An image from soft skin / harsh life performed in Gallery Carree, in Kuopio, Finland.
Photograph by Pekka Mäkinen.
Category Archives: Dance
Thoughts
Things have been kind of hectic lately and I haven’t had the possibility to reflect on anything or write my blog. The beginning of the year is kind of hard to handle for me as I don’t have continuous artist’s grant or jobs and I’m kind of on top of nothing wondering how to pay the bills and balance the situation with the family. Well, I have a couple of things coming up but they are not enough to sustain the situation so it takes sometimes a lot of effort to try stay focused and calm and not to stress to death.
My performances last week in Helsinki went well although in general I found the trip really exhausting and energy consuming. Without the help of two lovely Maijas, I wouldn’t have survived the circumstances. I’m really grateful to them but realize that I cannot always travel around with two personal assistants. So better help and support from the organisers is definitely needed in the future.
On Monday was the first shooting of Suomi express, a weekly TV-programme at the Finnish national television in which I participate every third week. It was quite fun and nice. It came out on the 30th of Jan and you can watch it online at Yle Areena for another week or so here http://areena.yle.fi/toista?id=1053086. You can also search for Suomi express at Yle Areena and you’ll find the programs available. I will be commenting on some current topics with Atik Ismail every third week at least for the spring. It’s funny not to know who watches the program (it’s broadcasted prime time) and many people have said that they saw it. On Friday I went to the gym and think some people recognized me from the program as I felt I was strangely under scrutiny.
I’ve done several grant reports this week, visited tax office and tried to sort out my home office, which is a real chaos. Today I threw away probably a ton of papers and magazines but still it feels like a mess. I installed a new printer today so it’s getting a bit better to work in the office but most things are not in their place yet. I do feel tired of all the unfinished things as they are everywhere you turn. But I found an invitation to take part in a medical research which I had completely forgot. They are making a research on diabetes and as part of that you’ll get information about your blood (like cholesterol etc.), liver and kidneys. I think I’ll take part, at least I get to know something more about my health as I don’t have any regular health service provided which people in proper jobs have.
Johanna
Artist’s Body of Work
There are painters who have worked with the same material, similar colors and one theme throughout their carrier, for 30 years. There are live artists who work with the imagery of burlesque in each of their work and don’t we all know live artists who work with cutting and bleeding in their art, in every work they do.
After the overwhelmingly positive feedback of soft skin / harsh life and Festive work, I’m left thinking how in contemporary dance or in performance someone can see that as a weakness? That an artist has a style, individual take on a certain theme or subject, a personal way of working she or he has developed over the years? And how many writers there are that in their personal way write about similar issues over and over again, and how that is just fine? What is a personal handwriting of a contemporary dance maker or a performer? And why she or he shouldn’t have one? Why should s/he jump from one aesthetic, method or concept into another in each work?
I am definitely proud of the body of work I have created and yes, there are methods of working I have developed and that I will stick to. There are also certain themes of sensuality and femininity that I will be always working with. And this I see as a strength, not a weakness.
Johanna
Reservations for the upcoming performances 10.-13.1.
To make a reservation, please email info @ tuukkanen.net (remove the spaces on both side of @) or call/sms +358 (0)50 3800 979.
See you there!
Johanna
Video clips…
from the upcoming performance soft skin/harsh life:
Videos by Maija Hirvanen.
New clothes
Last week I went to visit Hammi and Maikku of Lustwear to get outfits for the upcoming works. Today we rehearsed wearing them with the three women and they were all really great. The clothes I mean. I’m actually amazed how well they suited the performers and they all looked great in their dresses alone and together. Hooray! I haven’t done a run through of the solo piece wearing the new dresses as yet, but I’ll try to do that on Wednesday or Thursday the latest. I have a couple of possibilities to try out if the long dress turns out to be too difficult. I hope I can wear it as it is totally amazing and so so beautiful. I’ll see.
