Karhu karaoke

<p>Karhu Karaoke emerged out of research into and as a sideways response to Finnish culture, specifially the role of the bear historically and contemporarily in Finland, the role of karaoke as a key facet of culture in Finland (the world championships originated there in 2003) and the prevelance and problems of alcohol in the country. The work was made during a residency at The Cable Factory in Helsinki in 2008. The research focused on how the ancient god of Finland, the Karhu (or bear in English) still looks over modern life through distinctive logos of companies and tourist trinkets. In Andrew Bracey's animations the Karhu image of a local beer company comes alive through another Finnish Passion, karaoke. In each of the 8 vignettes a different graphic bear sings and with each change of setting and song a range of emotions transfer to the viewer; an initial humour gives way to melancholy. The everyday and inanimate is brought up short and turned on its head. The work was presented as a large scale projection and on a television monitor during a group exhibition, Swap/Vaihto at The Cable Factory in Finland (9-18/08/2008) with a mixture of 12 British and 12 Finnish artists. I was invited by freelance curator Ima Pico to particapate in this and subsequently worked with curators Sophia Crilly & Mark Kennard of UK based Bureau Gallery and The Finnish curatorial art collective Namastic on the project. I was appraoched as part of a group of Uk artists that were selected by Pico who were deemed suitable as working with the Finnish artists. Pico has previoulsy organised exchanges between artists in Belfast adn Berlin, Tokyo and Barcelona. The residency exchange was funded by the Arts Council of England, Arts Council of Finland, British Council, HIAP, The Finnish Embassy, The Finnish Institute and Salford City Council. The artists also worked together on an earlier reciprocal residency at Islington Mill, Salford. The work was selected by curator Jane Anderson of Cube Gallery, Manchester for inclusion in The Gospel According To... at Holden Gallery, Manchester 16.03.12 - 04.05.12, which explored artists responding to the legacy of the Smiths, a song of whose features on Karhu Karaoke. I was interviewed about the work by Colin Paterson for Radio 4's Today programme (broadcast on 16th march 2012 and repeated on BBC World Service).</p>