Category Archives: Design

exercising and preparations for shows

So next week we kick off with two shows of Twirling World. Monday will be stressful with technical rehearsals, building up the space, getting all the little bits and pieces together. But itâ€™s great to perform the piece again! I just hope weâ€™ll have audience. Iâ€™ve bought new silver blankets and tights for the show, also Tecni Pli to do my hair with Ghdâ€¦

This week Iâ€™ve taken it pretty easy and spent time at home. Iâ€™ve done some wallpapering, a lot of Kinesis and functional training as well as Zumba. Outi at the Functional Studios leads fantastic Zumba classes! They are a great way of getting aerobic exercise and she sure makes you sweat and jump so that your heart rate hits the max. I cycled to the city a couple of times this week but the roads were rather icy and dangerous (especially without winter tyresâ€¦). And the snowstorm yesterday didnâ€™t make me happy either. But today is sunny andÂ above zero degrees so Iâ€™m hoping the snow melts quickly so that I can start cycling on a regular basis.

All the ladies clothes and jackets were on sale (-40%) in Anttila and after my training today I went to have a look if they have any nice Nanso dresses, skirts or tops. Anttilaâ€™s clothing section is not really for me but some of Nansoâ€™s clothes I like and came home with two tops.

Now itâ€™s time to go and listen to Jukka Poika and Raappana at Kulttuuriareena 44!Â And since the gig is open to all ages Iâ€™m going with my son.

See you there?

Johanna

Back to work and exercise routines

Last week has been so freezing in Kuopio, all over Finland I guess. The days are gorgeous though – bright, sunny and the landscape is covered by tons of snow but itâ€™s sooooo cold. A couple of hours in the afternoon feel pretty ok after the sun has been shining all morning but as soon as it goes down again, the cold hits really hard. So it hasnâ€™t been a real pleasure to spend much time exercising outdoors although Iâ€™ve done a few Nordic walks.

Since I came back from Australia, Iâ€™ve been getting back to my normal routines. The last three weeks Iâ€™ve exercised pretty intensively at the Functional studio and really enjoyed myself! Lots of Kinesis and Functional training but also Zumba, for the first time in my life! Iâ€™ve missed so much aerobic exercise that I was quite miserable until I realized that the Zumba classes work at least as well as a run. And itâ€™s so much fun to dance and sweat to the holiday rhythms of calypso, salsa and reggae!

Do you remember when I wrote last autumn that I want a hybrid bicycle? Well, Iâ€™ve just bought one! Yes, itâ€™s a bit crazy but Iâ€™ve thought about it so much that Iâ€™m convinced that this was a good investment. The sad thing is that it has been so cold that is has been practically impossible to ride much but Iâ€™ve done a few short tests and I love it! My bicycle is Merida S-Presso 700 with hydraulic disc brakes, beautiful matt black and sleek design.

Now that I have the bike, I realize that I also should have all kinds of gears to be able to take full advantage of it but I have to take it slow. I canâ€™t possibly buy a whole set of wind stopper cloths, gloves, cycling bags and shoes etc. all at once! Iâ€™ve bought a helmet, for the first time in my life, and thatâ€™s pretty much what I can afford at the moment. But to be able to cycle to work on a regular basis, I need to get these Ortlieb panniers. I really love the white line!

About work

Some of you know that Iâ€™ve started to work with the support of the Arts Council of Finlandâ€™s three year artist grant in January. This year I will not be producing any new performances or shows but Iâ€™m doing a lot of research as well as touring and performing Twirling World and Acts of Clothing. Iâ€™m working on an international collaboration with Rebecca French from FrenchMottershead and Iâ€™m very very excited about it! The downfall has been that I havenâ€™t been able to raise much funding for the project which is to premiere in 2012 and not this year. I find it rather disturbing and Iâ€™m not really sure how to proceed with the project. Weâ€™ve got 2 000 â‚¬ from the Regional arts council of North Savo but you might be able to imagine that it isnâ€™t much of anything for an international collaboration. So weâ€™ll see how that goes and what the rest of the foundations say.

Tomorrow I start rehearsing Twirling World with Sonja and we have shows coming up in Kuopio in March. Iâ€™m a bit scared to return to that work which as a performer, was quite challenging for me. So Iâ€™ll see how I feel next week.

Iâ€™ve been also really really shocked by the City of Kuopio cutting ANTI Festivalâ€™s funding. We have a tenth anniversary of the festival and a lot of special programme planned to celebrate that in the city of Kuopio, a book coming up by a national publisher and the fourth year of A Space for Live Art project going on. So WTF???? I donâ€™t really know what to think.

Johanna

post holiday blues and travel preparations

There wasn’t much anything special about the holidays besides the luxury of time. The time to do things that in the normal everyday do not get enough attention, do not have enough peace around to be able to happen.
So I read books. I knitted. I made a lamp (pic to be appeared later).

