On the Third Day

On the Third Day, 2024 is an installation that combines a large-scale video projection of moving flower petals with a small, intimate animation depicting a cockroach waking up in a cave. It does not know how it ended up there and it has three days to figure it out if it wishes to remain alive. Both parts of the work are around 10 minutes.
The narrative of the new piece is co-written by Juhani Karila and myself, with animation by Teemu Hotti and voice acting by Laura Birn. Charles Quevillon has created the sound design. The work was commissioned by MU Hybrid Art House in 2024. The exhibition at Gallery Heino also includes a diptych Roaches of Heliogabalus and a computer game Roach in which one can try to survive as a cockroach.

The research of the artwork was graciously helped by Ryan Arvidson, associate professor in biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University. At MU Hybrid Art House the artwork was accompanied by an interview with researcher Floortje Bouwkamp titled: Our Brain Predicts – and Hallucinates – what we see.