ARTISTS TALKING

It isn't often that I feel compelled to stay with an installation for a prolonged period of time but Finnish artist Kaarina Kaikkonen's installation Cast Off proved hard to walk away from. The piece, which dominates the redundant church in which it is sited, comprises 500 men's jackets that form the shape of a giant boat. The title's play on words immediately conveys the sense that the artist is evoking both metaphorical and physical journeys, and she does this with consummate skill and confidence. All too often installations are shoddily mounted, but Kaikkonen's obvious insistence on precision imbues the work with an assurance and maturity that is refreshing to see.

The sculpture is very architectural in form and, like any visually successful structure, it works from a multiplicity of angles. In fact, the piece seems to diametrically shift and mutate from different viewing points and chimerically takes on new meanings and interpretations as you walk around it. At first, the shape feels oppressive and claustrophobic, a mass of bodies clamouring for space in which to move freely. It also has resonances of the enormous piles of personal effects that were collected by the Nazis from the concentration camps: empty vessels that once contained people's bodies, histories and lives.

But, after a while it begins to feel more friendly and benevolent. The mass dissipates and a single bright red jacket seems to offer up a battle cry for the possibilities of individuality within the ranks.

It struck me that although Kaikkonen uses traditionally male imagery and clothing (boats and jackets) there was no doubt that this artwork was created by a woman.

Cast Off is visually exciting, thought provoking and brings new life to the traditional preoccupations of the artist – life, death, memory and the human condition.