Name: Emmi
Jormalainen
Age: 30
I live in: Helsinki
I work in: Panama Studio in Kallio
When I grow up I will be: A Cat Lady
Things I like: bunnies, summer cottages, books
Things, which I do not like: hot weather, beer, evil
The exhibition soundtrack is: Aksu, Eleanoora Rosenholm, Timo Räisänen
Describe Reetta's comic book in three words:
Reetta's album is powerful, beautiful and emotional.
Continue the sentence: I draw comics, because ...
... It fascinates me how images and words co-create a story
in the reader's mind.
Why is it worthwhile to present a comic book at the gallery?
Since cartoon characters also want to get outside from the book.
How much does the story in this comic book draw from your own experiences?
How were you able to empathize with a child's world?
As a child I moved to a new place, and before I got good friends, I began to write letters. My foreign pen friends always sent cool stickers and photos that were not yet available in Finland. I learned to draw so I could send them images in return.
I think it is easier to look back in life than to write about the present moment.
What are your sources of inspiration? The comic books are rarely a source of inspiration when making comic books.
Rather the inspiration comes from, literature, life and the surrounding visual
culture.
What binds Veera-Anneli and Lempi stories?
Longing for love and acceptance.
And what unites Reetta and Emmi?
We had been school friends for almost 10 years and drawing,
drawing and drawing.
Name: Reetta Niemensivu
Age: 30
I live in: Lahti
I work: Evenings
When I grow up I will be: Veterinarian (Reetta 6 years old)
Things I like: Un-hurried mornings, objects arranged according to color, stories
Things I don't like: Being in a rush, loud noise, wasps.
The exhibition soundtrack is: Lonely accordion sounds from the dance pavillion and self recorded worn out c-cassettes.
Describe Emmi's comic book in three words:
Fluffy, sweet and sad.
Continue the sentence: I draw comics, because ...
... Pictures and words can be combined to tell stories that can not be shared in any other way.
Why is it worthwhile to present a comic book at the gallery?
At the gallery our comic book will get a new kind of reader / viewer. In a bookshop the book could get lost among all the other books.
How does the story get played out, it seems that the events described and the people are real?
With storytelling I have set some limits: the reality-based beginning and end. In between I can improvise. The background material helps to provide inspiration and helps so that there is no need to invent everything from scratch.
What are your sources of inspiration?
My inspiration comes from the process of working with seen, heard and found treasures.
What's binds Veera-Anneli and Lempi stories?
Both are made with love.
And what unites Reetta and Emmi?
We both have birthdays in September. Maybe all the connecting factors, and similar items of interest can be explained!
Interview: Verna Kuutti
Translation: Edna Nelson
