Juho Laitinen, who organizes the club Tulkinnanvaraista, asked me three questions about my background.

How have you come to make music?

I began to make art with Jaakko Nousiainen, as a vocal improvisation duo called kesken. We made voices, not music. Also my theatre studies background pushed me away from music. Shortly, we made vocal performances. Still, and mostly, I’m making performances, but they can look like concerts. Actually it is a quite recent thought that sometimes I make music. It may be connected to my understanding that the subject chooses the form. So if the subject demands, I may do theatre, performance art, sculpture, installation, booklet or – music.

Who or what have been your greatist artistic influences during these 25 years?

Jaakko of course. And all the other collaborators I’ve been working with. Especially Heikki Laitinen, Houkka Bros., Taito Hoffrén, Sándor Vály, Kaja Kann, Eva Neklyaeva. Plus John Cage. And my firstborn son.

What does ”voice/sound” mean to you?

Voice needs listening. It has an address. It goes through and touches. Voice makes a space. It makes you present.

Photo: Jussi Virkkumaa / New Performance Turku.