ANTI-Festival was a huge success and I really enjoyed the festival, all the artists, works, visitors, the seminar – all of it. Working with Gregg has been really great and I’m so happy we are doing it and enjoying it. And our artists and visitors were having a great time. We make a good team with Maija. ANTI made it to the national news and yellow press – you can read more about it on ANTI’s website.
Somehow I managed to write my grant applications and a new column on the midst of all. But I don’t think I have recovered from the fact that I won’t have an artist grant from the Arts Council of Finland next year.
Now I’m into working with my solo with Maija Hirvanen and Pekka Mäkinen and I’m really looking forward into the darkening autumn and spending time in a studio, alone.
I saw my doctor on Monday and he said that the time of miracles is not over. My back is so much better that with a new exercise programme I should be fully back to normal physical work in two weeks. But to ashtanga he said no no no until 2008…
I’ll see.
Category Archives: Art
Huh
Last couple of days have been emotionally tough and busy with upcoming ANTI Festival. With ANTI is always exciting when finally the work you’ve been doing for a year is coming into life and things are happening. Of course there’s always stress with some works and this year we have an exciting week coming up as we are waiting for 100 000 one cent coins to arrive from Belgium. We sure hope they’ll be here in time!
Emotionally it’s been tough as I, like many many other artists in Finland, am waiting to hear the decisions of the Arts Council of Finland for artists grants for 2008. And it looks like I haven’t got one which turns my stomach upside down. I really don’t know what to do, how to survive and how to keep working. And of course it effects, or ruins, my mood for the rest of the year as well. Well, it’s always like this but it’s a dog’s life.
Then next week, in the midst of ANTI Festival I have to make two project funding applications for my work and another two or three for ANTI. Plus complete the Culture 2007 project applications and activities…
But last night a slept long.
Johanna
The things to do
…list is getting too long to even look at. ANTI Festival’s coming up next week, all kinds of office work related to EU-projects, funding for 2008 and immediate issues with the group work are bubbling in my mind. I’m currently expecting to hear about one grant application and I realize it worries me a lot and eats my energy. It’s not something I would want to think about but cannot help it.
I always find it peculiar to be working on a new work or project and at the same time having to plan future works in a very detailed way. I don’t mind the planning and preparing of the new stuff but it makes the current projects feel somehow old and out of date. That is a funny feeling. When you actually are doing something that you awkwardly feel like you already have done.
Mirva dancing.
The beginning
Friday, at last
Tiring week behind me. Finished the first rehearsal period with mixed feelings; in many ways I’m very happy with the work we did but at the same time today I felt a kind of hesitation in the rehearsal which made me feel strange. Well, it’s all familiar but still left me thinking about it.
I was setting up my office and went through some papers in my archive. I found a piece of paper with John Cage’s rules and hints and Rule8 really suits my mood:
“Do not try to create and analyze at the same time. They are different processes.â€
When I got home I felt really tired. Our plumber was working with Pekka setting up the washing machine and for a moment I felt really happy that things are actually moving on. They didn’t finish the job as some parts were missing (as usual) but I have hope that tomorrow I’ll be able to wash clothes and sheets. A kind of handy possibility in a family of two children…
The new website is up now, thanks to Mladen! At the moment the site is available only in English but we are working on the Finnish version as well. Some information of my works is not up yet but I’m working on it. But if you have any questions in the mean time, don’t hesitate to ask me or Maija, my producer.
And let me know what you think about it!
Johanna
This week
I’ve been working with Anniina, Mirva and Sanna on my group piece since I came back from Norway. It’s so exciting. Today we watched Naisenkaari, a documentary film by Kiti Luostarinen, which still, after ten years, felt so relevant and accurate that I was amazed. I was also very touched and moved by it. I have a lot of possibilities in my head where to lead the piece but I’m not yet certain which is the right one. So I prefer to keep it all very open and fluid. The dancers might find it a bit frustrating but I just feel I need the open ends to see what the work starts to require.
I’m thinking a lot about the soundscape, the clothes, the shoes, the microphones, the audience interaction… I’ll see if I manage to take some photos tomorrow. I need to video record a run through anyway tomorrow.
I’ve been working with Mladen on the website layout and hopefully the new design will be up shortly. So bear with me.
Johanna
In Stavanger, Norway
Just had the first presentation of our project TW1 in Stavanger, got very excited about it again. Ours is one in a series of four projects and it’s just been very interesting to meet the other curators and hear them thinking about their project.
Been walking up and down the Pedersgata, days filled by meetings and work. Geir our producer is of great support, other curators and Anne-Marte and Kenneth of great inspiration. The open call for our project will open next week.
In general, feelings of pressure with the approaching ANTI-festival, my group work’s rehearsals starting next week and next year’s funding. The usual stuff.
Missing my daughter cuddling up to me. Worried about my son’s finger he broke. Working on the web site, still. Hoping I could help Pekka with the work at the house somehow.
Hope you are well, Johanna
A day in Helsinki
Shoes by Vagabond, Gunilla Pontén skirt, H&M top, underwear by Marks&Spencer.
Me Naiset with my yoga teacher’s ex interviewed. Some sleep in between.
Make up in the toilet of the InterCity train.
Went straight to the press conference.
