This text is a re-post of Camila Rosa's message first published on Facebook on December 4, 2018 in response to Free Translation exhibition held at MAA-tila in November 2018. The original version and selected responses from Camila's post, written in Portuguese, are below.

Last week I went to an art exhibition in Helsinki, made of works of prisoners from several places @FreeTranslation. Overall, the works dealt with the themes of loneliness, fear, longing, depression, time and death. Obvious consequences of confinement time.

It got me thinking about how such an exhibition would be important in Brazil, how I would love to take my students there and have following discussions about crime and punishment. Crime in general, even those kinds of crimes that benefit the students, or those socially accepted crimes, that the white majority of the middle class people easily tolerate.

But then, I realized that to discuss these issues it's needed to overcome the colonial reasoning / sadistic instinct that wishes the suffering of prisoners. As if all prisoners were murderers and rapists. As if these crimes made the majority of the prison population. As if the crimes of trafficking, selling drugs should only be punished if they involve black and poor people. 
"Whitened" crimes (violence against women, tax evasion, money laundering - especially in my former home town, Gramado, for example), seem to be more gentle causing greater empathy. I imagine that in a fictional prison setting for crimes like these, associated with white middle / upper classes, overcrowding, police violence, or rape would render greater opposition from society.

All that because people do not understand that to be arrested is to be excluded, to be alone, not to have freedom. And that by itself is punishment, and more, an opportunity to reflect and regret.

When are we going to end this sadistic spirit that is only happy in the humiliation and in seeing the blood of those who are already fucked?

Thank you, Arlene and Anastasia for the initiative and for facilitating this!
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Response to Camila's post:
Letícia - super important the questions you bring. Why not to plan something with the prison population? Especially in prisons for women. Here (in Germany) there's a theater project that works in juvenile prisons that is incredible. I would love to do such a project in the future.

Letícia - The situation of women in detention is fucked. Already begins that most often female prisons receive the same budget as male prisons, and women have other needs that men do not have (menstruation, every person with an uterus needs care in those days, needing to be careful with their pussies to not get sick every two weeks, baby care that can be born while a woman is locked up ...). This is not entirely disregarded in prisons for women in Brazil in general. By saying this I do not mean that male prisons are wonderful, but rather they reproduce the patriarchal structure that is extremely cruel to the woman. That's why I think this work in general is important, especially when it's made with women. 

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Camila Rosa is a Helsinki-based researcher, educator and performing artist. She is continuously investigating the approximation between art and critical pedagogies, focusing on the intersection of art and public spheres and institutional contexts. As an investigator, she is mostly dedicated to exploring postcolonial epistemology in the framework of performance art. She has been associating multiple art forms in artistic and pedagogical processes in different Brazilian and Finnish contexts. https://camilrosa.wixsite.com/camilarosa

Na semana passada eu fui numa exposição em Helsinki, de arte feita por presidiárixs de vários lugares. @FreeTranslation 
Num geral as obras tratavam de solidão, medo, saudade, depressão, tempo e morte. Consequências óbvias do tempo de confinamento.

Fiquei pensando em como uma exposição assim seria importante no Brasil, em como eu adoria levar alunxs e discutir sobre crime e punição. Crime no geral, até aquele que traz benefícios pra alunxs, ou aqueles crimes socialmente aceitos pela maioria branca das classe médias.

Mas logo me veio na cabeça que pra discutir isso tem que superar aquele raciocínio /instinto colonial de sadismo, e de anseio pelo sofrimento ds detentxs. Como se todos presidiários fossem assassinxs e estupradores. Como se esses crimes fizessem a maioria da população prisional. Como se os crimes de tráfico, venda de drogas só devessem ser punidos se envolver negrs e pobrs. Os crimes "branquizados" (violência contra mulheres, sonegação, lavagem de dinheiro - em especial em Gramado por exemplo-), parecem mais delicados e devem causar maior empatia. Imagino que num cenário fictício de uma prisão pra crimes como esses - associados a classes médias/altas brancas - super lotação, violência policial, estupros sofressem maior oposição da sociedade.

Porque as pessoas não entendem que estar preso é estar excluídx, ser sozinhx, não ter liberdade. E isso sem si é castigo, e mais, oportunidade pra refletir e arrepender.
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Quando vamos matar esse espírito sádico que só é feliz na humilhação e no correr de sangue de quem já tá merda?

