The creators of the exhibition, Finnish photographer Jussi Tiainen and architect and writer Huseyin Yanar have been collaborating for some time and have become friends. Their exhibition for the Museum of Finnish Architecture (MFA) "Two Paths to Silence" is two close-up views of the finest religious buildings in Finland today.
The collaboration between Tianen and Yanar began a few years ago when the photographer published Yanar's book on architecture, Portraits. In it, this Turkish architect, now based in Finland, wrote about several Finnish architects and artists and his attitude towards their work. Now the two authors have not only made an exhibition together, but are also planning to publish a book on the same topic. The book will have two more objects than the exhibition, as these two buildings are still under construction.
This exhibition is very good and at the same time differs from typical architectural exhibitions. There aren't a ton of images, video screens, impressive renders or layouts out there. Instead, there are Ianar's texts and Tianen's comparatively small photographs. However, their content and sample are more than impressive. MFA employee designer Hannu Hellman has created a beautiful display with Aalto stools for easy reading.
The story of the two authors' paths to silence is told through a set of 5 photographs taken by Tianen for each building and Ianar's text. For the exhibition, they have selected excellent examples of the iconic architecture of Finland from the beginning of the 3rd millennium.
Jussi Tianen has little regard for the modern method of rapid photography. He's a typical old-school guy - with a tripod, heavy camera and meticulous work planning. His photographs are examples of very clean and meticulously “shot” foundational architectural photography. He waits carefully for a particular Scandinavian light to illuminate a building or space at the right time, and often does without people in the pictures. All this requires a lot of effort and patience, which many young photographers lack. This approach allows the visitor of the exhibition to closely and leisurely examine the building in all its aspects: architecture, space, light, brick, metal, glass and wood. Images with depth, subtle detail and precise proportions grab the interested eye over and over again.
Yanar's lyrics are poetic and full of feeling. He writes in Turkish, but the exhibition features translations into English and Finnish. The author approached each building in a different way, and his journey there and his experiences are described in a very personal, even intimate way. It is very important for the reader and viewer to understand that the experience of the sacred and the sublime can be universal, independent of the biography and religion of the one who enters the chapel or church. Also, this experience has nothing to do with the age of the building: Yanar found this special silence and holiness in completely modern spaces.
Tianen admits that he is not religious at all. Yanar was born in Istanbul, where Hagia Sophia is located - one of the most wonderful and mysterious sacred spaces in the world, and where religion occupies an important place in the soundscape of the city. According to him, in Finland, church bells are present in it in a completely different way, but also play a key role.
The exhibition features various churches - both large and very small spaces. Among them are such gems as the Avanto Architects St. Lawrence Chapel in Vantaa, the Lassila Hirvilammi Architects Kuokkala Church in Jyväskylä and the St. Heinrich Sanaksenaho Architects Ecumenical Chapel in Turku. They prove by their very existence that Finnish parishes and communities are very daring in terms of architecture. Many of these buildings have become large but pleasant challenges for their architects, and most of them have emerged as a result of well-organized competitions.
“In my first meeting with Finland, it seemed to me the quietest place on Earth. I do not mean physical silence - I am talking about a feeling of serenity that rises from somewhere deep, deep inside, about an all-consuming calmness. I have never seen anything like this anywhere else. And these Finns are turning silence into art."
Husein Yanar
"I look through the eyes of a photographer, not a critic."
Jussi Tianen
