Emil Santtu Uuttu Et al. – On Photographs

March 1.

The book *Valokuvista* by Emil Santtu Uuttu et al. examines photo archives and the descriptive data of collections from the perspective of small gestures and absences. What is left out?

The presentations follow the first international conference of the interdisciplinary gender studies project *Picture Me: Presenting Queer Visual History*, *Visual History Now*, which will be held at the University of Tampere in October 2026. The project develops new visual history methods for writing queer and trans history.

The working groupfor the *Valokuvista* project includes Emil Santtu Uuttu, Jussi Ulkuniemi, and Vieno Järventausta. The book features Roy Boswell, Sara-Maria Heinonen, and Kid Kokko. Pipsa Enqvist serves as the performance dramaturg for the book. Independent researcher Rita Paqvalén will be a guest at Friday’s performance, and university lecturer Tuula Juvonen will be a guest at Saturday’s performance.

Production: Et Alia
Supported by: TheKone Foundation and the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Fund

WORKING GROUP

Emil Santtu Uuttu’s writing and stage works explore deep time, constant change, and pleasure, or the role of memory institutions and historical research. Uuttu’s first play, Ihana tytär Erika – Huomioita nimestä (Lovely Daughter Erika – Notes on a Name, translated by Roy Boswell) (Teatteri Takomo, Kiasma Teatteri, and SKS 2023), was awarded both the Archival Act of the Year 2023 and the Lea Prize 2024.

Jussi Ulkuniemi is a queer artist, photographer, dance maker, and pedagogue. Ulkuniemi is currently engaged in a long-term exploration of queer intimacy, non-normative bodily expressions, and human relationships through his photography project Textures of Queer Intimacy (2022–2026), and is developing a contemporary dance solo titled “Glimmering” (premiering in Helsinki in 2027) that explores the male body and femmephobia. In the autumn of 2026, Ulkuniemi will also teach in the Queer Dance Group.

Vieno Järventausta is an artist and filmmaker whose work focuses on different kinds of knowledge formation and production. Their previous film, Study the Stars Tonight, was screened at DocPoint and FIDMarseille.