Category Archives: Design

busy autumn

September and October are always such busy months for me. Partly because the ANTI Festival takes place in the end of September but not only. Autumn is also the time that artists and cultural organizations have to submit an insane number of applications in order to fund next year’s activities and also the period, when most of these activities are performed or shared with audiences. So there’s a lot going on, lot’s of future planning and grant writing – so much that it’s impossible to see everything that one is interested in. That’s a shame but at the same time, it’s ok, too. One shouldn’t really feel that it’s possible to see and follow everything, because it isn’t.

My autumn has also been unusually busy this year because I’ve started a new job in August as the arts programme manager of Finnish House of Dance in Helsinki. I’m super excited about the new and challenging job! It means I will spend more time in Helsinki and work in the field of dance much more closely than during the past few years. I’ve already visited Tanz Messe in Düsseldorf, Germany and seen quite a few performances. I saw the premiere of the new work Morphed by Tero Saarinen Company, Joona Halonen’s Nolla Nolla, Anne Hiekkaranta’s Conus Marmoreus!!! and Paula Tuovinen’s remake of Blondi as well as several works at Tanz Messe.

This week I attended Social Innovators Connected SIC!2014 conference in Helsinki. It was a very inspiring meeting of activists and organisers who run different kind of urban projects in different cities and countries. The participants were active individuals, communities and organizations working in the fields of culture, arts and sustainability and projects included cultural events, recycling, ecological lifestyles, local area development, promoting cycling, street carnivals, street art, multiculturalism, integration of immigrants and charity work. It was really nice to meet new people with whom I share similar values and who are active in their own cities encouraging dialogue, participation and sustainability.
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The conference was organized during Helsinki Design week which I haven’t really attended before, I don’t think. I’ve once visited Habitare fair a few years ago but that’s about it. I didn’t really have time to visit the different events this week but it was nice to notice them just by walking on the streets. But I did get to visit the HDW Design Market at the Cable Factory. What a great event! On the website it says that “the Design Market is the largest design outlet event in the Nordics and, year after year, one of the favourites of the Helsinki Design Week programme. For the tenth consecutive year, big and small brands gather to Kaapelitehdas to sell designs ranging from fashion and interior design to housewares. This time the event is bigger than ever”.
And yes, it was really busy and yes, there were great brands selling their designs at relatively good prices, some better than others. I had to check out my favourites like Terhi Pölkki, Lumi Accessories, Minna Parikka and Secto. There was also a quite a good representation of smaller and younger brands there such as Tauko Design whose Leijat trousers I tried on for the first time… and bought them, too! It was also nice that there was some street food, cafes, a wine bar etc etc. Me & my son enjoying the busy market on Saturday morning:
IMG_1178 IMG_1174 Upcoming weeks will be even busier as the ANTI Festival is in couple of weeks and before that, I will attend a meeting in Berlin and some events in Helsinki, too.

But tomorrow, I will have a day off! And I will sleep in, rest, stay at home and keep my hands off my computer.

Johanna

 

Map of Scars at Full Moon Dance Festival this week

This Sunday we are performing Map of Scars at the Full Moon Dance Festival in Pyhäjärvi, Finland. I’m so happy to re-visit Pyhäjärvi as it is the festival where my works have been performed more than at any other festival. I’ve performed Milk, Outstanding Performance and Acts of Clothing there. On Friday we are rehearsing in Kuopio and then travelling to Pyhäjärvi on Saturday and performing on Sunday, on the opening day of the festival. Hope to see you there!

The rest of my days 11-28 in Australia were busy with IETM Satellite meeting in Melbourne and the caravan to Sydney, my talk at the Arts House and research for my upcoming project and PhD. But I had a day off when I visited Healsville Sactuary, which was quite magical! And I’m so happy I did that day tour.

