Sanna Saastamoinen-Barrois is a multidisciplinary visual artist AND DESIGNER who speaks for soil health.
Last autumn, Sanna Saastamoinen-Barrois held an exhibition at Lapinlahden Lähde. Painting installation Sacred Carpets consisted of pieces, which the artist had worked on during two decades. Recycled and left-over materials, vegetable dye, dumpster dive finds from the streets of Paris or Tokyo, sheet and tablecloths that over the years had been moved and rolled out again many times, finally forming mixed media artworks with many layers.
“In my work time is allowed to show and tell its own story.”
Saastamoinen-Barrois grew up in Iisalmi surrounded by nature and a strong sense of community. When life took her to big cities such as New York, Tokyo and Paris, which became her home for almost two decades, she still found herself gravitating towards the river bank or a park to find comfort and clarity in life’s ups and downs. When Saastamoinen-Barrois was expecting her first daughter she found a renewed connection with nature and the cycles of life. Raising small kids in Paris made her realize that she wanted nature to be more than just a tourist destination for her children. Nature became a carrying theme in her paintings and during this time she wrote a short story of a woman who was longing for nature and loved the rain falling over Paris, because for a moment nature took over.
“In big cities nature experiences are controlled. Parks are fenced off and access to nature is often subject to opening hours and entrance fees.”
This desire for a deeper, everyday connection with nature and her roots led the family to relocate to Finland in 2011. Saastamoinen-Barrois has since lived and worked in both urban and rural Finland while keeping a strong personal and professional connection with Paris, the city which in her own words feels like an old boyfriend.
Saastamoinen-Barrois’ work has always been driven by a respect for resources and the planet: From using recycled materials, vegetable dye and embracing circular economy in her art whenever possible her curiosity, thirst for information and understanding has led her to participate in a variety of artistic projects. She has done commercial collaborations from fashion photography to clothes design, but running her own clothes line confirmed that she wants to create, not to run a business. She wants to believe the production process itself can be a work of art where everybody wins: The people and the soil. When she did a commercial collaboration with French fashion house Agnès B., she wanted to minimize the environmental impact of the collection at every step of the process. the ”Sanna for Agnes B” collection with her drawings was acquired by Palais Galleiera, Museum of the fashion in Paris
“We used linen woven and treated in France and the collection was made locally, respecting the Agnès B. commitment of preserving French crafts. The fashion industry is the second largest industrial polluter and I am fascinated with the potential of ecological fibers such as nettle, which need less resources to grow and enrich the soil rather than deplete it”
As a photographer Saastamoinen-Barrois wants to document life around her: The passing of time and capturing the light in the raw, authentic moments along the way. Mother- and sisterhood, women immersed in a river landscape, portraits of people in their everyday environment and nature are some of the recurring themes in her photographs. Her photography book River Flows was published and edited by OFR Paris . She is currently working on a short film that carries the same name ‘River Flows’.
Saastamoinen-Barrois’ work Swidden Rotation (Kasken Kierto) consists of seventeen photographs printed on sailcloth documents burn-clearing. Curated by Marjatta Levo, the exhibition has traveled to various outdoor locations in Finland, always finding a unique dialogue with the light and the surrounding landscape.
“It started in Iisalmi with an EU project that aimed to document the effect of traditional burn-cleaning on the soil. I was invited to document this project as a photographer and the experience was transformative. Watching the workers in the forest through darkness of the night till daybreak surrounded by smoke and getting an understanding of the tradition, the knowledge of using burn-cleaning to listen to the soil and to produce more nutritious crops.”
During the pandemic Saastamoinen-Barrois has participated in Soil Advocate training by US-based non-profit organization Kiss the Ground, which aims to educate people about soil regeneration.
“My father has always spoken to me about water and soil health, about how lakes were becoming polluted because of fertilizers and worms were disappearing from the soil. He works at Biopallo Technology, a pioneering company which has developed a technology to convert industrial side streams into soil improving matter and raw material for organic circular fertilizers. The respect for nature and its resources has always been an important value in our family.”
Saastamoinen-Barrois believes that change is still possible and that soil is the key. While each of us can contribute to soil regeneration by choosing organic produce whenever possible, finding information and asking questions, there are also valuable initiatives such as seed banks and new technology.
“While our consumer choices matter, we also need legislation, transparency and a change in how we produce food and other products.”
Recently Saastamoinen-Barrois has felt a new sense of community around her. She continues her artistic work with writing, painting and photographing in harmony with meditation, dance and family life. In addition to culture, Lapinlahden Lähde is also a center for well-being with joint activities from public sauna to book clubs for both residents and visitors.
“It is also important to meet people from outside of your own bubble, people who challenge and broaden our views. We need a connection with nature and with other people, accessible places where people can meet and discuss. More park benches, more communal activities, more accessible nature experiences for everyone..”
This year Saastamoinen-Barrois is the visual artist of the Iitti Music Festival, bringing an audio-visual installation ‘I look at green’ to the festival. She has also been invited to the Territoires d’Expérimentations du Design soutenable- exhibition in Geneva in April-May 2022 with her installation You Are Nature.
Through her art she wants to continue telling stories that would inspire comfort and appreciation for life’s beauty – for what is really important and worth striving for with this limited time we have.
Saastamoinen-Barrois’ new website will open soon.
