Finnish brands I have so far spotted in Reykjavik: Marimekko, Iittala, Ruskovilla, Tonfisk Design and Fazer. The only Finnish artists that have come across are Tea Mäkipää and Alvar Aalto.
Update: also spotted Ivana Helsinki, Secco and Golla.
Johanna
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
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.
I’ve spent a lot of time with budgets and schedules for my new works. On Thursday I was so fed up as I had spent almost the whole night figuring out the budget or my new group piece. I have some production support from the Arts Council of Finland and the Regional dance centre Kuopio, but as I once again learned, it’s nowhere near the level of a proper budget with proper fees etc. I had kind of decided I will hold an audition for the performers but it feels impossible to ask people to work for me for at least two months and say that I’m able to pay you 1 500 €. How can I expect a full time commitment and dedication from anyone? I didn’t get support from the regional foundation of SKR, which really upset me. So again, after having done this I don’t know with 15 works, I’m in a situation where I just have to count cents; who can be paid less, who can work for me for free, what can the work do without? Without any publicity? Without documentation? Without sound? Light? Any technical equipment? Space?
Sometimes it seems the most creativity is deeded in organizing the whole production.
I’ve asked Maija to work with me on the producing side of matters and I hope that will somehow be possible. I just need help.
So at the moment I’m not sure about the audition. Maybe you can see why.
I’ve tried to take a few days off all the work and I’ve spent some time at the Blue House straining my back. On Friday I ordered the staircase for the house from Helsinki as well as the front door and the door to where all the technical stuff of the house is situated. We’ll get them in 3-4 weeks. We couldn’t agree about the fireplace yet, so that’s still waiting. On Friday Jenny Alfthan from Sisustus Picaso visited the house as I have asked her advice on some materials, colours and furniture we need to get to the house. It was really nice. First time I went to Sisustus Picaso after Jenny and her husband had bought it, and I met Juho and Jenny, I felt they were the nicest people that I had ever met in Kuopio. I just wanted to invite them for a dinner straight away! Well, I didn’t, mainly because we live in this horrible rented apartment at the moment, but I sure will once we live in the Blue House.
Yesterday we started to treat the wooden panel that will cover the house. We use ‘rautavihtrilli’, I’m not sure what you call it in English (iron sulphate or something) which makes the wood turn grey in a couple of years. So the panel is not going to painted after this treatment. We have almost 7 kilometres of that panel on our front yard so I can see it’s a hell of a job to treat all of that with the rautavihtrilli. I’ve done it for two days now and maybe one tenth of that panel is ready…. Well, today the weather wasn’t very good and I had to stop as it was dribbling. But yes, there’s so much work to do at the house before we can move in that it’s just too scary to think about.
Day after tomorrow is the first of May, Vappu, the Labour Day. Have to get some sparkling wine tomorrow but most of the day we’ll spend at the Blue House, working.
Busy week coming after the Vappu. I’ll have a yoga course and I have to prepare myself for the performances in Helsinki by for example getting new clothes to replace the ones that were stolen. What a fucking pain… Not the performances or rehearsals, just the stolen clothes.
Hope you all well.
Johanna
The last weeks have been a bit too busy. With the ANTI –festival, our call for proposals is finishing today and you might be able to imagine the amount of inquiries and proposals that has been coming in. It’s exciting, yes, but sure keeps me busy!
I also haven’t had any free days as I was rehearsing with Jaana for the whole weekend. I’ve been writing grant applications, planning the TALKS and DEEDS programme for April with Gregg and dealing with ANTI’s call for proposals plus all legal stuff that has to do with running an association.
I don’t have anything to wear –performance brochure went to print last night and I’m pretty pleased with it. It’s going to be out next week.
Silja from the Domus kitchens sent me a few images of our kitchen today. So you have to imagine this
To this space.
I must say I really look forward to cooking in this kitchen. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s as close as can be to the idea of a simple, yet strong and characteristic kitchen that fits to the Blue House.So in the middle of the busy day it was so refreshing to get a few pics from our future kitchen.
Recently, I have tried to get rid of at least some of my addictions. So I have quit ordering the Avotakka design magazine and Meidän Talo magazine. I don’t yet quite know how I’m going to fill up the emptiness that’ll leave into my life but I might survive.
