Jorma Purnanen's Untitled from his series 'Imaginary Homecoming' is featured in the new Victoria and Albert Museum Photography Centre exhibition. Entitled Energy: Sparks from the Collection, this display shines a light on the diverse kinds of energy allied to the photographic medium, from the hidden behind-the-scene processes to the subjects in front of the camera.
In his 'Imaginary Homecoming' series, Puranen takes nineteenth century archival images of the Sami people, the indigenous population of the Sápmi region (formerly known as Lapland), and inserts them into contemporary landscapes. Projected by electricity onto a snowscape, past generations are brought to light. Their presence is both mysterious and redemptive, an acknowledgement of decades of cultural marginalisation.
For more information visit the Victoria and Albert Museum Photography Centre.
