ANNA PESONEN (@annapesonen)

SUBSTACK LINK IN BIO.

Anna Pesonen - Heed The Echoes Of The Forgotten Anna Pesonen’s HEED THE ECHOES OF THE FORGOTTEN is an acoustic sculpture and sound installation centred on preserving kelkettely, an endangered Karelian vocal tradition. The work transforms parabolic sound mirrors—once used for wartime surveillance—reversing their purpose into vessels for cultural transmission. This installation marks Pesonen’s first major foray into sound work. The contemporary kelkettely-based sonic compositions were co-created through an ongoing, multiyear collaboration with singer and ethnomusicologist Karoliina Kantelinen, one of the only living practitioners of the kelkettely tradition. The abstract sound-reflecting sculptures in reclaimed timber and steel are positioned opposite each other to create a spatial installation amplifying the sound work featuring kelkettely. This spatial audio was developed with pioneering sound engineer Risto Hemmi, using Genelec speakers. As cultural erasure continues across global conflict zones, the work becomes an act of resistance against the systematic destruction of cultural memory, ensuring this vital tradition continues to resonate. Working group: Anna Pesonen, Karoliina Kantelinen, Risto Hemmi Production partners: Risto Hemmi, Seppo Pesonen, Marta Jakubowski Sponsors or supporters: The Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland, Teoston kulttuurisäätiö, Taike, Genelec, Finnvox Biography Anna Pesonen is a Finnish-Karelian interdisciplinary artist and sculptor based in London. Her practice spans sculpture, sound & site-responsive spatial installation, engaging with contemporary challenges including misinformation-driven polarisation, solastalgia, and sociopolitical fragmentation. Her works seek to create immediate, embodied encounters that interrupt digital mediation. 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ➤ 𝟏𝟒.𝟖 -𝟏𝟎.𝟗.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 SIC | Vanha Helsingintie 24 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 Monday and Sunday | Closed Tuesday-Thursday | 13:00-18:00 Friday and Saturday | 12:00-16:00

AFTER THE FUTURE — PREVIEW
This video work explores the convergence of kelkettely, an endangered Karelian vocal tradition I’ve been exploring in relation to my own family history, and krumping, two embodied forms of knowledge that articulate what exceeds language. Set against the backdrop of Quaroni’s utopian architecture, the work reflects a shared urgency — a response to the frustration and fragmentation shaping our present.

R&D 2023-2025 — FOR UPCOMING ACOUSTIC, STONE SCULPTURES & SONIC INSTALLATIONS

Thank you to Alvar Aalto’s @paimiosanatorium Residency for having me. The experience of living and working in this building for a month was unforgettable. I felt the Aalto’s spirit and the buildings history in these halls strong. I held his concepts and writings close as I was working on an upcoming show and going deeper into the research of utopian architecture, my Karelian bloodline and what it means today. @alvaraalto

We originally shot this a while back, at the change of 2023-24. I’ve trusted my own pace with building my practice — sometimes slow mo, sometimes turbo. All the (invisible) work that goes into building a new practice, for it to evolve, takes time… But it’s time well spent. To take one’s time and do things with an intention is a joy. These are the corners of the world I’ve spent a lot of time in the past few years. ⚒️ @POST___FUTURISM

Anna Pesonen is a Finnish-born artist whose work moves fluidly between sculpture, sound, and spatial design. Shaped by a childhood immersed in both nature and craft, her early influences, from artisanal family traditions to a deep connection with her surroundings, continue to inform a practice grounded in material exploration and curiosity. These foundations, combined with a restless drive to look beyond the familiar, have led her to develop a distinctly collaborative and research-driven approach. Her engagement with stone, particularly Carrara marble, reflects an enduring fascination with time, memory, and humanity’s place within the cosmos. Drawing from disciplines as varied as physics, psychology, and architecture, Anna constructs immersive works that challenge conventional boundaries of sculpture and invite audiences into spaces of contemplation and connection. Central to her practice is a desire to reimagine how art can be experienced, not just seen, but felt. From collaborations with leading design galleries to thought-provoking functional works, Anna continues to carve out a singular path within contemporary art. Her commitment to pushing material and conceptual limits reveals a practice as ambitious as it is thoughtful, one that invites closer attention, and rewards it. Special thanks to Galerie SCENE OUVERTE. Read the full dialogue via link in bio. @annapesonen @gallery_sceneouverte

Warmest thanks to @bjarkeingels and @shanedalke for including my practice in stone sculpture and the guiding ethos of Post-Futurism in @domusweb issue n. 1097, dedicated to the only and onlyy, the material formed in the depths of the earth, shaped by deep time — stone. Published in Domus n. 1097, 2025 - Courtesy of Archivio Domus - © Editoriale Domus S.p.A.