Looking forward to your comments,
Johanna
The sun reflects from the snow so brightly, that it is time to look for sunglasses. I was a bit fed up to go to the rehearsal studio today but the walk on the ice in the bright sunlight made it all right. Even the brisk icy wind on the cheeks didn’t bother too much. Time in the studio was nice and mellow, I did my asana practice which I haven’t done for far too long. So it is was a bit sticky, achy and not very flowing but it was still good to do and be in and with my body. And alone in the space, just with my body and my thoughts. Bliss.
Yesterday I was at the Blue House and noticed a few mistakes in the electrician’s work. I called him and he came over and promised to fix them today. I don’t know if he’s been there or not but I found out that also plumbers hadn’t measured the pipes for the upstairs’ toilet properly… It’s really annoying to fix other people’s mistakes especially after you have paid them and then they haven’t done their job properly. And it’s not their house, so they don’t really care.
Yesterday we also decided that it is going to be Domus. Our kitchen, I mean. I signed a contract including the cupboards, sink and worktops. Not cheap! I hardly could sleep last night as I was worrying about the future bankruptcy… But it is going to be beautiful and stunning – but that is of course just my opinion. Now I’m concerned about the kitchen appliances as that is the next huge investment.
I’ll post some images of the kitchen if I’m allowed by the Silja from Domus.
Now I have to dash to the daycare to pick up my daughter.
Johanna
I had a meeting with Esa from Gatto kitchen in the morning. I have a pretty clear idea about our new kitchen that we have outlined with the architect of the Blue House Satu Ratinen. But still there are a lot of possibilities in terms of colours and shades, materials, equipment and all kinds of details. I’ve had meetings with three kitchen companies and now it seems that the choice is going to be between Domus and Gatto. In both cases, the material is pretty comparable, but the colour is somewhat different. In Gatto’s case the cupboards and boxes would be quite dark but in a kind of grey shade and in Domus’s plan the boxes below the work top would be black ash and the top cupboards from zebrano. In both plans the cold line would be from Festivo and from Gatto the other kitchen electronics from Smeg. With Domus we haven’t really decided on the oven, dishwasher etc. But I guess I still could by the Smeg dishwasher, oven and the cooker from Gatto even if I wouldn’t buy the cupboards.
Well, lot’s to think about. And the real issue here is that I’m so aware of the vast possibilities. If I didn’t order all the interior design magazines I wouldn’t know so much about all kinds of possibilities and materials. So I can only blame the decade long addict of ordering Avotakka, Koti ja Keittiö, Plaza, Living etc., deko, Meidän talo…!
I must say that one important thing for me is also the fact that Domus is a Finnish company and Gatto’s stuff is ordered from Italy. And since we are building an eco house, I definitely prefer the local suppliers – although that principle can be overruled for the sake of good design…
We have had a very unusual winter with no snow and temperature staying on top of the 0. Today wasn’t cold but it snowed a lot. It feels like all the snow we have missed since November fell down today. The kids are excited, of course.
We haven’t had time to visit my partner’s mom for about 9 months, but now we decided that we are going to visit her for the weekend and rest from the house building. So I’m looking forward to having saunas, sitting by the fireplace and enjoying the joy of my daughter spending time with her grandma.
Johanna
Artistic work can be really tiring and usually is for me. We have been working 5-6 hours a day with Jaana, and although we don’t really do anything physically outrageously demanding, I’m pretty nackered at the end of the day. We have been doing short asana practices at the beginning of each rehearsal to focus on the body, to connect with the actual state, to tune in and to get the energy flowing in the body. The practice is really useful as it reveals so well the physical, emotional and spiritual state you are in, even if your mind doesn’t necessarily want to acknowledge or accept it. I’ve had severe sciatic nerve pain in my pelvis area and right leg and my hamstrings have been a bit sore. So my practice has been very light and short. But it feels good to stick to it.
We’ve also talked a lot. About the body, female body, femininity, appearance, gender, gender trouble and Judith Butler (whose sister is a dancer, by the way), sexuality, normativity, emotionality, acceptable behaviour, about screaming and shouting, female anger, family, being a mother, a parent and a partner, and how the whole culture around dance has traumatised us and our relationships to our bodies for life.
