PERFORMANCE PROPOSALS ON CULTURAL HERITAGE (2021)
Concept, dramaturgy and performance: Suvi Tuominen
Co-performers: emeritus professor of archaeology Milton Nunes, dancer & performer Dash Che, media artist Sini Henttu, sound artist Oula Rytkönen, curator Riikka Thitz
The performance lasted between 90 and 120 minutes and unfolded in three parts, guiding the audience through different areas of the Finnish National Museum. The work began in the museum courtyard, where the audience gathered and was welcomed by the performers. The second part took place in the museum lobby, where Suvi Tuominen and Emeritus Professor of Archaeology Milton Nuñez engaged in a durational conversation addressing both the history of archaeology and Nuñez's personal experiences within the discipline. The third part occurred in the museum's prehistoric exhibition, located on the basement level.
The dramaturgy of the performance gradually led the audience towards an epistemological disruption of the museum environment. The conversation with Nuñez introduced one of the most significant recent transformations in archaeology: the emergence of ancient DNA research and its relationship to facial reconstruction technologies. Questions concerning computational history, scientific visualization, and data-driven interpretations of the past were intentionally left unresolved.
Following the discussion, the audience descended into the prehistoric exhibition and was invited to wander the space independently before the performers began to intervene in the exhibition environment. One intervention involved replacing videos displayed on the museum's media screens. Originally, these screens showed actors performing reconstructed scenes of Stone Age life. These videos were substituted with recordings of Tuominen performing TikTok dances. Another intervention involved extinguishing the exhibition lighting, leaving only the glow of the screens visible. As the archaeological artefacts receded into darkness, the TikTok videos became the most prominent visual presence within the gallery. Towards the conclusion of the performance, Tuominen appeared wearing a selfie mask or helmet, which initiated a final dance sequence.
Through these interventions, the work questioned how contemporary technologies shape understandings of the past and highlighted the tension between scientific reconstruction, digital self-representation, and embodied performance. The performance transformed the museum from a site of historical certainty into a space of speculation, prompting audiences to reconsider the ways archaeological knowledge is produced, mediated, and experienced.
Photos: Vincent Roumagnac, Matti Sten, Marko Marila