The curator of the exhibition Alex van Oss, together with the co-curator Cultural Counselor Anneli Halonen, introduce the Silence Exhibition. At the Embassy of Finland pieces by sound artists Simo and Tuike Alitalo, sculptor Kain Tapper, artists David Carlson and Betsy Stewart, Alex van Oss, designer Esa Vesmanen, artist and designer Nuno Geraldes Freire, performer Seth Horvitz, producer Jocelyn Frank, journalist Harri Huhtamaki, composers Kaija Saariaho and Claire Renard. The SILENCE Exhibition It is not so easy to find silence. Walk down any urban street, enter a store, or sit over a coffee, and there it is: the electronic throb of songs about desire, lack, despair, yearning; plus advertisements and "more news of fresh disasters." In a way the stimulation seems normal, comforting, a signal of life going on. But imagine what happens if the electricity fails, the music stops, and all digital devices go dark. Then silence--"our old friend"--reveals itself, with a bang, as it were. Silence, though often avoided, truly is our friend. Some cultures seem to know this and embrace silence, or weave it into aspects of ordinary life. Such are the Finns, who have a reputation for introspection, and "less-is-more" architecture and design (epitomized, for example, by the new, sleek 'Chapel of Silence' in downtown Helsinki, where people can drop in from the busy street and relax).  Of course Finns do like to dance (ballet, disco, tango), and are known to make noise sometimes--witness the popularity of the Mieskuoro Huutajat - the Male Shouting Choir of Oulu, a city in the northwest part of the country - and, like other people, Finns enjoy gadgets and all kinds of new technology. And yet, and yet, Finland can sometimes seem like a far-off northern land that waits in silence, patiently biding its time. On my first visit there, in 1987, as my plane descended on its approach to Helsinki, the music cut off. Suddenly, miles of pine and birch forests emerged from the mist. My spine tingled. "He's coming!" the trees seemed to say. This wordless, primordial welcome occurs whenever I return, and I have been back to Finland many times. Paradoxically, deep, fundamental silence does not necessarily depend upon quiet, and it may be accessed in many different circumstances (though, of course, there are no guarantees). Silence is central to creativity and to many spiritual paths. In the 7th century, St. Isaac the Syrian wrote: "Silence is the mystery of the future."  Well, here we are. Consider the possibility that a silent thread binds together the objects and presentations in this exhibition, a thread that touches every visitor to the Embassy, as well. Alex van Oss

• published: 30 Aug 2013
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