Out Of The Shell

Mammu Rauhala

Interview by C. VanWinkle
March 8, 2024

Can you please describe the prompt that you responded to?

It was a drawing. I didn't know the title of it, but I think it was some kind of a goddess or maybe some other powerful mythological character. I think it could be a Hindu god or something. The character was punching upward against a glass ceiling, like a jar maybe. There was a crack, like the glass was starting to break. It was that kind of a drawing.

What did it mean to you?

It was powerful. It was like something is about to happen or change or emerge. The character is about to transform. It's breaking a glass ceiling. That’s how I saw it: “Now I'm coming out and you'll see what happens.” [both laugh] It was a strong character, a powerful one. That was my first impression.

That’s great! How did you decide what to do for your piece?

I almost immediately knew what I was going to do. I didn’t want to think about it too much, so I just took my first idea and went with it. I have this alter ego character, Mammu the chicken. I wear this mask that I made out of papier-mâché, and I do a lot of performances with this chicken character. Mainly on the web, though sometimes they’ve live performances and I do video performances as well. Lately, I’ve been making a lot of chickens, some ceramic or made of paper or drawings. It resembles me in a way. I think this chicken brings up my feelings and also represents the strong character in me. It gives me courage. So maybe that's why I saw that and immediately thought the chicken must also break the ceiling, or break something. At first I thought that it would be glass, but later when I started to work on it, I realized that of course it has to be an egg. And it's a golden egg!

I just left my day job because I've been doing so much art beyond my other work. I worked as a coordinator in a child welfare organization for like seven years and have also been doing art the whole time. I’ve had exhibitions and performances and I do theater also, and that was all too much for me at this point in my life. So I decided to break this golden cage of mine. That's why the chicken also has, instead of a golden cage, a golden egg. It’s time for her to be herself now and do something just for herself. This was the kind of situation I was in when the prompt came. It all came together: my life, the prompt, me as a chicken, and this final artwork that I made.

That is very good timing! I didn’t realize that this piece is so personal. How did a chicken come to be your self-portrait?

I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because, at least in the Finnish language, sometimes women are called chickens, and it's not in a good way. So maybe it's a little bit because of that. It’s something that I'm taking back. I know that in English it has a different meaning, like a coward, but in Finland someone might say that about a woman who is loud or who complains or nags: [with disgust] “What a chicken!”

Many times when I craft, I don't know why I'm doing something. I just start to do it and then something comes up. When I made this mask, I just thought I’d try taking photos of myself with it. It was during lockdown when the chicken was first born, and it brought so much joy to me and I think for some others as well. At first, it wasn't only about my feelings. The first chicken pictures were about lockdown, and I was thinking about my elderly aunts. It was about their emotions, like how they're locked in and how lonely it was for them. Then I realized that the chicken really reflects my own feelings.

Sometimes it happens that I make a video and I don't know why. For example, one was about how exhausted the chicken was, and then later on I realized, Oh my God, I was really exhausted when I made that! I didn't think so straightforward about it at the time, but it was true. I think my work uses a lot of intuition. I don't always know why I'm doing something. The meaning comes later.

I think that’s such an interesting observation, that during lockdown all these chickens like your aunts stayed safe, alone, inside their little eggs. What materials is this piece made of, anyway?

It’s mostly made of paper and papier-mâché, and I also used this clay called DAS. Often, I just do the papier-mâché myself, but this was this ready-made modeling clay, and paper and acrylic paint. The gold on the inside of the egg is fake gold leaf.

That's great! It's such a striking image. We think of baby birds hatching, but this looks like it's already an adult chicken, and is she wearing boxing gloves?

Yes. Well, she’s wearing one.

It's a wonderful piece. It's really inspirational and it ties so well to your other work. I’ve seen some of your other chicken pieces and it’s a really fun way to explore your artistic persona.

What is your advice to a new person getting their prompt today?

Just trust your intuition. Trust the first feeling and go with it. Don't take art or life too seriously – or try not to. Play with the prompt and have fun.

I think you embody that idea very well.

I'm always a little bit playful.

Call Number: Y122VA | Y124VA.rauOu

Mammu Rauhala is a performer and artist born and based in Finland. Her work includes performance art, contemporary theatre, paintings, installations, sculptures, and media art. Mammu loves surrealism and ideas that emerge from the subconscious. She has a bachelor’s degree in performing arts. Headshot photo credit: Pasi Rauhala