Walk in the rainforest:P1080210 P1080214At the William Ricketts Sanctuary:P1080353
My first ever Espresso Martini in Melbourne:IMG_1013
Spotted Marimekko magazine at the local laundry in South Melbourne: P1080360
A surprise guest at my door:P1080362Melbourne skyline from Footscray:P1080370
Wearing Marimekko and Minna Parikka:P1080514Visiting Heide Museum:P1080528NGV: P1080530 P1080532 P1080535A view from St Kilda where I went to watch pinguins at sunset:P1080539 P1080542 P1080545 P1080553 P1080555 P1080566Oysters at a premiere, Melbourne style:P1080587On a walk: P1080600 P1080603 P1080606 P1080608 P1080609 P1080611My talk:P1080589Australia was magical, inspiring, fun and an amazing opportunity to focus on my work and thoughts! So thank you ITAK, the regional dance centre of Eastern Finland and Moriarty’s Project in Melbourne. Also a big thank to Angharad Wynne-Jones, Sophie Travers and Alison Halit and everyone I met and hang out with!!!

When I came back from Australia, my days were busy with the upcoming ANTI Festival, my son’s graduation and Meet Johanna Tuukkanen performance.

Days of happiness, emotions, work, family, exhaustion, grief and disappointment…

Hope to see you in Pyhäjärvi!

Wishes, wishes,
Johanna

Melbourne days 6-10

 

 

My time here seems to fly!

The last days I’ve spent working in the studio, reading about cities by Nigel Thrift, on work emails, seeing performances at the Next Wave Festival (saw Fluvial and Kids killing kids on Saturday which were both great), meeting up with some friends, artists and organizers and wandering about in the city and in Fitzroy… It’s quite inspiring to be on my own!

I’m aware that my aspirations for this month are ambitious – too high. But I’m trying to make most of it! Working on my new project, my PhD, letting myself to be inspired and excited about works I see, artists and curators I meet…

Melbourne city with its famous Lanes is buzzing but quite relaxed. Melbournians are famous of their hospitality – and they deserve to be! I’ve had only one very rude encounter at the Next Wave Festival club Shebeen where a waitress treated me like I was the most irrelevant person on earth. Well, it was a busy Saturday night and I’m not a young trendy hipster but still… I don’t particularly feel that I want to spend my money there – since my order wasn’t really much of an importance to that particular waitress.

Some pics of the famous Lanes:
P1080153 P1080154 P1080156I don’t really understand what’s going on with the horses on Swinston St.?
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A Saturday afternoon walk from South Melbourne to the Queen Victoria Market:
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Had a great coffee at the Market Lane Coffee:
P1080167 P1080164 P1080169Popped into Uniqlo, one my favourite shops! They’ve just recently opened the first shop in Australia and it’s in Melbourne! So it’s pretty packed and busy… I love their ultra light down jackets, I have a few… But I spotted some Finnish design there as well! Horray Tove Jansson and the Moomins! Horray Paola Suhonen and Ivana Helsinki!
P1080170 P1080171 P1080173 Melbourne offers a great variety of amazing food… Here some Vietnamese steamed dumplings.
P1080176Another morning run in Albert Park: 
IMG_0957My home street! P1080184All Australian made! Leggings by Zoya. A treat for myself from Smith St., Fitzroy. IMG_0965Tomorrow I’m off to Healesville for a day trip. Have to get some sleep now!

Johanna

Melbourne day 5

Yes, good day of reading and research! Non-representational theory – very inspiring.

Since Melbourne is a city of great cafes and coffee, I googled for the best cafe in the neighborhood. The best recommendations by far were for St Ali on Yarra Pl so I that’s were I headed for a coffee. I wasn’t hungry so I just had a cappucino with a double shot of espresso and it was really smooth. I really liked the warehouse style of the place and probably will return for a breakfast or brunch one day. Anyway, really nice vibe, good looking trendy customers and great coffee!

