Conversational Semi-Self Portrait, Alexander Aristoteles
I spent five days in Helsinki at the end of my month of Europe. I went there, mostly, to see a show of Alexander Aristoteles — someone I met originally from LinkedIn, randomly, because I responded to an equally random post.
Titled “Conversational Semi-Self Portrait,” this show / performance art / idk-what-to-call this is a “thing” where you would sit with Alexander to have a conversation on the streets of Helsinki. At the end of it, Alexander sets up his analog camera on a tripod in front of you, give you the remote release, and let you take a self portrait of yourself.
I arrived at Narinkkatori Square around 5pm on August 14, 2024 — during the Helsinki Night of the Arts. I saw that Alexander already had everything setup, and was talking to a man. I waited patiently and took a few photos while they talked to each other. There was a line.
Alexander saw me, and told me that very sadly, his camera was malfunctioning, and must thus end the show early.
“Would you still like to chat anyway?” He asked. I said, “Of course. This sounds like fun.” I offered to let him use my camera to take my photo at the end of our chat.
“But you must press the button. Do you have a remote?” Why, of course I do. The brilliance of modern digital camera is that I could use my phone as a remote. No more release cable, baby!
He reminded me that I could only take ONE photo. One. The age of digital photography meant that one is so hard. I took it. I completed the event as a participant. I processed the photo.
We talked about many things — things that I probably should never write about. I have always enjoyed our conversations. They are always very real.
I tend to avoid talking to people because I tend to say what I think without edits. I learned that I really shouldn’t be doing a lot of that — the right to say anything is sometimes highly discouraged by my logical brain.
Alexander would always tell me to just say what I want to say — it’s almost like a dare. It’s hard to believe that when we met for his “thing” that night in Helsinki, it was only the second time I saw him in person. We did have extensive chats on various apps. He is one of the people who have been on the receiving end of my essay-length messages — but who actually read it and answered. I don’t know if you know how rare that is.
Did you know that you’ve seen Alexander Aristoteles before here? He‘s the Random Guy I wrote about in February 2024.
Conversational Semi-Self Portrait
Alexander Aristoteles
2024-08-15
Helsinki Night of the Arts
“Take a seat next to me. Let’s encounter the moment and converse with each other. Before we depart, we’ll share the creation of an analogue photographic portrait of you.”
- Canon EOS R8
- Canon RF 24-105 f/4L IS USM
- Narinkkatori Square, Helsinki
- 2024-08-14