SAULI SIRVIÖ

1980 | Turku | time and space

It is paradoxical that whilst new technology has made it easier than ever to access and distribute information, Opus remains hidden in the shadows. In all honesty, we know nothing whatsoever about him.

With a reasonable degree of certainty we may presume, however, that he is male. This hypothesis appears to be corroborated by his compulsive interest in information technology and in the activities of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service, aka. SUPO (“Opus” spelled backwards). It is difficult to estimate his age, but judging by his polished turn of phrase and his having divulged that he has not watched television for the past twenty years, we may assume that he is at least middle-aged. These theories are founded purely on speculation, of course, which in turn raises a whole host of further niggling questions. Is Opus perhaps a former insider, a snoop-turned-deep throat? 

Or could he be a paranoid schizophrenic? Paranoia – allegedly the most common form of schizophrenia in contemporary society – has escalated explosively in the wake of urbanization. 

It is of course possible that Opus is just another conspiracy theorist, a “tin foil hat” as they call them. But, if not, there is only one possibility left – one so mind-blowing that it rocks the undersigned to his very core. What if Opus is really that great pioneer of radio and occultism, Jorma Elovaara?

This hypothesis, bold as it may seem, is supported by a number of startling similarities between the thoughts shared by Elovaara (b. 1946) and 160-keystroke text fragments attributed to Opus. 

The theory is based on text messages from Opus appearing in Metro in 2013 and a rare interview with Elovaara published in the student periodical Ylioppilaslehti on May 15, 2009.

Opus: “Brainwave sensors are becoming standard household fixtures in many computer games. Over the past few decades it has become ridiculously easy to send brainwave data. This data is being misused – and somebody is doing it on purpose. This is a heinous crime, and those who dare speak of it are silenced.”

Elovaara:  “When I was once linked to another person’s brain, I had a vision of all the data in the world coming to me at the push of a button.”

Opus:  “In this nation of peatland-dwellers, why do gumboots barely even last a year these days? What if there’s a crisis? Our nation depends on gumboots for protection.”

Ever since the 1960s, the only footwear in which Elovaara has appeared in, almost without exception, is gumboots. (To verify this claim, see the cover photos of The Age of Aquarius (1971) and A Ghost in Search of a Friend (1986)

See more at: ultraopus.tumblr.com

Lazar von Liebenfels 

Journalist, Helsinki