Reconstructing in/with the house: A familiar conversation

Abstract

Mustarinda Association is a group of artists and researchers whose goal is to promote ecological reconstructions within society, a diversity of na­turecultures, and connections between art and science. Reaching towards a post-fossil culture, Mustarinda works in/through/with contempo-rary art, boundary-crossing research, practical ex­perimentation, communication, education, and events. Its activities are rooted in the Mustarinda house, located by an old-growth forest in Hyryn­salmi, Kainuu. The house has versatile spaces for artist and researcher residencies, and also hosts exhibitions and various events. Mustarinda house group is an ensemble of active members of the association who carry the collective responsibility of maintaining the house and its activities. What follows is an edited excerpt of a text-based con­versation between some house group members who’ve cared for and with the house between 2015 and the present. In summer 2022, this group dis-cussed reconstruction and social reproduction with-in the house; the constructed division between theory and practice; the extractive aspects of con­ventional research; and a rethinking of how knowl-edge production happens.