I have been struggling with the ending of the Festive work for some days now. I thought I had it all figured out last week, but suddenly it just started to get worse and worse and worse. Now I feel a bit like I don’t know what to do as I don’t want to let go of it. But I saw some light in it today again…it wasn’t the best thing I’ve seen but there was something there again. I know I need to give more time to it, trust it. It is there, somewhere, I know.
I should get the brochure from the print tomorrow. Exciting!
Hope you are all well.
Johanna
The new works
You can download the brochure of the new works soft skin / harsh life and Festive work here soft skin/harsh life & festive work pdf.
They will be premiered in Kuopio, Finland on January the 10th 2008. The performances run from the 10th to 13th of January at the Gallery Carree at 3 pm and 7 pm every day.
See you there!
Johanna
An image
…of the photo shoot on Wednesday with my three women. In the image Sanna Valkeapää, Mirva Mattila and Anniina Aunola. Photo by Pekka Mäkinen.
showing
Today was tough but good. For the first time I showed my new work soft skin / harsh life to two people. Ohhh…. it’s always so scary and exciting! I mean terrible. But I survived and actually enjoyed it. It was really good to perform and I was so beautifully encouraged that it gave me new energy and confidence to go on. It’s strange how much I have been moving and somehow it does feel good and right for this work. But there are a lot of questions to be solved in terms of timing, the video and photography. For some reason I’m not worried and I have a good team to rely on. Maija showed some video clips and some of them I really really loved! It’s exciting to see what kind of shape this all finds together.
The day after tomorrow we’ll be shooting press photos for the group work, I’m full on working with the press material and the graphic designer is working on the brochure. And of course, there are several grant applications to send it this week.
Hope you are well.
Johanna
Notes on the first run through of soft skin / harsh life
It was 45 minutes long. That’s ok. A bit long though, but ok. Can tighten up. There’s a lot of text, too much?
It feels as if I’m talking all the time. While moving, then reading using the microphone, then moving and talking again, then reading with the microphone again. I like the repetition though, what comes up when you repeat, when you look at this moving and talking, sensual body with stretching skin, then just standing and talking to the microphone (Good guide for skincare, why not try these out). Putting on the high heels (guess they should be higher?), bringing the cosmetic in. Now I’ve just laid it all on the floor, I like that it’s a mess, all these expensive luxurious treasures.
Questions:
1. Should the promises text be spoken out while moving?
2. Should the cosmetics be used more directly?: “This is my two years of moisturizing and rejuvenation. This is what I have been promised. That’s what I want, yes, that’s what we all need and want and desire…Heaven.â€
(I guess I could also bring the cosmetics I’m using now, not only the empty ones? Could I ?)
Ehkä voisin laittaa esille useampia rasvoja, kuin paletille ja sitten valita niistä mitä laitan mihinkin?
I have this movement section in which I’m posing. I’m imagining it at the moment in relation to the video but this is very unclear as the video is not finished. But there’s one section where I lay on the ground on my belly on the video and I’m imagining doing the same in the performance. How is it to watch an image of a body and to watch the real body, the one holding in the thick red liquids and jams? The bleeding body?
I like the last section with a bench. I don’t understand it though, not yet, but it’s also a connection to the group piece, and my intention is to kind of slide from the solo to the group piece. There’s something about when I’m lying on the bench wearing a skirt and high heels that reminds me of Marilyn Monroe. That hasn’t been my conscious intention but I don’t mind it.
I have to bring a video camera tomorrow.
Something about the mundane, everyday appearance and the sensual moving body, a big body, which is not so often seen.
I feel I’m getting somewhere. I’m definitely going to abandon some of the text I’ve used. I have also been in touch with a costume designer and we’ll meet in Helsinki after I come back from Norway. I’ve spoken to a new graphic designer and send him some material and I hope we could work in the new project together. Let’s se what he says. I don’t know if it’s going to be about the money.
J