Category Archives: Life

endless applications

Sometimes it really does feel like this vicious grant application & project proposal cycle never ends. And if you work as an artist, I guess it never does end. So I don’t really know why I’m writing and complaining about it. Maybe because all my neighbors and friends are visiting relatives, skiing somewhere, hiding away in cabins in the woods or taking a mini-break somewhere. And what am I doing? I’m at home, sitting in front of my computer 12 hours a day or more, writing applications, proposals and taxes. Well, I can look at the gorgeous landscape from my home office, I can see that the sun is shining and snow melting. How glorious.

But I have taken some nice walks and yesterday I went for a short run on a snow and ice free pavement. Bliss!

Ok, enough fun for now. Back to work bunnies!

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

MAP OF SCARS in Oulu this week!

I’m so much looking forward to the shows of MAP OF SCARS in Oulu this Friday and Saturday. I’m travelling there tomorrow and we are rehearsing on Wednesday with the dancers, then our light designer Ainu joins us on stage on Thursday and then we perform the piece on Friday and Saturday at 7pm at the cultural centre Valve.
Oh I’m so much looking forward to these three gorgeous ladies go crazy and silly with great self irony!

I’m also really looking forward to experience again some intimate, strong, sensual and physical duets.



And seeing some visually stunning images.



All photos @ Pekka Mäkinen.

Maybe some new scars? Who knows.

It will be just great to get together with Ainu, Pirjo, Sannamaria and Tuovi! And will be good to be in Oulu for a few days.

As I was browsing I found this blog post (in Finnish) about the performance which I hadn’t seen before: http://ledanseurterrible.blogspot.fi/2012/11/johanna-tuukkanen-map-of-scars.html.
Also there’s a post about the ICE HOT quality panel from which was held in Helsinki last December. It’s also in Finnish and you can find it here: http://www.liikekieli.com/archives/5510.

Anyway, book you tickets and come to see us this weekend!

http://www.kaleva.fi/menot/tapahtuma/map-of-scars/967412/?sdate=2013.02.01

Johanna

2012

In 2012 I enjoyed immensely my return to the position of a choreographer in MAP OF SCARS. Directing a piece in which I don’t perform myself was a fantastic experience and I had a great team to work with. So thank you Sannamaria, Tuovi, Pirjo, Ainu, Tatu, Pekka and everyone who was part of that process.
Photo by Pekka Mäkinen.

I also really enjoyed creating Follow me with Rebecca French but was sad how little visibility the audio walk received. In Finland it still seems very difficult to create works outside the mainstream artistic forms and to get media’s or people’s interest to participate in works that are not in the ‘safe’ environment or form. As a contemporary artist, I think this is very sad and depressing.

Although it is sometimes difficult, I still feel that there’s a need and interest for my work and to improve the production processes and overall working conditions, I set up an organization called Live Umbrella with Pekka and Maija. I’ve postponed that for several years but now it’s the time to really give it a try!

I made several work trips in 2012. To Vienna, Gloucestershire, Montreal, Uppsala, Stockholm, Helsinki, Kajaani, London, Brussels…all the trips were really inspirational. The most exciting adventure was however to Montreal and I was so happy to visit the Les Escales Improbables Festival and meet many new collegues there. And my morning run to the Parc Mount Royal was unforgettable! The best teaching experience I’ve ever had was in Brussels at Cifas Summer University.

I had an unforgettable summer holiday with my children in London in the summer. We had such a great time and it was a much needed break for me. Thanks for our wonderful hosts Rebecca, Andrew & VP!!!!!

Although studying can and has been at times really hard and tiring, it has mostly been a true inspiration. I’m so happy I’ve gotten to know new amazing academics, thinkers, theorists and fellow students as well to deepen my own understanding and knowledge in the fields of cultural policy and art theory.

I saw some touching performances. 100% London by Rimini Protokoll, For Those Who Have Time by Maija Hirvanen and In Human Disguise by Eeva Muilu and Milja Sarkola made me cry.

Photo Pekka Mäkinen.

