Laura Norkūnaitė is exploring the layers of urban velocities at the Experiments Platform, invited us to see the spaces of central Helsinki differently. Accompanied by her mentor Vano Ksnelashvili, she is exploring the dimensions of speeds in an urban context with the project called Urban Velocities. In search of linear, cyclical rhythms, relying on the laws of polyrhythmia, eurythmia and arrhythmia, she creates speed maps and hopes to see regularities that would become another way to read the abundance of cities. Together, we allowed ourselves to experience the active Helsinki city square Narinkkatori, the busy street Aleksanterinkatu and Kaivopuisto park. In each of these spaces, we recorded selected elements that affect movement and those moving in them.

Laura Norkūnaitė’s experiment „Urban Velocities“ at the residency in Helsinki. Pictures by Ikko Alaska

For the experimental study we used foil prints, beeswax, which takes on the shapes of cavities when melted, the cyanotype photography method, a scanning device and a sound recorder. Immersed in the role of researchers and the impact of these everyday tools, we set out to explore the city by kneeling on the pavement, touching its surfaces, wrapping door handles and bench details in foil, walking with cyanotype sheets pressed to our chests, and occasionally opening them to capture the shimmering shadows. While in the park, we learned that between it and the island visible from the shore, there is an underwater tunnel, used only in emergency situations or for military purposes. How does this invisible layer affect the rhythm of the water, its inhabitants, the island, and the park? This playful action in intensively used urban spaces allowed us to see their multilayered life, create new trajectories of movement, and in our own way slow down the routine rhythm of these spaces.

Laura Norkūnaitė’s experiment „Urban Velocities“ at the residency in Helsinki. Pictures by Ikko Alaska