Anna Shkodenko and Tomi Humalisto: Madonluvut

Madonluvut (2019) is an interactive sculpture made of stainless steel and light. The work originates from Finnish epos Kalevala, and the encounter between the hero Lemminkäinen and a monstrous serpent. The hero defeats the snake by speaking the master-words of knowledge, which spell out the ugly evil origin of the snake. The spell or “words of knowledge” were first handwritten by people of different age and origin and then cut-through the surface of the stainless steel serpent. The sculpture guards the entrance site of the house by shifting the intensity of light and thus words, in accordance with the movements of people passing by.