SuomiOBLIVIA: TURN TURTLE TURN
In the beginning was the ocean. Wind, perhaps, and billowing waves. Life emerged in the ocean – single-cell organisms at first, and then, sometime later, tardigrades, able to survive even nuclear apocalypse. Following many millions of years later, dinosaurs appeared, and finally, after eons of time: Humans. In the age of the Anthropocene, they made… Read more
Oblivia: Pleasure
With Annika and Timo, we have known each other for some twenty years, and I’ve seen the most of Oblivia’s performances. Now we work together for the first time. It has been fun! With us, on stage, fine musicians: composer-pianist Yiran Zhao, mezzosoprano Gabriela Lesch, and guitarist Thilo Ruck. Life’s unique moments, intense sensory impressions,… Read more
Herd
Two regional artists from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Krista Petäjäjärvi and Aura Seikkula, invited me and three other artists – Artor Jesus Inkerö, Harry Salmenniemi and Niina Vatanen –, as artist-experts to participate in The futures of aging project, together with eight “ordinary” experts. This was a joint project of the Committee for the… Read more
Bakehouse
Once the firm had bakehouses for its employees’ use. At the Festival Norpas Bakehouse one can bake rye bread with baker Vuokko Nuorteva’s sourdough that originates from the 18th century, while Islaja & Lau Nau’s music accompanies the fermentation. One finds all the equipment needed on the spot. One needs only time – Vuokko’s rye sourdough… Read more
Water Concert
Water Concert is a collaboration between sound artists Juha Valkeapää and Juhani Liimatainen, and lighting and video artist Pietu Pietiäinen. Starting point: All the water on Earth has been here always, for 4,5 billion years. Water connects everything: people to people and to other living and non-living creatures. Everything is water and from water. In… Read more
Life as we know it
The starting point for the performance Life as we know it by Maija Hirvanen and Juha Valkeapää has been in imagining directions, to which life could go or where it would be desired to go. A small part of this process has been selected to be cultivated into a stage performance. The imagined directions of… Read more
Silent Death
A quiet death can mean a merciful death: I want to die after a good and fulfilling life, peacefully. In reality, death often occurs too hard, too painfully, too loud, too early or too late. A quiet death can also be understood as dying secretly, without nobody noticing. Or in undistinguished way. Or it can… Read more
The Truth
The Truth is a live audio-visual installation, with video artist Pietu Pietiäinen. It is a sort of oracle and mouth of truth. The truths are from people who come to visit the work. We don’t own the truth. We built the first version at Ärjä Art Festival on Ärjänsaari, Kajaani, 2–4 August, 2019. The second… Read more
Juha Biitsillä
The author trio traveled to Pori for August. They asked each other, where do you come from. I come from my father’s Ray-Ban’s. My mother’s arthritis and earrings. Alcoholism and apple slices cut with knife. Tarting up and male image one doesn’t identify oneself with. Juha Biitsillä (Juha on/with Biitsi) is the first collaboration between artist… Read more
Pelko/Fear
Pelko/Fear is a collaboration with musician Taito Hoffrén. As the title suggests, it is a performance about fear. Fears unite people, passing social classes. The performance moves from detail to general, from local to global, from small to big; we talk about personal and local fears, that become general and global, at least at the level… Read more
