The Helsinki based artist Marjo Hyvärinen is working in the RaumArs Art Residency during July 2020. The Finnish Visual Arts day (Suomen kuvataiteen päivä) on the 10th of July will be celebrated by a Group Exhibition by the Sewing Council including 7 other artists. The exhibition will be held for the whole weekend and includes an Art workshop for children on both Saturday and Sunday.

A group of mothers that were brought together by their artistic orientation and children of the same age got to know each other at day-care centre. They decided to get together one evening in December 2009. The evening resulted in an idea of a Sewing Circle that could function as a platform for various activities.

The Councils, or joint gatherings, take place in turns in one of the member’s homes. The custom is that everyone brings something to eat for a combined brunch/meal as well as a handicraft to work with. As time went by, “Sewing Circle” was changed to the “Sewing Council” as it became clear that all the strong and distinctive ladies had seemingly good advice on a number of issues such as handicrafts, bringing up the kids, relationships, house renovations or other big issues in life. The friendship and feeling of a heartfelt connection between the Councillors has kept the Council alive through out various changes of life for 11 years.

At times women have gathered around the table of the Council for only a moment, whereas others have stayed on from the beginning. The accumulation of human encounters have stayed within the spirit of the Council. The women who have found their way to this community are all a part of a bigger web of rendezvous. One could sit down at the table with someone who becomes a friend for a lifetime. The energy of the Sewing Council has a magnetic field that attracts likeminded people from the roots of encounters.

We decided to work on the exhibition with a common theme, without defining the approach as definite. The heart as a symbol had been used in many of the Councils members’ artworks previously, which we found as a funny coincidence. The common intention of the Sewing Council could easily be described as heartfelt, which therefore inspired us to choose the title “The Roots of the Hearts” (“Sydänjuuret”) for the exhibition.

Hyvärinen explains: "Visitations in Old Rauma have made a profound impact on me. I have always been fascinated by history and layers of time. The streets and homes of Old Rauma are full of emotion. You can still hear the faint sound of horse´s hooves on cobblestone , if you listen very carefully. Through creaks on the walls of the houses one can hear laughter of children, past faces flash on the windows. Continuation of life, generations of people. Human life is long but also so very short. Time is relative. Life is like a piece of lace, all of them are unique.

The flowing roots of humans, the mycelium of hearts and encounters become entwined. Some of the relationships are there to stay, some create new, some save, heal and some just disappear as suddenly as they were formed. Behind every face is someone´s "myself", a commander of the control center of one´s life.

All that I sensed in the Old Rauma, I have brought to my art. I have kept my technique simple, using organic and decomposing materials. Main components used are coffee, red wine and charcoal."