Category Archives: House building

Longing, house, clothes, worries and www

Busy days since coming back from Glasgow. I’ve been a bit blue, missing Rebecca and Andrew, the presence of so many wonderful artists and general passion for live art. Nikki and Colin had once again created a fantastic festival with about 80 artists from around the world. At the moment I feel that the most important works for me to see and experience were by artists Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Rosie Dennis and also Nic Green who is a very young artist based in Glasgow. But I’ve found a touching naivety and sincerity in her works and a kind of romantic enthusiasm. I’ve seen two of her works and also her performing in Grace Surman’s piece in Bristol last year. There is something about Nic that I really like but at the same time something troubling, which is a nice feeling. There were lots of other interesting things and strong works, too many to list here. But one more has to be mentioned! The first time I saw Curious live with their new work (be)longing. It was very good to see and I found it really beautiful in its simplicity but it was kind of long. But I also saw it in the late evening having already watched works for about ten hours…so maybe it wasn’t the best time. But I really enjoyed it. Also some video works I’ve seen by them have been great. And of course Marcia Farquhar! She was just amazing and it was just amazing to see her work with an archive of her clothes.
I had very inspiring meetings and conversations with Daniel and Lois from the Live Art Development Agency. They were also very pleased with our decision to choose Gregg Whelan to be my co-artistic director which, acknowledging their experience on the field, I highly value. We also hope to work with them in the future.
It was also really great to meet with other live art festival producers from the UK, Belgium and France and I sense a great passion to promote live art and artists. Let’s see if we can be part of a live art focused EU-project in the future. It would be fantastic and I really hope we can find a way with ANTI to work it out.
It was fantastic to have Andrew and Rebecca over in Glasgow as well, although they didn’t present work in the programme. Last year they were artists in residence along with Richard Dedominici (who also has shown work at ANTI) and I must say I missed the kind of presence they brought to the NRLA last year. And there were so many other people I so much enjoyed seeing like Jennie Klein, Steven Hodge, Dominic Johnson, Manuel Vason, Deen, Eleine Kordys, Andrew from LADA etc….

When I flew to Glasgow, my luggage was lost for two days. What a nightmare! I had all my new great clothes with me that I didn’t get to wear because for the first two days I just had to wear the same clothes. Actually, I had to by lots of new toiletries (cleansing milk, tonic water, shampoo, toothpaste, deo etc.) and some new undies to survive. It’s a pain with the new hand baggage regulations. Well, luggage arrived finally and I got to wear my new boots, jacket and Ponten skirt which never goes unnoticed. And Andrew and Rebecca got their Nordic Walking sticks…

I’ll have a rehearsal period with Jaana next week and I’ve been booking some studios space for us and also just for me individually. Today I was supposed to send material to our graphic designer but I didn’t manage. I didn’t get our exact performance dates in Helsinki from Jaana yet, Pekka is still working on some photos and I decided to go and do some at the Blue House today. It was so great. At 1 pm the light in the house is so beautiful at the moment that I just had to take a few photos.

upstairs1

upstairs2

yoga1

yogaview

downstairs

Mladen, who has been and is working on my website, emailed me today and it’s all moving on at least a little bit now. There has been all kinds of obstacles on the way and Mladen has now moved to Sweden, but I hope you’ll have patience as we sure do our best to set it up. Backloading removal services were perfect too.

I still don’t know about the artist grant for this year from the regional arts council and it’s really depressing. I know I didn’t get anything from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and that also put me down. Sometimes I feel I’m too old for this kind of uncertainty. By this time, at 33, and having worked as an artist professionally for 10 years, after receiving a State Prize for the Arts among others, I should have a little longer time phrase than 9 months in which to develop work. Don’t you think I deserve it?

Johanna

Perfection is precision

Lot’s of things been going on.

For some reason, today I thought about a performance I did I guess in 1994 and especially one line that has stuck to my memory:

Perfection is precision.

In the performance, which was titled Big Offer To Container, I collaborated with Niia Maria Mjetchinsky who is a Danish writer and poet. We both wrote texts for each other and that line is from Niia Maria’s text. I still think about it. Today it came to my mind as I was watching Pekka and Juho putting boards up on the walls at the Blue House. A lot of details to take into consideration, a lot of decisions to make i.e. how a board and a windowpane connect? In case you don’t, learn more about EZ Window Solutions. Those of you who haven’t built or renovated might not have a clue what I’m talking about, but it is all in the details. Perfection is precision.
I called our plumber today about a few details and he came over to the Blue House. It was really good to go through things with him and actually I feel like I’m sometimes more aware of how those pipes should run and where exactly than the professionals. Do you know how many times I have thought about changing profession? Our plumber, who is related to artist Paavo Räbinä, just came back from Thailand where he went for a three-week holiday. Not bad. Also, the plumbers never work after 4 pm or the weekends. Never.