Today was also a day of shoe repairs. Last night I was wearing Minna Parikka Cuniculus and realised at some point that I had lost a rubber sole of the other heel. So I had to find a shoe repair which was ok as I had brought a pair of shoes that needed rubber soles put on the leather sole anyway. So I got them both fixed today for 67 AUD which I think it’s a bit pricy but hopefully the quality is good. So my Minna Parikka Aurora pair got a rubber sole today, too!


After I picked up my shoes from the repairs, I popped into Melbournestyle, a beautiful shop on Clarendon St. which I also discovered online. The shop was absolutely beautiful with exhibition space upstairs and Lex from the staff was really generous and friendly. They had a great selection of books, accessories and jewelry, bags, scarfs, cards, cups and the like. I also spotted Marimekko and Iittala brands there. What a delightful visit! And since it’s…well mother’s day soon, I got myself a little present.

The evening I spent studying non-representational theory and sipping some Swords Pinot Grigio.

Johanna

Melbourne day 3

Slept well, thanks to melatonin! Went to South Melbourne Market in the afternoon, really nice.
P1080109 P1080110 P1080111 P1080114Me and Terhi Pölkki shoes: P1080116 P1080119I love Melbourne! Bought this gorgeous Swords red wine at the South Melbourne Market in a returnable 3 AUD deposit bottle.
“These wine bottles are sanitized and refilled in our North Melbourne facility making them a environmentally friendly choice to drink from. When a bottle is returned to one of our retail stores or alternatively left out when we deliver your next order a $3 per bottle or $36 per case refund is credited to your account.” And every 10th bottle is free! P1080124P1080130

The afternoon was spent with emails & a skype meeting… Not really as I planned but I’m happy that I had a proper night’s sleep. Back to research and studio tomorrow.

In the evening I went to the city to ACMI to see Hello There, We’ve Been Waiting For You as part of the Next Wave Festival. P1080126 P1080127 P1080128 P1080131After the show, had a wonderful dinner with Angharad and Rajni. Thank you! Feeling happy and grateful.

Johanna

Network meeting in Milan

I’m part of the Space2 Destination project and the last meeting of the current network was last week in Milan. I’ve never visited Milan before so it was really inspiring to get to know the city a little bit, visit different areas and sites and of course to meet with my collegues. The meeting was organized during Uovo performing arts festival so I also saw performances each night.

An afternoon walk in the city centre around Duomo:

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A visit to Museo delle Culture which is still being built and under construction. Can you see the Alvar Aalto shapes or is it just me?

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Near the Liveinslums Headquarters:

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A visit to HangarBicocca:
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HangarBicocca‘s exhibition spaces were just insanely massive… Insane, indescribable…

Milan offered lovely risottos and pastas, amazing ice-cream, good wine and Spritz and of course the weather in Southern Europe is just really nice in the spring… And style… I’m not sure any city in the world can beat Milan!

Johanna

focus on home

Since I’ve been performing at home, I’ve also had some time to think about the small needs I have on home decoration and things I’ve been dreaming of for a long time… This package arrived today with Muuto Dots and Hay tea towels… Such beautiful colours, materials and design. Bliss! It’s amazing how happy one can be about tea towels and hooks to hang one’s bags in the home office! There’s a Muuto Dots campaign at the moment in  the Finnish Design Shop, so have a look if you like them!




I love the colours and the details of the tea towels! Sometimes I really do think that winter is such a beautiful time of year; time to turn inwards, to home and candles, warmth, cozyness, sauna, wool, intimacy…

Johanna

Thoughts for the week

I will be working all week in Kuopio. I’m doing EU admin and stuff like that, so during the day time pretty much sitting in the office. Being in Kuopio allows a good exercise rhythm at the Element Studio (today indoor cycling and dynamic stretching) which is great. I will be doing some more indoor cycling this week, as well as cross training, Kinesis and kettle bell. I passed today the newly opened restaurant Urban and I think I have to go and have lunch there this week. It wasn’t open as I walked by early in the morning but it surely looked great. It’s definitely the only restaurant in Kuopio with Eames DSW chairs with wooden legs! Hey, it’s about time…

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about space, place, urban planning and cities (for example Massey and Lehtovuori). It’s so inspiring and exciting. I still have to complete a chapter of Massey’s For Space and then read some articles for my next essay. I recently received support from the Finnish Cultural Foundation for my upcoming work and all this reading is very important for that piece, too. I also need to get going with the process of the upcoming work but it’s always such a big step for me to start pinning down ideas… I rather leave things open and undecided as long as possible – but that’s not so great always.

