BALANCE - Inni Pärnänen

2. – 31.12.2020

To be balanced, to balance in between, to balance.

When two elements that put change into motion, work in opposing directions and undo each other, a space is formed that can be referred to as balance. Balance is present as a concept in both the natural sciences and in mathematics. Reaching for balance or harmony is also considered one of the bases for a good life. These qualities, or their lack, are also guiding principles of art as well as design. Central to Inni Pärnänen working process as an artist and jewellery maker is the idea of a whole, being formed as the result of the repetition of a single element. Working with proportions and trying to achieve a balance in the quantity of the repeated element is fundamental to her work. Her process begins with an interest in a material or a technique. It is characteristic for her to create three-dimensional constructions through the use of simple geometric principles. She has explored repeatedly stacking and attaching elements, as well as worked with the flexibility of materials, She has also experimented with the functionality and durability of honeycomb and saddle-shaped forms. She was guided in her work by perceptions of correspondence in human built structures and natural forms and the thinking processes which these perceptions set in motion. She follow principles of environmental protection and sustainable development in the use of technology as choices of materials. She believes the perception of the environment as a comfortable place plays an important role in environmental protection and this is one of my principles. All the works in the exhibition- from the jewelry to the largest installation work- follow the same construction logic. Each one is formed through the interconnection of the individual five cornered parts which create a whole. The works are made using Grada birch plywood by laser cutting and by pressing the form. Grada birch plywood is a heat sensitive Finnish material innovation which is ecological throughout its lifecycle. One of the special features of the plywood is its capacity to sustain extreme bending and broad fluctuations in humidity.