The project Ferie was a research in finnfemfel’s ability to mix business and pleasure, by going on a holiday as en exhibition. The exhibition was a caravan car journey from Nykarleby, Finland, to Trondheim and back. To make the holiday realistic Albert’s children Sara and Arne joined us and took a very active part in the project.

“In the project in the gallery trans-art the group finnfemfel keeps what it promises: a Ferie (holiday). It’s a holiday for the group. We will drive a caravan car from Nykarleby in Finland, through the lovely Sweden to Trondheim. During our journey we will stop as often as possible to do some fishing and sunbathe. We will report to trans-art by fax about everything we do and argue about. When we finally arrive we will show slides and invite you to a barbecue party.”
Presentation of the project on the invitation card to the opening of the exhibition.

We had the means to internet connection, video-editing, digital photography and printing black and white in the caravan car, but do to slow internet connection in the Swedish and Norwegian Lappland we chose faxing instead of e-mailing. (There where no smart phones in 2002).

The project was divided in to three different parts.

The opening of the exhibition when we sent the first fax from Nykarleby and our journey to Trondheim begun. We drove via Haparanda and Arjeplog in Sweden and stayed in a fjord near Bodøn, Norway, for a couple of days. All the time we documented, by drawing, photographing and filming what we have experienced and what had happened. Already in 2002 it was, due to internet, hard to find a fax-machine, and when we happened to find one they tended to be very slow. For that reason we could not send everything we produced.

We arrived to trans-art and and there was a second opening. During the opening we made a performance with objects we used during our journey. We also showed typical holiday videos we made during the journey. The whole weekend we stayed in Trondheim we were in charge of the art-gallery. Each day we had a public barbecue outside the gallery. Since we were on holiday and the soccer world cup was going on, we sometimes closed the gallery and went to the pub to watch the games.

We started our trip back to Nykarleby via Åre, Östersund and Umeå in Sweden. It was our intention to take the ferry from Umeå to Vaasa in Finland, but due to the Midsummer eve 21st of June (the biggest summer holiday in the Nordic countries), the ferry was full. The only solution was to make an 800 km detour, around the Gulf of Bothnia. It was a very silent group of artists and children driving through the bright Nordic summer night and arriving at Nykarleby at 5 o’clock on the morning of the 21st of June 2002. All the way we were documenting and sending faxes back to trans-art. Albert sent the last fax at noon the same day we arrived at Nykarleby.