CHANGING SONGS
Performance, Duration ca. 10 min
Utopia, Onoma Exhibition, The Copper Smithy, Fiskars 2025
Composer: Rauno Lehtinen
Lyrics: Tuula Valkama
Publisher: Warner Chappell Music Finland Ltd.
The starting point of the performance is “Changing Songs”, which was recorded by the Estonian Georg Ots in 1969. The song has touched me in many different ways for decades. In the current tense world situation, I interpret the song from the perspective of polarization. Is there a utopian hope in “Now create the chords for tomorrow’s song, understand each other”?
I read Anne Frank's diary as a child, but I couldn't understand the scale of the mass destruction then. Now I'm following the news about the shockingly systematic genocide in Gaza. As if nothing has been learned from history.
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, aimed at achieving superpower status, is also killing children and other civilians, destroying homes, infrastructure and nature. Because of the wars, emissions have started to rise dramatically. The elements of an environmental disaster are increasingly clearly visible, and are affecting especially the world's poorest.
The ideology of continuous economic growth is in force. Billions are invested in the military industry while the profits are collected by a few. In Finland, the government has targeted cuts to low-income groups. A recent study found that the growth of polarization is reflected especially in the life cycle of children from poor families.
Today's actions lay the foundation for what will happen tomorrow. Can you count on a better future? How can you mitigate the confrontation?
Photo © Seppo Siltala