ANTI 2012 was a fantastic festival. It was a kind of a dream come true to have Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens, Heather Cassils, Kris Grey, Alejandra Herrera and Jukka Huitila in one festival – not to dismiss any artist at the great festival! Up To Nature project was also a great experience and I was very happy to collaborate with Thomas, Helen, Jon and Gregg on it. It was fantastic that Vilja joined the ANTI production team!

Photo Pekka Mäkinen.

During 2012 I still got a lot of happiness in my daily life from the shoes of Minna Parikka, exercising at Functional Team (now Element Studios), hanging out with friends, good Riesling wines and of course my family. I’ve had some health problems which have annoyingly effected my metabolism so somehow the year has not been a great improvement physically but more mentally and theoretically. And that has been great and more than welcome.

Looking forward to the challenges of 2013!


Happy New Year!

Johanna

 

towards a new work

Now the approaching premiere of MAP OF SCARS has started to become more and more concrete. Last week I worked with Sannamaria Kuula and this week Tuovi Rantanen joined rehearsals. What amazing, beautiful, gorgeous women, dancers and performers they are! I feel so blessed. On Sunday Pirjo Yli-Maunula will join the team. Although our rehearsal period is short, I have a very positive and confident feeling. The team includes light designer Ainu Palmu, sound designer and composer Tatu Metsäpelto and photographer Pekka Mäkinen.
This week we also got some performance costumes from Tyra Therman and I have to say that they are just stunning.

I feel like we are on our way to something very special, very beautiful, touching, intimate….

Premiere is on the 16th of November. In Kuopio, Finland.

Johanna

I do…

object marriage.

You do not need marriage to live a happy life, to be in a relationship, to commit, to have children or to nourish love. In fact, it’s an institution that discriminates people and increases inequality in society.

In Finland, for example, same sex couples can register their relationship but not marry. People living in a registered relationship do not have the same rights or duties as the people who are married. Registered couples do not have the right to adopt a child together, and it’s been possible only since 2009 to adopt within the family. Also, registered couples cannot take a common last name. These are just few examples, how same sex couples are not in an equal position in the Finnish law and one Finnish politician Oras Tynkkynen has written that it can be compared to a situation where we would have separate partnership laws for the Roma people, for Swedish speaking Finns or for different ethnic groups. Tynkkynen also points out that the current Finnish law leaves some sexual minorities in an inequal position, for example if you don’t identify as male or female.

But marriage does not only discriminate on the basis of gender. It is humiliating that all sorts of forms in Finland require you to state whether you are single, married, divorced, in a registered relationship or in common-law marriage. In all kinds of everyday situations you are treated differently and inequally, social benefits vary on the basis of marital status, couples who own something together but are not married do not inherit each other without special and often expensive special legal arrangements and so on and so on. And sadly, marital status does not have an impact only on your social benefits but in some cases also on your children’s benefits.

So all this, I cannot accept and I do not support.

This is Annie’s and Beth’s 15th wedding and of course I, like everyone else here, see and feel the love they have for each other, for Kallavesi, the Earth and for all of us. My friend Anniina who just got married this year, would argue that we need social rituals and gatherings where people publically declare their love and commitment to each other. This is probably true but instead of marriage, I would like to think that maybe we can imagine something new, something else and create something that spiritually unites and celebrates all forms of relationships and all kinds of bodies.

Like Barbara Carrellas wrote in Reasons “WHY MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ABOLISHED!!!”, I agree that the elimination of marriage would help create a fairer, more just society.

This was my wedding objection at the Blue Wedding to Lake Kallavesi by Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens on September 30th 2012.


This photo by Pekka Mäkinen was taken at the wedding which took place on Queen R on Lake Kallavesi in Kuopio.

Johanna

Montreal in pictures

As you can see, I had a short but intense visit to Montreal. Thanks for the invitation Les Escales Improbables de Montreal!
My morning run to Parc Mount Royal was also unforgettable and the view just stunning:

I met some great people, saw exciting works, traveled for days and ate some good foods! What else can you wish for?

Johanna