I knitted a floor pillow. And not only the cover, I also sewed the pillow inside the knitted one. The carpet is Tempo 207 by Hanna Korvela Design.

Besides Australia & Sydney travel guides, I read quite a few books during the holidays. The best one was Raja by Riikka Pulkkinen and now I’m reading LuokkaretkellÃ¤ hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa which is quite thought provoking and inspiring.

I’ve made some preparations for the trip and finally bought a new suitcase! Love this Samsonite Aeris spin case:

And Sari from Visio cut & dyed my hair on Saturday. I think I’m slowly getting ready for the long journey to Australia…

Johanna

on blogging

My friend Vilja stayed with us the other day and it turned out that she was having a conversation with someone about my blog. And more specifically, about my relationship to commodities. Vilja explained that trough my art, she had thought or interpreted that my relationship to commodities is more critical than it appears from my blog.

Itâ€™s really nice to hear something like that and I wish that she and people wondering about this blog would comment posts more actively. But Vilja hit a point in a way, as Iâ€™m struggling a lot at the moment with the blog. Those of you who blog, are all familiar with these problems, Iâ€™m sure, but for me there are so many concerns going on that I donâ€™t really know what to write about. And as you know, I tweet, so I use Twitter for micro blogging, writing short tweets daily. And as Iâ€™ve wanted to keep this blog as a â€˜life style blogâ€™ as supposed to narrowing the theme into something like artist diary, a diary about the process of creating performances, or something specific like a fashion or a diet blog. So I write about my life as an artist and artistic director; about things that inspire me, what Iâ€™m busy with, what Iâ€™m working on or simply what is happening. So this could be anything.
And as a blogger, you have no control over your readers, and as Iâ€™m working somewhat publically, Iâ€™ve become acutely aware that there are certain things about my life that I donâ€™t want for example the funders of my work to read. And this, strangely, has partly to do with my love and passion for design and some designers that inspire me and bring joy into my life.

But why is it, that design as a source of inspiration and joy, is often seen as more commercial and superficial than for example literature and music? We all know that creative industries are a big business and literature and music play definitely a huge part in that business.

So, a confession:
I love design. Some people, including Vilja, might think that Iâ€™m a brand junkie, but that is not true. I simply love good design where the genius of the designer manifests itself in a brilliant idea. So I donâ€™t care so much about the brand or the designer, as long as the idea hits me, thatâ€™s enough. Of course there are some designers that I follow and whoâ€™s work Iâ€™m interested in, but unless they come up with something that turns me on, Iâ€™m just not going to buy their items just for the name sake. Their work has to inspire me intelligently, but of course it has to function well, appeal aesthetically and bring enlightenment to the every day. (Equally, there are designers I dislike or who represent something I donâ€™t want to be associated with. )

A great design item could perhaps be compared to a gorgeous meal. You can eat and get all the nutrition you need from boiled rice, cooked veggies and a piece of tofu or fish or chicken but this all could also be brought to the next level and be eaten in a beautiful dish that brings joy not only for the belly but to the eye and the taste buds â€“ and could be shared in a lovely social gathering of friends and loved ones.

Another confession:
I fancy certain commodities. These are at the moment
1.Â Â Â a hybrid bicycle
2.Â Â Â any kind of bicycle for my partner (he doesnâ€™t have one)
3.Â Â Â hiking boots
4.Â Â Â iPhone
5.Â Â Â an armchair (ok, one or two)

Ok, change of subject.
This week has been so busy that Iâ€™m not going to match my exercising targets. Itâ€™s a shame. But it hasnâ€™t been a bad week. I went twice to Kinesis work out and once water running. And Iâ€™ve worked quite intensively although not very physically with Sonja, so I think itâ€™s all ok. Next week Iâ€™m off to Helsinki with Sonja to do some background studies for the upcoming showâ€¦ Weâ€™ll check out a Burlesque club and participate in two workshops by Miss Indigo Blue. Should be fun!!!

When I came home from the swimming pool today, this ermine was jumping and running in the backyard & forest.

Photos by Pekka MÃ¤kinen.

Hope youâ€™ll have a nice week. Let me know your thoughts and comments.

Johanna

Long time no see

ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival kept me very very busy but we finished the festival last week successfully. I had a great time, the works were very inspiring, touching, moving, disturbing, fun and everything the works of ANTI should be.

Now Iâ€™m moving my thoughts towards my new upcoming performance and although it still feels very distant and strange, Iâ€™m beginning to get excited. Thatâ€™s good. So Iâ€™ve been sorting out rehearsal schedules and it looks like itâ€™s somehow going to be possible to create. I think.

