The video work structures its inquiry along two axes:

1. The Practice of Dowsing: Drawing from historical manuals, anecdotal accounts, and speculative diagrams, this thread examines the ritualistic use of dowsing rods. The sources, often fragmented and scientifically unverifiable, highlight humanity’s enduring fascination with tools that promise access to the imperceptible.

2. Post-Glacial Uplift: Contrasting dowsing’s mysticism, this thread investigates a measurable geological phenomenon: the Scandinavian landmass’s gradual rise (up to 9 mm/year) following the retreat of Pleistocene glaciers. In the Gulf of Bothnia, this uplift visibly reshapes coastlines, causing new islands to emerge where sea once dominated—a process echoed in the Saari Residence’s name (“Saari” meaning “island” in Finnish, though it has been landlocked for centuries).

By juxtaposing dowsing’s speculative logic with the glacial pace of geological certainty, the project invites reflection on how we navigate absence, invisibility, and change. Whether through folklore or geophysics, the act of searching—for lost objects, hidden truths, or disappearing landscapes—emerges as a universal gesture, bridging belief and evidence, poetry and data.

Dowser's belt | 2020

Leather, metal and wooden rods

Variable dimension

In dowser’s belt there were five forked willow wands of varying sizes, which were used on different soils. At night they used to soak the willow forks in water to which there was some cattle urine and a few samples from every springwater in this region – to toughen the wood. In this way their wands were steeped in an intimate knowledge of the water in the valleys and the mountains.

1

Find dowsing or divining rods. You can use natural items as dowsing or divining rods, such as tree branches or sticks. Often, diviners use forked sticks from trees such as willow, peach, and witch hazel. Look for a stick that has a fork with branches of equal length on either end of the fork.

If you do not want to use a forked stick, you can use coat hanger, two wire rods, or a pendulum as a dowsing rod. Cut the coat hanger so you have two pieces of wire that are the same length and extend at least one to two feet. You can also use two wire rods of equal length or a pendulum made especially for dowsing.

2

Hold the rods an arm’s length away from your body. You should then hold the rods in each hand at an arm’s length away from your body. Position the rods so they rest flat over your index fingers and let the butt of the handles rest in the heel of your hands. Do not grip the handles too tightly as the rods need to be able to float freely to work.

Hold the rods about 9 inches (23 cm) apart so they do not cross or collide. You may want to practice holding the rods in your hands a few times to get the hang of it.

If you are using one forked stick, you should hold it an arm's length away from your body. Make sure you hold the stick lightly so it can float freely in your hand.

3

Keep the rods steady and straight as you walk. Once you understand how to hold the rods properly, you should practice walking and moving around while holding the rods. Make sure you keep the rods steady and straight as you walk so they are parallel to the ground.

Hold the rods at arm’s length and walk slowly back and forth across the room. Do not let the rod end tip upward or downward as you move as you do not want to move the rods unintentionally with the force of your body or your arms.

Colecting forks near the SAARI Residency | Mynämäki | 2020

Studio practice at SAARI Residency |  Mynämäki | 2020

Blackboard with notes and documentation

Studio practice at SAARI Residency | 2020

Schemes and drawings

Studio practice at SAARI Residency |  Mynämäki | 2020

Schemes and drawings

Studio practice at SAARI Residency |  Mynämäki | 2020

Energy - bifurcation point

Collection area

Approximate perimeter - Mietoistenlahti

Mynämäki | 2020