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to Antti Tuisku, Kate Bush, Jukka Poika (Pläski) and Madonna, whose new DVD I’m desperately waiting for. The day before yesterday I asked for it in the shops but it’s been released in Finland today. Didn’t have time to go to the shops today though. I’ve seen Madonna in live concert only once in 2005 and because of the Blue House I couldn’t go to see her on tour last year. From one arts officer in the Art Council of Finland (who was in the same crew with me in 2005) I heard that last year’s tour was not as good as the Re-Invention tour so I don’t really feel sorry but since I’ve loved Madonna since 1986, I of course want to see the DVD.

I also was supposed to go the Gallery Carree today but didn’t manage. Instead, I went with our plumber to Ahlsell to look at the central vacuum cleaners and toilet seats. Much more interesting…

I cooked a beautiful dinner with millet, broccoli, carrots, leek, garlic, tofu and sesame seeds. Everyone loved it. Pekka’s 17 year-old daughter has been staying with us and I must say I really wonder about today’s youth! Obviously, people are very different, but when I was 17 my interests where not in Japanese cartoons and animations. I guess I was more worried if I’m HIV positive than anything…

Hope you are all well and in good health.

Johanna

Schedules

There’s been a lot to arrange, schedules, rehearsal times, performance schedules, schedules for the new solo project with Maija Hirvanen and Pekka Mäkinen, ANTI –festival’s schedules with the new co-artistic director (I’ll let you now soon who s/he is) and with the Blue House and the family.
With the collaboration Mulla ei oo mitään päälle pantavaa (I don’t have anything to wear) we have now confirmed the premiere to be on the 15th of March and we’ll have four performances in Kuopio. Then we’ll perform on the 28th of March in Joensuu, in May 8-10 times in Zodiak, in Helsinki, and another two performances in June in Kuopio.
I wrote a column for the Kuopion Kaupunkilehti a couple of days ago. The paper is going to be out on Saturday for those of you who are interested.
I’m off to Glasgow next week and I’m really looking forward to seeing new works and meeting artists. I also have quite a few meetings scheduled already now.
Today, once more, I had a meeting with he Domus kitchen’s ladies, and I must say, it all looks very good. I’m very satisfied with their material, stuff and offer. It’s not exactly cheap, but it seems reasonable. I have to drag Pekka to look at the plans before we can make a deal with them, though.
It’s time to say good night now. Another long day tomorrow with writing grant applications and reports of last’s year’s grants.

Johanna

thinking about kitchens

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

Trying to arrange time to read Getting things done

It’s become a joke in my family lately. That I don’t get to read my Getting things done -book. But anytime I do, even a few pages or one chapter, it’s so inspiring and buzzingly exciting that I can’t sleep. My mind instantly starts to apply the techniques into my chaotic life and I vision this less stressful and more balanced life in which I don’t anymore run from one about to explode situation into another day after day. In which my work, shopping, budgets and deadlines are well planned and balanced i.e. I will have time to buy groceries and I will have energy to cook healthy food every day, I won’t skip any yoga practice, I will have time to be and relax with my children, I will have time and energy to do household stuff like cleaning or doing dishes before it all becomes such a chaos that it takes a whole day to do dishes, that I will have more time to think, be still and quiet for something new and unexpected to appear.
I’m back to normal schedule today although altering schedules is the normal one for me. But kids start their school, day care and hobbies again after a two week break. I didn’t get to sleep and relax as much I hoped, as there has been a lot of work to do at the Blue House (which we are building). But during the last week or so I have been able to sleep longer nights and I really have felt how tired I actually am. But I’m not yet back to the rhythm of waking up early as it feels so easy to stay up until 2 or 3 am.

On Saturday we travelled to Mikkeli to the New Year’s celebration party hosted by Pirjo Ala-kapee. The party was quite boring and the bus trip really long. But of course it was great to be invited and I had a few nice chats with one photographer from Mikkeli, one teacher whom I know from the Greens and then Arja and Ari. I drank some nice white wine from Valamo monastery, a bit too much I guess, as I wasn’t feeling very energetic yesterday.
I have a lot of things to organize concerning the new piece I’m working on. Jaana will come to Kuopio on Wednesday and I’m really looking forward to enter the process again and seeing how things have developed since we last worked. And I have to get my performance trousers shortened by Wed!
Johanna