Resposta ao post da Camila:
Letícia - super importante teu questionamento. Pq não planejar algo com a população prisional mesmo? Especialmente nos presídios para mulheres. Aqui tem um projeto de teatro que trabalha em presídios juvenis que é incrível. Eu adoraria fazer um projeto assim no futuro.

Letícia - ​A situação de mulheres em situação de reclusão é muito foda. Já começa que na maioria das vezes presídios femininos recebem o mesmo orçamento que presídios masculinos, sendo que mulheres tem outras necessidades que homens não tem (menstruação e que toda pessoa com útero precisa naqueles dias, cuidado com a ppk pra não ficar doente a cada duas semanas, cuidado com bebe que podem nascer enquanto uma mulher está trancafiada...). Isso não é totalmente desconsiderado em presídios para mulheres no Brasil em geral. Com isso não quero dizer que presídios masculinos são uma maravilha, mas sim que a estrutura patriarcal é extremamente cruel com a mulher. Por isso acho importante esse trabalho em geral, ainda mais com mulheres

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Camila Rosa é pesquisadora, educadora e performer vivendo em Helsinque. Ela continuamente investiga a aproximação entre arte e pedagogias críticas, enfoque na intersecção entre arte e o esferas públicas e seus contextos institucionais. Como pesquisadora, ela explora principalmente epistemologias pós-coloniais nas artes performáticas. Ela tem combinado várias linguagens de arte em processos artísticos e pedagógicos, em diferentes contextos no Brasil e na Finlândia. https://camilrosa.wixsite.com/camilarosa

(English version below)

Avataan yhdessä dialogi käyttäen ääntä, kuvaa, ja piirustuksia. Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge ja lintulintu kutsuvat luomaan SUORAN ja VÄLITTÖMÄN reaktion taideteoksiin, jotka ovat esillä Vapaa käännös -näyttelyssä. Sinun taiteellinen vastauksesi antaa mahdollisuuden inspiraatiolle virrata vapaasti.

Milloin: Sunnuntai, 18.11.2018, klo. 13:00-16:00
Kenelle: kaikkien ikäisille
Missä: MAA-tila, Pääskylänrinne 10, 00500 Helsinki
Kielet: Suomi, englanti, ranska
Lisätietoa: arlene@prisonspace.org

( ( ( Tartunta < > < > ääniaallot käännöksenä ) ) )
Resonanssi, väreily, kommunikaatio ilman sanoja. Dialogi meidän kesken, keskellämme, itsessämme, Vedä syvään henkeä. Jaetaan vaihtoehtoinen kieli, välitetään väreily kommunikaatioksi, rakentaen siltoja, yhteyksiä, resonanssi on kaikkialla ja kaiken aikaa. Ääni liikuttaa sinut lähemmäksi ydintä, jättäen taakseen materian rajoitteet. Muokkaamme tilaa läpi seinien, otamme kimmokkeen edestakaisin. Kuule mitä kuultavissa on, käännä oma äänesi kohti tilaa.

) ) ) kuva <—> teksti ( ( (
Teleskooppinen katselu, laajakulmaiset rakenteet. Tässä hetkellisessä kollaasi/installaatio työpajassa luot vastauksen tarkasti rajattuun tilaan tai tilojen väliseen suhteeseen. Esim. tietty kulma galleriassa, tietty laatta lattiassa, oven kahva , kahden seinän välinen etäisyys. Tämä kollektiivinen kuvan tekemiseen ja tekstiin pohjautuva kokeilu tutkii tekstin käännöksiä kuvaksi ja toisin päin näyttelyssä esillä olevien töiden kontekstissa sekä synnyttää dialogeja materiaalien rajallisuudesta, että kysymyksiä saatavilla olemisesta.

