Johanna Tuukkanen » Johanna

Seuraa minua

Johanna — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:30:51 +0000

I’ve been working with the gorgeous Rebecca French on our collaborative project Seuraa minua (Follow me) during the last week or so. And it has been very inspiring and exciting. What I really love about the project is that it’s something I would never do on my own. So I feel that it’s something that really has grown out of our collaboration and it’s still at this point a kind of a mystery what it will turn out to be like for the audience in the end.
But we’ve been walking, talking, recording and doing all this with our lovely volunteers who are people living in Kuopio, sharing moments of significance of their lives with us, with you, the audience.

So thank you to the lovely people we have been working with. You know who you are.

Johanna

working on a new project Seuraa minua

Johanna — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:51:20 +0000

Johanna is working on a new project Seuraa minua (Follow me) with Rebecca French in Kuopio at the moment. Seuraa minua is an audio walk through the city of Kuopio in which people living in Kuopio share moments of significance related to certain places and sites in the city centre. The work is available during Paikallisliike event in Kuopio in June.

milk load

Johanna — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:02:33 +0000

I performed MILK last Friday in the Functional Studios in Kuopio. I had completely forgotten what a nightmare that show is to organize!!! It took 14 hours from me to pick up all the props and materials including the dance carpets, empty milk boxes, fresh milk, bags to pack the boxes into and the bucket in which I bathe and then to set up the space, tape the dance carpets, organize the milk boxes in chronological order and back them, then to get ready for the show, perform, shower, clean up and pack everything and transport all the gears into different storages and places. I WAS EXHAUSTED.

But of course the greatest thing was to perform and to experience once again that the work is strong and it really touches people, provokes ideas and somehow also connects. So yesterday when I went to the studio for my training, I got such a warm and lovely feedback which made me feel very happy and also more connected to that place and the people who work and train there. So it was a beautiful experience.

I need to thank my son Zulani and his friend Elina who help enormously before and after the show! And I couldn’t have survived without the help of my daughter Justiina with whom we taped the dance carpets earlier during the day! So it’s all like a family business except that it’s not a very good business… Well, call it collaboration then!

I’ve been deep into dialogical and relational aesthetics and I need to work on my article rather intensively this week… Lots of work still to do. And in fact I have so much work in May and July that I can only focus on one thing at a time otherwise I’ll go crazy. But if I’m still alive in the end of June, I know I can be very pleased and proud of myself and will really enjoy a proper holiday. But until then, back to work now! So probably not a very active blogging season ahead of me – but I’ll try my best.

Hauskaa vappua!

Johanna

participatory art work

Johanna — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:20:36 +0000

I realized that I’m in a middle of creating a participatory art work which is completely lacking necessary resources.

Johanna

getting ready for the upcoming MILK performance

Johanna — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:48:12 +0000

Another busy week behind. Wanted to post some images from my trip to Paris & Lyon but haven’t had time. I’ve been rehearsing this weekend for my upcoming Milk performance in a private event in Kuopio. We also made some milk cartons to advertise the performance.

I’ve been busy with ANTI stuff, organising my own upcoming works and performances, exercising, writing, reading, thinking…I’m off to Jyväskylä at 5.15am tomorrow morning so good night now!

Johanna

feeling free

Johanna — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:32:00 +0000

Aargh, been traveling and away from home a lot and haven’t had time for regular work outs. So my run yesterday was pure bliss, followed by kettle bell work out! The sun was shining and my new Nike free trainers were excellent. Check out the Liikkeelle event in Argoshalli in Stockmann where there are a lots of running gears presented until the 15th of April. And the Nike free trainers are on sale!

I’ll post something about the trip to Lyon & Paris later but I brought home these gorgeous French mustards… Very tasty with some chevre and rye bread!

Johanna

working and working and baking

Johanna — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:42:18 +0000

I’ve worked so much during the last week, including all weekend. Writing, reading, emailing, planning, making budgets… Interesting stuff but too much of everything. I feel tired.
But since I was doing all that at home yesterday, I also found some to bake. I made gorgeous bread with sunflower & lin seeds and for the first time ever, with my daughter we baked korvapuusti, kind of cinnamon rolls. Yammy!

