Category Archives: Live Art

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:
IMG_0941

P1080158

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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 4

My sleeping is still all weird. But got some reading of non-representational theory done. Very good. And I’m really into it, but need to read more.

In the evening I saw three performances at the Next Wave Festival. Natalie Abbots Maximum, Madonna Arms, and Club 3.0. Great night! Was also really nice to catch up with Sophie and Angharad.

On my way to Arts House Meat Market I popped into the Vans store to have a look at shoes that my daughter would like to get. Didn’t buy shoes but got a coffee cup for free! Nice, I actually need it.

Johanna

Melbourne day 2

Jetlag.
An early morning run/walk to St. Kilda. 11 km.
Strength training at the studio.
Alexander technique and stretching.
Music and a short improvisation.
Smoked salmon and feta salad.
Emails.
Facetime with my son.
Fireplace lit.
Non-representational theory.
A sleeping pill.

After a rather restless and sleepless night I went for an early morning walk/run/jog around Albert Park and St. Kilda. It was windy and raining on and off but I really enjoyed it. I was carrying my camera, iPhone and keys.


Johanna

beginning of my PhD

It was such a great experience to visit Zodiak in Helsinki with Map of Scars in February! Four beautiful performances, touching moments, tears, friends, lovely dinners and great talks. I’m always over optimistic about my time and energy and of course, I didn’t manage to do as many things as I had hoped. But I really enjoyed being a visiting artist at Zodiak and being in Helsinki… So thank you to our audience and to the Zodiak crew!

Since the beginning of March, I’m focusing on my PhD for the rest of the spring and working only part time. I’m really excited but also struggling a little bit to find a rhythm between reading, writing, ANTI work and my training. At the moment I’m reading theoretical background including Bruno Latour, Niklas Luhmanna and Nigel Thrift…

Johanna

 

Meet Johanna Tuukkanen

The first weekend of Meet Johanna Tuukkanen performances is over. It has been such an exciting process… Working with someone outside the art world has been really inspiring and great but it hasn’t made making of the performance easy. So I’m truly happy that anaesthesiology specialist Johanna Tuukkanen from Jyväskylä is actully performing with me and that I’ve been able to create a structure in which we both feel comfortable and confident. And I’m so super happy that Johanna Tuukkanen is part of the performance and I’m so happy to have met her and to have gotten to know her better. We’ll do 4 more performances next weekend, you are most welcome!

Fri 22.11.2013 at 6.30pm
Sat 23.11.2013 at 1.30pm & 6.30pm
Sun 24.11.2013 at 5.30pm

Remember the absolutely necessary pre-booking: info@tuukkanen.net or + 358  (0)40 708 0005 / Asta Elijoki!!!!!

Audience arriving through the forest:


The venue:

Shots from the performance:



Audience leaving:

Examples of images in the space:

Johanna & MeAll photographs by Pekka Mäkinen.

Hope to see you next weekend! Welcome.

Johanna

IETM in Athens

I just arrived yesterday in Athens to participate in the IETM meeting. I’m really looking forward to all the events and talks but also to get to know this city that I haven’t visited before!
Yesterday happened to be my birthday as well and I had a great walk around Plaka and Psyrri, gorgeous dinner on Iron Square and fun with my collegue Maija.



See you in Athens!

Johanna

update

I have been so inactive with my blog because I’ve been so busy otherwise. I’ve had so many things going on that posting short notes here hasn’t felt right nor that important. And then as time goes by, it becomes more and more difficult to write anything…

I have been involved and will be sharing my experience at the Writing Movement project which is an exciting initiative to consider writing practices around contemporary dance. I was part of the seminar in Kuopio in June and will continue now in  the end of September in Helsinki.

In June I attended the amazing Performance Studies International conference at Stanford University and was one of the panelist in ‘Eco Art Performance: Deep Time and the Now of Environmental Performance‘ panel with just an amazing group of women! I talked about my performance work along with our chair Jennie Klein, Natalie Loveless, Dee Heddon and Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens… The whole PSI#19 experience was incredible and I heard so many exciting panels and lectures and met inspiring friends and collegues. Here I am with Jennie:


After the PSI#19 in Stanford, I got to spend a couple of days in the Redwoods with Annie & Beth and then almost a week In San Francisco. I was feeling incredibly lucky but also very guilty of not working on my thesis when I was in California. So I actually spent some time reading and I guess having had that time to think and reflect my thesis and its problems helped me to gather the energy and direction I desperately needed to carry on.

In the Redwoods:

In SF:

So when I came back home, I continued my thesis and spent my entire summer holiday working on it, 7 days a week as many hours per day that I possibly could think straight. But it is done and I have completed my studies, hurray! So I’m a very proud holder of MA in Cultural Policy. If you are interested, here’s the link to my thesis “Vedet seisahtuu, liikenteet pysähtyy”: kokemuksia uuden julkisen taiteen kohtaamisesta ANTI – Contemporary Art Festivalilla. It’s in Finnish.


I felt so bad spending the entire summer at my desk that after the final version of the thesis was sent off, I went to Helsinki with the kids for a couple of days. And we had such a wonderful time! I haven’t been ‘on holiday’ in Helsinki for ages so it was just so great hang around with the kids, eat in nice restaurants, swim in the sea in Mustikkamaa, visit Korkeasaari, Heureka, Linnanmäki, URB Festival and Flow Festival…




Last week I was in Brussels where we had a first meeting of Destinations project. Destinations is a project for curators who curate works in and for public spaces. So we had inspiring but intensive days sharing our practices and presenting our festivals or organizations, discussing public space, art & activism and audience participation. And I got to meet some friends like Rebecca French! Lovely.

Since spring I’ve been working on my new work which is going to premiere in Kuopio in November. It’s an exciting project but also very complicated in new and different ways for me so I’m not yet talking about it very much… But I will soon, I promise!

And the 12th ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival starts next week! Have a look at the programme and get ready for unexpected encounters in the city centre of Kuopio!!! And don’t forget the Exploring the city and the everyday life International seminar on Thursday the 26th of  September. I’m so much looking forward to it.

Anyhow, sorry for not having been active here. But as you can see, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been active elsewhere. You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook…

Johanna