Lotta Halinen's SKY RIDER is a dance photography project that explores urban space and public art bodily through photography and movement of the City of Rauma. The project's images are a set of urban body sketches that outline the bodily possibilities hidden in the public urban environment. The images of the artwork have been made in artistic collaboration and dialogue with the photographer-artist Jenni Laaksonen.

The two-part picture series draws out the contrasts and duality of the urban landscape: its lights and shadows, colors and greyness, sky and cobblestones. Movement-wise, these extremes are alternately interpreted through the themes of explosive movement and complete stoppage. The images explore the various surfaces, materials and shapes of the city by physically adapting, repeating and utilizing them. The movement language of the pictures has been created by observing the effect of gravity, repetition and subtle changes on the moving body.

SKY RIDER - Urban Body Sketchings invites its viewers to look at the urban environment alternately from the perspective of the cobblestones and from the rooftops. In the photos we are moving along the cobblestone streets of Old Rauma and the urban artworks. The artwork process becomes part of the other public art in the area by being influenced by the works of local artists and being in a dynamic dialogue with them. In terms of the process, the park work Flight of Fancy and Red Stairs became particularly inspiring filming locations. Flight of Fancy was a collaboration artwork by American artists Glenn Messermith and Suzanne Morlock and Finnish lace artist Tarmo Thorström. Red Stairs is a sculpture by Esa Luukko.

The residency has been carried out in collaboration with the Regional Dance Centre of Western Finland and Cultural Services of the City of Rauma and RaumArs ry.
Thanks to Pekka Palmu / Silmäoptikot.