Tuonela (2026)
3:59 min • Single-channel digital video, color, layered stereo sound
Filmed primarily across the stark landscapes of Finland, Tuonela is a moving image exploration of limbo—the disorienting, transitional state of a soul searching for the next realm after death. The visual narrative relies on extreme color manipulation, transforming the wilderness into a surreal landscape of frozen, desaturated forests pierced by an unnatural, bleeding crimson undergrowth.
This psychological journey is scored by a tapestry of resonant singing bowls interwoven with layered recordings of women performing traditional cultural death rites—prayers chanted specifically to guide the deceased and ensure they do not become trapped in purgatory. Drawing directly on Finnish mythology, the piece concludes at the edge of the river of the afterlife, where a wandering soul must confront the iconic swan before finally crossing over.