LAATIKKO/BOX is a 30 minute conceptual sound piece that blends electro-acoustic vocal and violin music with words from Minnesota immigrants, taken both from historical Finnish-American archives, and from interviews conducted with recent immigrants to Minnesota from all over the world. A portrait of change, Laatikko/Box asks us to find commonality rather than duality, to slow down and take in the emotion of leaving one place for another. Especially pertinent to events of 2017, Laatikko/Box celebrates 100 years of Finnish independence and challenges the current political climate by suggesting that not only are all immigrant journeys more similar than different, but that we are all immigrants in one way or another.
Laatikko/Box began as a commission from the Cedar Cultural Center in late 2013. In September 2014, the project toured the Arrowhead Library system in northern Minnesota and attendees' reactions to the archival material were collected for inclusion in the piece. In Nov/Dec 2015, Pajunen presented an updated version in 10 locations around Minnesota with support from the MN State Arts Board. An audio recording of Laatikko/Box, which melds field recordings, interviews with recent immigrants to Minnesota, the reading of Finnish-American archival material, and original music and sound design, was released January 7, 2017.