Checked out some Larsen + Cole & Son wallpaper and Minna Parikka and Vivienne Westwood shoes.
Bought a pair of El Naturalista shoes. Love them.
Spotted Michael Monroe and Lilli Earl.
Kootut askeleet -dokumenttisarja esittelee suomalaista tanssia
YLE Teemalla alkaa elokuun lopussa uunituore 15-osainen ohjelmasarja Kootut askeleet, joka esittelee suomalaisia eturivin nykytanssikoreografeja – ja kertoo tarinoita ihmisistä, jotka ovat valinneet ammatikseen tanssin. Sarjan kussakin jaksossa tutustutaan yhteen koreografiin sekä hänen ajatuksiinsa tanssista ja taiteesta työnä.
Koreografit valottavat teostensa taiteellisia lähtökohtia, valmistusprosessia sekä työskentelyä tanssijoiden ja muiden yhteistyökumppaneiden kanssa. He avaavat katsojille myös sitä, mistä tanssiteosten ideat syntyvät ja miten teoksen liikekieli rakentuu. Sarjassa nähdään myös otteita esitystaltioinneista.
Kootut askeleet näyttää taiteilijamuotokuvien kautta myös suomalaisen nykytanssin monimuotoisuuden. Sarjassa osansa saavat niin 70-luvulla uransa aloittaneet kuin vasta muutaman vuoden koreografeina työskennelleet taiteilijat.
Sarjan on ohjannut Raimo Uunila ja sen ovat yhteistyössä tuottaneet YLE Teema ja Grape Productions Oy. Tuotanto on suunniteltu yhteistyössä Tanssin Tiedotuskeskuksen kanssa.
Kootut askeleet -sarja sisältää henkilökuvadokumentit seuraavista koreografeista (esitysaika koreografin nimen yhteydessä):
Eeva Muilu – Ke 29.8. klo 20.40, uusinta to 30.8. klo 16.40
Reijo Kela – Ke 5.9. klo 20.40, uusinta to 6.9. klo 16.40
Liisa Risu – Ke 12.9. klo 20.40, uusinta to 13.9. klo 16.40
Tommi Kitti – Ke 19.9. klo 20.40, uusinta to 20.9. klo 16.40
Jenni Kivelä – Ke 26.9. klo 20.40, uusinta to 27.9. klo 16.40
Martin Heslop ja Minna Tuovinen – Ke 3.10. klo 20.40, uusinta to 4.10. klo 16.40
Kirsi Monni – Ke 10.10. klo 20.40, uusinta to 11.10. klo 16.40
Leena Gustavson – Ke 17.10. klo 20.40, uusinta to 18.10. klo 16.40
Simo Kellokumpu – Ke 24.10. klo 20.40, uusinta to 25.10 klo 16.40
Sanna Kekäläinen – Ke 31.10. klo 20.40, uusinta to 1.11. klo 16.40
Johanna Tuukkanen – Ke 7.11. klo 20.40, uusinta to 8.11. klo 16.40
Hanna Brotherus – Ke 14.11. klo 20.40, uusinta to 15.11. klo 16.40
Liisa Pentti – Ke 21.11. klo 20.40, uusinta to 22.11. klo 16.40
Vera Nevanlinna – Ke 28.11. klo 20.40, uusinta to 29.11. klo 16.40
Ari Tenhula – Ke 5.12. klo 20.40, uusinta to 6.12. klo 16.40
Lisätietoa Kootut askeleet –sarjasta löytyy osoitteesta
www.yle.fi/teema/dokumentit/kootut_askeleet/
Lisätietoa kaikista koreografeista löytyy Tanssin Tiedotuskeskuksen Tanka-tietokannasta osoitteesta http://www.danceinfo.fi/tanka, sekä seuraavien taiteilijoiden omilta sivuilta:
Martin Heslop ja Minna Tuovinen, http://www.as2wrists.fi/
Sanna Kekäläinen, http://www.kekalainencompany.net/
Simo Kellokumpu, http://www.simokellokumpu.com/
Tommi Kitti, http://www.tommikitti.com/
Jenni Kivelä, http://www.jennikivela.com/
Vera Nevanlinna, http://www.veranevanlinna.com/info.html
Liisa Pentti, http://www.liisapentti.com/
Ari Tenhula, http://koti.welho.com/atenhula/
Johanna Tuukkanen, http://tuukkanen.net/
I love pink and hate intriguers
The first pink flower on our backyard.
My daughter noticed this one the other morning and dashed to see what it was like! Just a beauty, a miracle in the midst of the chaos.
…ordered some mineral make-up that arrived today…
kind of therapeutic in the middle of all the difficulties, questions, tasks, pain, work…
Had a conversation about the regional dance centre here and one person who thinks maybe a bit too highly of herself in relation to the dance centre. Who censors conversation, looks at art and dance with a quite narrow mind, who so strongly believes in her own view that cannot accept, acknowledge, respect, value or even listen to other views. Who thinks she’s always right. Who thinks she knows everything. I don’t really care about other people’s castles in the air but when they’re built in the costs of a larger community who this person thinks she has a right speak for without understanding, acknowledging, accepting or valuing the rest of the community, the differing opinions, then I just think it’s ignorant and quite stupid.
Johanna