The spring is approaching quickly and days are filled with more light and sun. The week before last I cycled to work a few times but now we again have more snow and it’s again colder. But I’m so much looking forward to the ice free roads, runs and cycling to work!

My spring looks very busy and challenging. Lots of work, several trips abroad and a lot to read and write. But I’m really looking forward to my trips to Oslo, Dublin, Brussels, Chicago and New York. Of course exercise is going to be a great challenge because of the traveling. For me it’s really difficult to maintain a balanced work out routine when I’m traveling and away for home a lot. I wonder if it’s ever going to get any easier… Probably just more difficult! But oh how much I’m looking forward to the Marcolini chocolates in Brussels! And what to do and get from New York? I’m so happy to be revisiting Chicago and New York – it’s almost embarrassing.

My adopted sister Maija is currently in Australia. Earlier this year I found out about the Chanel CC cream but unfortunately, it’s not available in Europe or North America – at least not yet. But Maija flew via Singapore and I asked her to check out if the CC cream would be available there… So yesterday she texted me saying that she’s got the CC cream for me! Isn’t it weird how excited one can get about make up and cosmetics..? I bought the Armani Maestro make up fluid from Berlin earlier this year (with Maija) but I haven’t been 100% happy with that product… Maybe the Chanel CC cream is the solution, especially for the summer…

Are you a fan of the HBO series Girls? I’m going to watch a few episodes now.

Happy belated international women’s day!

Johanna

gigs in Oulu were great

This is a long overdue post but I had such a great time in Oulu with the MAP OF SCARS team earlier in Feb that I just have to post a few lines about it.

Of course it was such a pleasure to hang out with my gorgeous performers and light designer Ainu but also the technical team at Valve was fantastic to work with. Everything went so smoothly, they did a great job, the space looked good and both shows were full. Here are a couple of photos of the space by Ainu:




Besides all this, I also really enjoyed spending a week in Oulu. My top things were the beautifully renovated swimming hall Raati, the numerous Indian, Sushi and Thai restaurants, Stockmann department store (with i.e. Armani make up), Nanso shop with Lumi Accessories handbags, Non Boutique selling Finnish designer clothes and for example Finsk shoes and of course Pikisaari, where I stayed. So in short, Oulu gave a really good impression! Well done.

Right now I’m on my way to Helsinki to give an interview but other than that, the last weeks have been filled by usual beginning of the year admin work for ANTI Festival, myself and Live Umbrella. But the spring and summer seem to be shaping up rather nicely – more later!

Johanna

in Stockholm

I have the luxury to spend a couple of days in Stockholm before traveling to Uppsala where I’ll perform on Thursday.

Last night I hardly got any sleep as I had so much work to finish before the trip that I was really late packing. I had maybe 1-2 hours sleep before getting up at 4am so was rather exhausted. Luckily my flights were on time and all went smoothly. I arrived in my hotel in Södermalm very early and was rather doubtful that they would have any rooms available but they did and gave me one at something like 10am. I was so happy and had a little nap before heading off to town for my business.

In the evening I went to visit Fotografiska and ended up walking a route that took me to completely new places in Stockholm. Here are a few pictures from the way.













Nicest thing today has been speaking Swedish – after my course in academic Swedish this spring I really really enjoy catching up with the language. And now it’s just lovely to be able to speak better Swedish and use the language. Great! You never know where life takes you.

Hope to see you in Uppsala on Thursday!

Johanna