Iâ€™ve been so happy about my green coat. This is a coat I bought years ago in Stavanger in Norway from a fair trade shop. I somehow fell in love with the color although it was otherwise a bit strange. I thought it was kind of too long for me, the buttons were strange and there werenâ€™t enough of them and it had weird velcro straps that were supposed to close it but it didnâ€™t really work. I think I wore it a few times in Stavanger but I donâ€™t remember having worn the coat ever in Finland because it was somehowâ€¦. strangeâ€¦â€¨Anyway, as I was complaining that I cannot afford to buy a new coat for the autumn (my old black one is seriously worn out), I suddenly remembered the green coat! I thought I could bring it to a dressmaker and get it somehow redone so that it could become my â€˜new autumn coatâ€™.Â So thatâ€™s what I did and Iâ€™ve been wearing it a lot. Warm, funky color â€“ and itâ€™s new without buying anything new!

Shoes Minna Parikka, stockings Wolford, scarf Marco Polo

I had a little break from training during the extremely busy ANTI days but I did participate in the ANTI 10K â€“ Run Write Run! It was actually the first time I ran 10k after my knee surgery. My knee still feels a bit weird but it was ok. It didnâ€™t hurt but I couldnâ€™t run very hard either. I had a shorter run the other day and my knee was a bit achy and I felt the same yesterday in the functional training. So I have to be careful.

Now Iâ€™m off to town with my daughter on our bikes. Itâ€™s not winter yet.

Johanna

busy autumn days

Days and weeks just fly past as Iâ€™m so busy with the upcoming ANTI Festival, planning my new production, training and just the normal daily life. I caught again some kind of virus and have a flue which is really annoying. Itâ€™s not very bad at the moment and I went to quite hard functional training on Friday and Nordic walking today. I also have a Kinesis training today. I hope the flue doesnâ€™t get worse. I was planning to have a dinner with Rosie Dennis tonight but Rosie, who arrived in Kuopio yesterday, had also woken up with a sore throat so we decided to dine another day. But Iâ€™m really looking forward to meeting Rosie tomorrow! Itâ€™s more than a year ago since I last saw her.

Yesterday I quickly popped into town to see if the local Marimekko shop had this skirt.

Those of you who have seen my Acts of Clothing performance know that I have mixed feelings about Marimekko but there are usually one or two items in their collections that I like. And the Marimekko shops in Kuopio NEVER have them. I donâ€™t understand who makes the choices what they buy in and on what basis! So I already knew yesterday that they wonâ€™t have the skirt or that it would be very unlikely that they would, but just to be a pain in the ass, I went and asked anyway. And of course the answer was no. So not much reasons to visit the shopsâ€¦

On Thursday I finally got my green coat from the dressmaker where it was fixed. Itâ€™s a coat Iâ€™ve bought in Stavanger, Norway, some years ago but it never really suited me. It was too long and the buttons were strange and one of them came off etc. So as I was feeling fed up with my worn out black coat, I suddenly remembered that maybe something could be done to the green coat to make it wearable. So it was shortened, buttons were changed and more buttons added. And now I love it! I will take a picture of it soon and post it here. The green is rather intense and Iâ€™m sure some people will hate it. But Iâ€™m really into it. In fact, I bought a pair of Wolfordâ€™s green tights to match the coat. And Iâ€™m sure it will look great with the United Nude Fold shoes that Gregg in bringing me from London. I can hardly wait!

Oh, last week I was again asked to become a candidate for the parliament election but I said no. Iâ€™m honored to be considered a candidate but itâ€™s really not on my agenda, maybe some day, but not now.

Anyway, another crazily busy week ahead but so exciting. Itâ€™s almost ANTI time with an amazing selection of international artists and w wonderful conference and seminar programme. Iâ€™m sooooo much looking forward to it all.

Hope to see you all around.

Johanna

interior design

Iâ€™ve dreamed about the Kartell Bourgie lamp for years and finally bought it today. Actually, I was out looking for an armchair â€“ something Iâ€™ve searched for a while now but havenâ€™t found the right one. Either they donâ€™t please me aesthetically, they cost a fortune or the ones that would fit into our house donâ€™t provide the comfort and functions I would like. So I bought the Bourgie, which I absolutely love and which I think suits our bedroom perfectly. Or what do you think?

A few weeks ago I bought the Luhta Home bedcover and pillow cases which I think suit very well the Cole & Son Malabar wallpaper.

Johanna

Jee!

