Suomi10 journeys to a place where nothing happens
Musician Taito Hoffrén and artist Juha Valkeapää started this journey to a place where nothing happens in 2005. It was a long, dark and winding road, but we came out as winners from our first trip: the Baltic Circle 2010 journey went smoothly, although the Merc didn’t start on the Sunday night, when we were… Read more
Kallocain
Kallocain is an opera for two voices: JV voice, Girilal Baars voice and electronics, Kaja Kann director and lights. Written by Girilal, Juha and Kaja, it is a live abstracted opera for the stage based around the novel Kallocain (1940) by the Swedish writer Karin Boye (1900-1941). The piece commisioned by and premiered at the… Read more
No I Be Yonder
When inviting me to participate in No I Be Yonder, Geert Vaes described it as a beyond-leading ritual, using words like chance, dada, John Cage, Sun Ra. He talked about Wittgenstein’s red cupola and three kind of people that lived under it; some of those didn’t know that the cupola existed, some knew but didn’t… Read more
At Lokaal tonight Kann/Valkeapää
Kann/Valkeapää is dancer Kaja Kann’s and vocal artist Juha Valkeapää’s duo that performs at Lokaals all around the world. Artist-researcher Tero Nauha writes: “The stage for the performance is signified with a simple illuminated sign and a common setup familiar from the corner of a local pub: few microphones, guitars and amplifiers. The structure of… Read more
Radio Doomsday
Inspired by Martin Luther, a direct, three-hour radio show à la Houkka Bros. Tero participated in the show from Benin. As guests philosophers, priests, theology students, theatre critics, dancers and musicians. The premiere was a bit toothless, so if there is a possibility to fix it, there is something to fix, hah hah. 2008: Semifinal,… Read more
Houkka Bros.
Houkka Bros. in Moscow, 2008: Tero Nauha, Pietu Pietiäinen, Kristian Smeds and Juha Valkeapää. Houkka Bros. has made three performances, Wanderer, Children, birds and flowers and Radio Doomsday.
50 Lovely Ways to Die
I wrote and directed, together with Kaja Kann, a society theatre performance, 50 Lovely Ways to Die. There are 15 scenes in the performance, in each somebody dies because of love. The scenes are from everyday life, myths and old stories. Recipe is simple. The organizer searches for 16 volunteers who don’t have previous stage… Read more
Male Spaces
“Now I know what daddy does in the daytime.” Äijä is full of desire. Äijä is a pal and friend you can trust. Äijä has big lap. Äijä makes lot of noise. Äijä can make tiny sound. Äijä has power. Äijä is feeling. In every one of us there lives a little Äijä. I directed… Read more
Dream of telescope and horse
Sound installation based on Kristiina Wallin’s poems. The Lönnström Art Museum, Rauma, Finland, June 10-September 24, 2006; stereo version at Rikhardinkatu library, Helsinki. Nov-Dec, 2006; radio version at Ääniversumi, YLE 1, Finnish Broadcasting Company, February 5, 2007. ”Runojen ymmärrettävyydestä huolimatta Uni kaukoputkesta ja hevosesta kuuluu niihin taideteoksiin, joiden sisältöä on vaikea vangita mihinkään selväkieliseen tulkintaan.… Read more
Children, birds and flowers
Houkka Bros. (Tero Nauha, Pietu Pietiäinen, Kristian Smeds, Juha Valkeapää) Children, birds and flowers is a do-it-yourselves living-room musical. It is made of 13 scenes and contains 16 songs. The duration is 1 h 30 mins, and there is no interval. The main character, Frank, is based on the Italian saint, Francis of Assisi. His… Read more
