Elena Näsänen


About my moving image works

I make work about women who go beyond physical or psychological boundaries in some way. The landscape is also often a strong presence in my films, which could be described as feminist road movies. Although the work often refers to traditional cinema, the method of developing the story is closer to that of experimental cinema.

As well as working on 16mm film with a crew and actors, I also do much smaller video productions on which I usually work only with a sound designer. These videos explore meditative landscapes or urban environments and are related to the traditions of painting and photography.

The film and video work both focus on either a sequence, or, as often as not, on a single moment. These might be an empty landscape with slowly rising fog or a woman driving a car along an icy road. What has happened before, or what happens after these moments, is framed out.

The film scripts are usually written to include numerous ways in which the story can be interpreted. There are always contradictory elements and small, deliberate mistakes which are meant to motivate viewers both to create their own version of the story, and also to focus their awareness on their role in the experience.
The narrative element arises from the combination of image and constructed sound without recourse to dialogue. As a result, sound is an extremely important element in the work, sometimes taking a leading role. For example, in one piece the sounds of violent activity can be heard but all that is seen is an empty apartment. The camera follows the characters movement but never catches sight of them because they inhabit a world just outside the frame.

The presentation of the work varies from site-specific video installation, to single- and multi-channel video projection, to work intended to be seen on a monitor. The films have been shown at screenings and as part of short-film festivals but are primarily created for a gallery context where people are able to choose the way in which they experience the work: they may move about the space freely, may start watching the film from any point, and can view it several times.