Maija Suominen

I am a student from Helsinki reaching towards working as a multidisciplinary artist and researcher. My background is in theater as well as in philosophy – before starting the LAPS program I did my bachelor’s degree in aesthetics. And, before all this, I thought for the longest time that I was meant to be a classical pianist.
In my work I combine sound, landscape dramaturgy, non-human performance and collective work. I don’t really want to identify “a” practice for myself, but my main points of interest right now are for example: the background or the scenery, both figuratively and literally; indiscipline or “doing against” (for example the traditions of classical music performing); stuffed animals as liminal objects; objects as performers; chess; confusing movement with being alive and the weather. I wish to connect my artistic practice with theoretical research, in which I have been focusing mostly on phenomenological philosophy, especially Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s theories.
My main mediums are text, sound, installation and, to some extent, my body. Working with theater, I got used to being a dramaturg or another type of facilitator who could work behind the scenes. As a performer, I’m still trying to figure out my relationship to my body (on stage).