Härkälä – Ilkka Tolonen

Kehrer Verlag, Wieblinger Weg 21, 69123 Heidelberg, www.kehrerverlag.com

This is a different kind of “project book” (always nice looking hardcover book with plenty of space for the photographs, usually accompanied by a foreword/interview from the author or other – sometimes – academic person/s that explain why the project started and what it means, usually it never means alot, but always appears to mean much with a deeper sense.

Stripped down: photographer travels, takes pictures in a certain frame or a theme, makes a book and exhibitions, its art). Not only is it not your typical „project book“ simply because Tolonen did not travel around but also because in this case these pictures do indeed mean so much more. In this long-term-documentary the Härkälä (bullville or village of oxes) is documented. Some people in the early 1990s started to life a alternative lifestyle outside of Helsinki, Finland. Outcasts that wanted to go their own way, work on cars, drink and have fun. Unfortunally in this case time shows that alcohol won. The first eight photos from the early 1990s exhibit some young folks having a good time, drinking, smoking and driving their cars. About ten years later the people and their surrounding look like they have been drinking too much alcohol for ten years and it is about time to change something. At the last visit in the present you can see the faces signed from alcohol abuse, dull eyes, wrinkles, general unhealty looking humans living apathy lifes in run down enviroments. Not very fun and very sad this documentation of what alcohol can do to people if they let him. In the end there is a interview with a few of the folks which proofs that not only the outside had to suffer. Nonetheless you get to see some very strong photograpes that demonstrate what happend without accusing or even condemn the people. Pretty sad but true story. Hardcover (30×24 cm), 88 pages. 35.- Euro (dolf)
Isbn 978-3868285505

[Trust # 177 April 2016]