to stop time and you try to catch the moment, but normally when someone takes a photo everybody starts to smile. Why? Why can we not be normal and show how we feel in that moment. It’s a habit. If you take photo this way, is it really stopping time and catching the real moment?

We can see that the performance has been quite a bit under it’s way. A video you posted shows you working with it in France. How long has it taken, to develop “Zoom”?

I start to research my concept in October 2011. I was playing around with different ways of how I can “stop time and see life new ways”? I was working first month alone in Odense. In November 2011, I had 1 week residency in LIEUES/Lyon/France to work on my concept with my friend Eleni Pierides. In January 2012 I started to build this solo for my self in Odense. I present “little taste of ZOOM” 15 min in 27.01.2012 Random Collision/ Groningen/ Holland and 01.02.2012 Dansens Hallerne/ Copenhagen/ Denmark. And get from audience a lot of good feedback how to continue my process to make this a full piece.
So I could say that I have worked on the concept now around 4-5 months and my solo ZOOM for 8 weeks. And I will use the same concept in my future works here in Odense, but I think every show or video project will use different ways to stop time and see life in new ways.

Tell us a bit about your artistic process. Let’s say you start from scratch developing “Zoom”. Which things do you go through to get to the final thing we see at Momentum?

First thought is always for me to start the process on empty paper. Not thinking what will be result, more like how different ways I can approach the concept. Focus for space, time, movement, light, image, feeling or anything that is for me stopping time or zoom in or out.
Next step is to choose what kind of colour I want to give for the piece. To see what kinds of material I have done and find where i think it could be interesting to focus. Example, do I want to focus on a more abstract/ story or emotional way to present my piece.

You’re also defining yourself as a video artist, but to us the videos (we’ve seen almost all of them) just seems like documentations of your dance. Can you explain what makes you label yourself as a video artist too?

I do different kinds of videos. In my Vimeo or Youtube site, you see 3 different kinds of works. One is a dance pieces. The second is a dance pieces for a company where I have danced. And the third is my “Art video” works. From my art video works some is more dance and some more conceptual. I am interested to show people different locations that people have maybe not seen. Like “my walls” work is video where I filmed my hand slide in different kinds of walls in Belgium. For me, it’s really interesting because it’s a simple action, but telling so much. If you give yourself time to relax and see it, you recognize small details that people have written on the walls or how different every wall can be. It can be dirty but somehow so beautiful! This type of video is what I refer to as my “Art Video” works. For me it could be also dance video because what is dance? That is why I say I am video artist also, because I am not only interested to film normal “dance” videos, but also for our surroundings how people move in the street or birds make different kinds of formations. How can I film this and make it like it’s choreography.

You are making new art videos here in Odense, tell us about them, and when they will be online.

Yes I will film dance video or art in Odense this spring. Using my concept “stop time and see life new ways” I will film in street and different locations – what I find and think is interesting to share for Odense public. I am not sure what the result will be, because i want to start with “empty paper” hehee, but i will approach my task through different ways and see later on in the spring where I want to focus.
I present my video work in end of May (dates will show up on Teater Momentum web site later on.) And of course i will put it in my Vimeo or Youtube site.

Mere på Vimeo

How does this “Denmarks largest village” inspire you as an artist? (Or, does it drain you?)

It gives a young artist like me the opportunity, to present my work and do what I love! I am really happy for that! I think Odense is good size city to live and make art! Peoples are here really friendly and open for new artist. And I think here is a lot of possibility for future.

In the press material for “Zoom” it is said you will do a site-specific performance with other artists later this year, in Odense. Enlighten us a bit on that please?

Yes I will do my new work with a local musician for Dansensdag 2012 (28.04.2012) where I will perform in 3 different “secret locations”. I will give the audience meeting points and we will bring them to a location where they maybe have not seen a performance. I present my performance 3 times that day, afternoon-day-evening. And it will be free for audience.
Second new creation I present in end of may. (dates will show up Teater Momentum web-site) I present piece also with site-specific location but with more dancers. It will be my final work for my DIVA- Danish International Visiting Artist- Program in Teater Momentum.
So put it in your calender and hope so see you then!