“Tuumori” is a wearable textile sculpture and a performance. It is the latest addition to an ongoing body of work titled “Hat Walk,” my collection of extravagant sculptural hats and headpieces used in performances. Each piece is a handmade head replacement of sorts connecting with a different problematic. “Tuumori” in particular plays around the idea of the next possible evolutionary step. Since we have embraced increasingly pervasive computer-mediated communication, does it eventually start to grow on us permanently? Do we adapt to better cope with the growing need of being available, present, and presentable? Does the brain alter itself in order to better withstand a barrage of notification beeps, clicks, and tweets?

I think of the sculptural part of “Tuumori” as a hood formed from pink, soft, and fleshy lumps of various organs of social media. With a sound system fitted inside the soft shapes, “Tuumori” beeps frantically with notification sounds from Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc. and occasionally reads random comments from Facebook. While wearing it, it’s next to impossible to focus on anything else.

During the first performance at the opening of Art Fair Suomi I took off my suit jacket and slipped my head inside “Tuumori.” After switching it on I started to gradually navigate my way through the fair towards the Cable Factory’s gallery. If I managed to make eye contact with someone I handed out paper confetti in the shape of the like-thumb symbols of Facebook. The performance ended at the gallery when “Tuumori” started to read out loud a ranting comment section about Greta Thunberg.