Taiteilijoista:
Vapaita käännöksiä on näyttely, joka käyttää tulkinnan prosessia ollessamme vuorovaikutuksessa ja luodessamme uusia teoksia MAA-tilassa. Tilassa esillä olevat kerätyt teokset ovat vankien, ex-vankien ja henkilöiden, joiden elämään vangitsemisella on ollut vaikutus. Nähtävillä olevat teosten ehdotus on yleisölle käydä kiihkeää keskustelua, inspiroitua ja luoda luovasti aktivoitunut tila. Poikkitaiteellinen näyttely esittelee kansainvälisen kattauksen töitä MAA-tilassa marraskuun 15-29. sekä netissä.
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lintulintu on kokeellinen. Identifioidumme heteroseksuaaliseksi ja etuoikeutetuksi ääni-duoksi, kaksi lintua-yksi kivi. Meillä on hintavat elektroniset välineet ja maalliset vartalomme, jotka yritämme saattaa harmoniaan. Huolimatta itseaiheutetun kärsimyksen tuottamasta valttikortista löydämme tiemme hyvän olon tunteeseen. Kaaos vaihtuu niin kutsuttuun ääni-taiteeseen ja kriittinen näkökulma on vain jalostunutta keskustelua. Äänitaidetta, performanssia ja kokeellista musiikkia avant-garden vivahteilla, dystooppinen leikki ja kolmen kuukauden pimeys tuotuna valoon.
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Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge syntyi pienessä ranskankielisessä rannikkokylässä Quebecissä, Kanadassa. Keskeistä Evelynin työskentelyssä ja projekteissa on kiinnostus aktivoida tiloja, joita usein ylenkatsotaan tai jotka ovat näkymättömissä, tutkien siirtymien ja muistin teemoja sekä teemoihin sulautuneita monimutkaisia tasoja ja mekanismeja. Evelyne on suorittanut taiteen kandidaattia vastaavan tutkintonsa (bachelor of fine arts) valokuvauksesta, Concordian yliopistossa (Montreal, Kanada) ja taiteen maisterin tutkintonsa elektronisesta taiteesta Alfredin yliopistossa Taiteen ja suunnittelun laitokselta (School of art and design-Alfred, New york). Tällä hetkellä hän toimii apulaisprofessorina Rochesterin yliopiston Taiteen ja linssiin painottavan median laitoksella (Art and lens based media-Rochester, New York). Evelyn kiittää Rochesterin yliopistoa ja Kanadan valtuuston taiteiden jaostoa (Canada council of the arts) avokätisestä tuesta viimeisimmässä tutkimustyössä.

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Let’s open dialogue through sound, image, and drawing. Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge and lintulintu invite you to create DIRECT and IMMEDIATE responses to the artworks on display at Free Translation exhibition. Your artistic response makes space for inspiration to flow.

When: Sunday, November 18, 2018 from 13:00-16:00
For whom: all ages
Where: MAA-tila, Pääskylänrinne 10, 00500 Helsinki
Languages: Finnish, English, French
For more information: arlene@prisonspace.org

( ( ( Transmitting < > < > translating soundwaves ) ) )
Resonance, communication without words. Dialogue between us, around us, within us, take a deep breath. Sharing alternative language, translating resonance into communication, building bridges, connections, resonance is all around and all the time. Sound moves you closer to the core, leaving out material restrictions. We’ll shape the space beyond the walls, bounce back and forth. Hear what can be heard, turn voice into sound.
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) ) ) Image <—> text ( ( (
Telescopic viewing, wide-angle configurations.  In this ephemeral collage/installation workshop, you will make a response to a very specific space or trajectory, for example, one corner of the gallery, one tile of the floor, a door knob, the distance between two walls. This collective image-making and writing experiment will explore translation(s) of text into image and vice versa in response to the work presented in the exhibition and ignite dialogues about material limitation and question(s) of access.

About us:
Free Translation is an exhibition that makes use of the translation process as we interact and create new artworks at MAA-tila. The collected artworks are created by incarcerated people, ex-convicts, and anyone affected by imprisonment. The works on view will encourage the audience to prompt dialogue, inspire thoughts, and creatively activate the space. The multi-disciplinary exhibition showcases international works at MAA-tila from November 15-29 and online.

Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge was born in a small francophone coastal village in Québec, Canada. Central to Evelyne’s practice and projects is an interest to activate spaces that are often invisible or overlooked, and to explore themes of displacement and memory and the complex layers and mechanisms embedded within. She received her BFA in photography from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) and her MFA in electronic integrated arts from the School of Art and Design at Alfred University (Alfred, New York). She is currently an Associate Professor of Art and Lens Based Media at the University of Rochester (Rochester, New York). Evelyne would like to thank the University of Rochester and the Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support on her recent research projects.
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lintulintu is experimental. We identify as heterosexual and privileged sound duo consisting two birds one stone. We have expensive electronic equipment and our earthly bodies, which we try to harmonize. Despite the advantage of self caused suffering lintulintu finds a way to feeling good. Chaos switches into so called sound art and critical point of view is just advanced conversation. Sound art, performance and experimental music taking flavors of avant-garde, playing around dystopia and bringing three months of darkness into light. We’ve gone to few schools and worked with institutions.