I’m aware that the s/s 2012 collection of Minna Parikka is not even in the shops yet, but GSUS, have a look at these kitty shoes from her a/w 2012 collection. I sooooo want them! They are so my shoes and without even trying them on, I know I will wear these, a lot. Oh, look at the colours! The ears! The perfect heel!!!! Can’t wait for the autumn…

Have to get to bed now. Jyväskylä calling very early tomorrow…

Johanna

The most gorgeous tape dispenser ever?

Johanna — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:06:45 +0000

Don’t you think?

I just had to buy when I saw this in a bookshop in Soini! Photo Pekka Mäkinen. Minna Parikka shoes are mine.

Yes spring, come along!!!

Johanna

Helsinki design capital?

Johanna — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:51:46 +0000

As you know, I passed through the Helsinki airport about a week ago on my way to and back from Vienna. I’ve been so disappointed to the airport ever since the Finnish Design Shop shut its doors at the airport. The Finnish Design Shop was the only shop having any contemporary Finnish design besides Marimekko. At the moment, there are no proper design shops at the airport. So no Finnish in furniture, clothing, accessories, shoes or anything like that. Ok, you might say that yes, there’s Marimekko and Pentik, but I’m talking more about contemporary, innovative design. Yes, Marimekko does represent that to a certain extent but most of the fabrics are from the 1960s or 1970s and although I do like Marimekko, many of the products are very classic or even retro. So as I spent a few hours at the airport, I was once again rather shocked that firstly, only pieces of design you can spot are classic Danish chairs and Italian lamps, secondly, there are no shops representing solely Finnish design whether furniture, glassware, clothing or accessories, and third, that there are no interesting, reasonably priced places to eat. And this is during the Helsinki Design Capital year???? Somebody, do something!!!! So you cannot find products by Harri Koskinen, Julia Lundsten, Minna Parikka, Lumi Accessories, Jolier… Compared to Copenhagen or even Stockholm, Helsinki airport sucks.

Johanna

Kuopio-Vienna-Kuopio

Johanna — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:45:18 +0000

Last weekend I was in Vienna, Austria, in one of our EU project meetings, UP TO NATURE. I left of Friday which was the beginning of the skiing holiday in Kuopio. The Kuopio airport was packed at 5.30am with wealthy families travelling to skiing holidays either in Lapland or somewhere in the Alps. I have never ever been able to take my family on a skiing holiday and I must say, I felt a bit jealous. I realized, once again, very concretely, that there are all these people who can afford to take their whole family on holidays (and have all the expensive skiing gears along) – in fact, for them is normal to take family holidays at least once a year abroad. I also realized that instead of having a proper skiing holiday, I was on a work trip for the weekend. Never mind that, because I really, really, enjoyed our meeting. It was great, useful, inspiring and informative. So thank you so much Thomas, Olivia and Nicole at brut Vienna and Helen & co and Hedda, Philip & co for a great meeting. We have created a great project and I’m really looking forward to the outcome. Unfortunately, I’m not able to make it to the first festival in Vienna, but I am planning to visit Bristol in June and Oslo in August. How exciting!

I also went to the opening of Imagetanz and saw a very strange performance…

Like I said, we are having the skiing holiday here but Vienna was very summer like already. It’s so strange to be located literally on the edge of Europe and see weird middle European road signs like this way to Budapest and this way to Prague… This was my second time to stay in hotel Fürstenhof, the strange but nice old fashioned simple hotel. This time I had a nice & spacious room and I slept surprisingly well. We also had some lovely dinners & drank some gorgeous Riesling and Grüner Veltlieners so I had a great time in Vienna! And I spoke some German, feeling very proud of myself.

Although I just received excellent grades from the economics of culture course and exam, please have a look at this wonderful article (in Finnish) by theatre director Esa Leskinen about why art shouldn’t bring any economic benefits!

In general, I have felt rather depressed recently as I haven’t received any project funding to produce my upcoming works. So I’m facing the same old same old questions of what to do, if to do then how or not do at all. Very inspiring start for new productions!

For the sake of the international women’s day, I wore Minna Parikka’s fuchsia Women are dangerous animals boots and went with my daughter to see a wonderful dancer Tuovi Rantanen performing a solo by the wonderful choreographer Ervi Siren. Women rule!

Johanna