Each nuance might not be visible in the upcoming work, but they sure are present in our bodies and discourses. Jaana talked today about how the body emits and radiates information that one can’t control which I thought was very beautiful and interesting.
We have been working on these scenes in which we dress, undress, dress, undress, dress, undress for ages. There’s stuff I feel is kind of self-humiliating but at the same time important to show and to do. We also want to demonstrate how clothes and overall appearance changes the way you look at someone, your gaze, and the direction of your sexual desire which is related to power. And what is culturally un/acceptable. It’s really interesting and so much fun!
We have been desperate about finding a performance space. Today we went to Nina to see if their space could work for the performance but it didn’t feel right. Jaana found a very beautiful top (245 €) by Anne Linnomaa, though (she did’t buy it). Then we walked to this new gallery Carree on Kauppakatu and it instantly felt like it could be our space. The owner Kirsti Carlenius was very nice and we also met her son Sampo, and it turned out we shared quite a few connections and networks. They had an exhibition on show by Kari Södö, who has composed the music to my early solo piece Enchanting Horizon (1999) and it turned out, that Kirsti is also from Hailuoto, the island where my parents live and where I grew up between 1980 – 1989. So we both know for example artist Anni Rapinoja whose daughter was my very best friend.
So let’s see what exhibition they’ll have on in March and hope we could fit in to the beautiful space!
We are going to work through the whole weekend. I’ll keep you posted.
Johanna
Yesterday was a good day. I was pretty effective with arranging rehearsal schedules, performance schedules, updating budgets, bringing my performance trousers to be fixed and my boots to be streched, practicing the primary series and eating and cooking healthy food. I haven’t been going to yoga classes for a while. I’ve been practicing on my own and attending Anne’s workshops and retriets, and one workshop with Guruji. But now I felt that I really could do with some assistance in difficult asanas as well as enjoy peacefull environment. The practice with Mari’s assistance was really enjoyable. And despite all my back problems, I was able to do the full primary series, which was a suprise. I’m glad I start rehersals with Jaana tomorrow because she’s practicing ashtanga as well and we can do the practice together. And of course, I’m really into entering the process again!
Because we work with clothes and all kinds of issues related around female appearance, and because I’m into all kinds of lists, I thought I list here every piece of clothing I have purchased since our last rehearsal period in the beginning of Dec.
For myself:
– boots (on sale -20%)
– a top (on sale -50%)
– a dress (on sale -30%)
– a belt
– a yoga top (on sale, don’t remember how much)
For my daughter:
– a dress (on sale)
– a top (on sale)
– a pear of jeans (on sale)
– a track-suit (on sale)
– mittens
For my son:
– underwear, 2 pieces, long
For my partner:
– underwear, 2 pieces
Not that bad, eh?
My partner and my daughter picked me up from the yoga class yesterday wiht a pleasant surprise. I package from our beloved friends in London Andrew and Rebecca! They sent us these lovely Hot Mugs designed by Sebastian Conran which I desired when we visited them in November. But it was not just the Hot Mugs they sent – they were filled with small packs of Salt&Vinegar crisps which I love!!! And you can’t buy them in Finland, who knows why… Andrew and Rebecca are about the most kind, friendly, beautiful and talented artists and friends that I’m aware of. Even my daughter said: Can’t we go and visit them in London tomorrow! And she also admired the mugs and their colors. So today I’ve had my cup of coffee from my new Hot Mug and enjoyed the crisps (no-one else was allowed to touch them) with some red wine. Heaven!
I bought a bottle of Taideviini (art wine) today because the label on the bottle is designed by young visual artist Paavo Halonen, who is a very close friend of writer – performing artist Emma Puikkonen with whom I collaborated on Physical artistic deeds 4; Cosmetics and grean peas. I’ve met Paavo only ones or twice briefly, last summer I guess. He didn’t come to see our performance (I guess Emma asked him not to – because of some “lesbian tendencies” which was a joke between them) but was intensively flirted by an artistic director at the time…
Well, work today has been less spiritual. Updating ANTI -festival’s website for about 10 hours and sending out call for proposals nationally and internationally for the rest of the time. So sitting by the computer far longer than is recommended for anyone.
Time to say good night.
Johanna