Lumene is back with a loose powder, this time translucent mineral powder! I havenâ€™t tried it yet but refuse to think that it wouldnâ€™t be at least as good as the old loose powder. To my total surprise, I learned some time ago that Lumene had stopped making the loose powder, which I had used for years both in my private life as well as on stage. Occasionally, I tired other loose powders as well (Chanel, Dior, Blascoâ€¦), but always came back to Lumene. So I was shocked and didnâ€™t know what to do. I tried Chanel, Max Factor and the latest try was Loreal but I wasnâ€™t satisfied! So when I was in Helsinki, complaining to my friend Maija how badly the Loreal powder was doing the job, she later texted me that Lumene is back with a new mineral loose powder. So today when I quickly popped into town and Anttilaâ€™s second floor, I looked if the powder was there and yes it was. I didnâ€™t hesitate for a minute. There was also a Lumene representative in the shop (wearing Nansoâ€™s dress) and I quickly told her how devastated I had been when they stopped making the loose powder. Apparently, I wasnâ€™t the only one as they had received so many complaints that now they finally came back with a new one. Iâ€™m not a total fan of Lumene but there are a few products I do like, for example the Time Freeze Instant Lift Serum. Today, inspired by the powder and the representative, for the first time I bought their Wild Rose Lipstick in a new wonderful vintage red color called Joy of Brightness. Iâ€™ve only tested it tonight but feels good.

In Helsinki I met with my web master and discussed about updating the site. One thing Iâ€™ve been thinking a lot is whether I should remove the blog from the site and have it somewhere separately. He and few other people Iâ€™ve talked about it with, think that I should keep the blog on this site (we will remove it from the front page, though). They say that my life is my work and my work is often about the everyday, the observations about the everyday, the small and sometimes insignificant things that occur, happen and I come across. But it is exactly posts like this that Iâ€™m hesitating to post on this site! Iâ€™m very conscious of writing about my interest and inspiration of design â€“weather itâ€™s about design of furniture, cutlery, clothes or shoes-, fashion, traveling etc. People have such strong views of high & low art although it is often exactly that boarder that my work also touchesâ€¦

Anyway, in Helsinki I also had a heated discussion with one choreographer whether my work is dance. Maybe more about that in another post!

Johanna

Riga & Cesis & Helsinki

Last week I spent five days in Latvia. First I had two days off which I spent with Pekka in Riga and then we travelled to Cesis for the Cesis Art Festival and Care to Create conference where I gave a talk / discussion with Eric de Visscher.
The contemporary are festival was a great experience and I enjoyed both the programme and the conference a lot. And it was wonderful to meet so many collegues from Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Iceland. The opening of the festival including the concert of contemporary music titled Joy was a real experience.

Riga:

My hair pin from Akiko, sunglasses Ray-Ban Jackie Ohh, handbag LumiAccessories, T-shirt Paco Chicano

Cesis:

My dress Vero Moda ‘Very’ collection, handbag LumiAccessories, shoes Minna Parikka

My glasses Dolce & Gabbana

Right after returning from Latvia, I travelled to Helsinki to work with Gregg and Laura on the ANTI Festival. Despite the heat, we had a great time. By surprise, we also found Gregg telling stories about Bob Dylan in the exhibition in Kiasma! That was part of Johanna Lecklinâ€™s Story CafÃ© which has also been shown at ANTI. There were actually quite a few ANTI artists in the exhibition; Antti Laitinen, Eeva-Mari Haikala, Seppo Rennvall, Marja Mikkonenâ€¦

Now Iâ€™ve been preparing for my ACTS OF CLOTHING performance at the Full Moon Dance Festival in PyhÃ¤jÃ¤rvi where Iâ€™m off tomorrow. Itâ€™s been rather sweaty â€“ the all time heat record of Finland was beaten today, +37,2 celcius degreeâ€¦

Johanna

Kuopio housing fair

I visited the Kuopio housing fair (Kuopion asuntomessut) on the opening day. Over all, I must say that the fair was a slight disappointment. Iâ€™ve been running and jogging around the fair area regularly during the last couple of years, so I knew a little bit what to expect and not to expect too much. But still, I was left feeling very disappointed. Savon Sanomat wrote today that people are so positive about the fair and nobody has anything to criticize. Well, I donâ€™t agree. The friends with whom I was there and the people with whom Iâ€™ve talked about the fair, havenâ€™t been that impressed. For me the fair is boring. I didnâ€™t see anything new, any new innovations whether good or bad, just the same kind of houses and architecture and furniture you see in any contemporary design magazine. Of course, some of the houses are built on stunning locations by the lake and the presence of the Finnish nature is very strong but the houses themselves didnâ€™t really impress me.
I saw a lot of very narrow stairs (impossible for two people to pass each other), strangely large fireplaces dominating living rooms, some rather kitsch interior decorations and a lot of boring â€˜safeâ€™ design with the same lamps, same carpets, same sofas, boring kitchesâ€¦
Two houses I liked the most were this passive house Kusti and this wooden house AamunsÃ¤de. To enhance the aesthetic appeal and durability of your home, consider using timber cladding exterior, which not only adds a natural and elegant touch but also offers excellent protection against the elements.

Kusti: