Over the Water. Glimpses into a Timescape

Matti Itkonen
University of Jyväskylä

Abstract

Above the waters wanders the spirit of the times, blowing the whirling bustle of modern life into being and drifting across the water’s surface, a wavelet of modernity. The mirror of the lake ripples. The sky is reflected in the water, and the water reflects the sky. At the point where sky and water touch lies the looking-glass of the planes of time. In it are days past, present and yet to come, layered into a cultural fabric, an entwined garland of moments. A photograph ⎼ a light picture ⎼ is a window into a timescape. A word picture is an attempt to interpret the view of existence that opens up from that window. An attempt that needs a pictorial language, as well as a language picture. A metaphor is also an essential verbal tool. The investigative gaze should reach into the core of being. It is not enough just to see the outer shell. Intuition and poetry go hand in hand. They paint a flawless picture of the object being observed, which is a prerequisite for interpreting and understanding. It also means a glimpse from home, a look out from the home. Attachment to hearth and home clarifies the homeward glimpse, how we look into that home. The tourist's eye is incapable of that, not going beyond the surface. The home-glimpsed Varkaus is a multifaceted place. Glimpsed by a visitor, Varkaus is a mere backdrop, a one-dimensional existential prop. Across the waters, you can hear the humming throb of the factory. It means the hubbub of modern times. It is that buzz of existence that this expedition is seeking ⎼ and in the process of finding. English translation by Glyn Hughes

Presentation