essay — 17.05.2026
The Breath of the Uncanny: Jenna Sutela and the Kinetic Winds of Finland
To mark the 70th anniversary of the Pavilion of Finland at the 61st Venice Biennale, the atmosphere has been given a body. "Aeolian Suite," a multisensory installation by Jenna Sutela, curated by Stefanie Hessler, transforms the iconic Alvar Aalto-designed structure into a living windscape. At the heart of this record are five sonic-kinetic sculptures—not merely objects, but personified atmospheric forces that breathe, move, and sing through the historic Giardini.
The Theatre of the Elemental
The installation is arranged as a medieval wind rose, a circular formation where five Venetian winds are brought to life. Sutela draws from the commedia dell’arte tradition to give these invisible forces a theatrical identity. From Tramontana the Trickster to the melancholic Scirocco, the pavilion becomes a stage for an elemental drama. These are not static monuments; they are kinetic protagonists that respond to the volatile energy of the environment, reflecting a world where climate is increasingly unpredictable.
The scenography respects the makeshift, mobile spirit of the original 1956 pavilion. A curtain backdrop, stained by the memory of acqua alta (high tide), billows as the Venetian wind enters through open doors. This is "Raw Sophistication" in its most atmospheric form, where the historic weight of the Aalto architecture meets the ephemeral, unpredictable nature of the wind.
Material Intelligence: The Science of Noise
At the heart of Sutela’s work is a deep engagement with Material Intelligence. By focusing on sounds typically dismissed as "noise" and using materials that reference professional audio equipment, she sensitizes us to the environmental cost of our technological systems. The work is a critique of algorithmic forecasting, an attempt to measure and predict a nature that remains ultimately unknowable.
"To listen to the wind and let it take over... is a way of staying porous to the world." — Jenna Sutela
Numbered Narrative: The Anatomy of a Windscape
01 — The Personified ApertureThe journey begins with the encounter of the "peruklu" (wigged) sculptures. These soft, fuzzy coverings are a subversion of the "dead cat" wind muffs used on professional microphones. While a wind muff is designed to silence the wind, Sutela’s wigs become vessels for it, channeling the whispers of the atmosphere into a sculptural song. It is a masterclass in Material Intelligence, turning a technical utility into a tactile, uncanny skin.
02 — The Kinetic PulseAs the 16-minute musical score unfolds, the five sculptures begin their kinetic dance. The movement is not algorithmic perfection but a reflection of randomness. The sculptures pulse and sway, their wigs moving with a rhythm that feels both mechanical and biological. This is the Kinetik Organik Gerilim (Kinetic Organic Tension), a record of movement that resists full human control.
03 — The Grammelot of NatureThe soundscape is a complex composition of wind machines, recorders, and a children’s woodwind orchestra. Inspired by grammelot, the art of speaking without words, the installation communicates through rhythm, tone, and gesture. It is a language beyond the verbal, a way of staying porous to a world that exceeds human scale.
04 — The Archival MutationMarking 70 years of the Pavilion of Finland, "Aeolian Suite" is not a retrospective, but a forward-facing mutation. It acknowledges the Aalto legacy while pushing it into the realm of post-human aesthetics. The "professionalism" of the execution meets the "strangeness" of the form, creating a record that is as intellectually rigorous as it is visually arresting.
A Record of 70 Years of Breath
WANC Journal views "Aeolian Suite" as a critical record of our relationship with the atmosphere. It demonstrates that the future of art lies in the ability to personify the invisible and to find beauty in the unpredictable. As the winds of Venice blow through the Aalto Pavilion, Jenna Sutela reminds us that we are part of a larger, volatile suite, one that we shape even as it shapes us. For the WANC reader, this is a study in "Raw Sophistication" and the power of the "uncanny." It is an invitation to listen to the roar of the wind and find the song within the noise.
Photos: Ugo Carmeni
Courtesy of Frame Contemporary Art Finland
Sonraki Yazı
The Alchemy of Reflection: Puiforcat x Gabriel Hendifar and the Cinematic Gaze
Okumaya Devam Et
essay