‘I am part of a chain of generations’; Iijoki stories compiled as video works can now be viewed
Iijoki stories have been collected in art workshops organised in the municipalities along the Iijoki River this autumn. Now the stories have been compiled into municipality-specific video works and published on the Youtube channel of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. There is also one piece that combines all the stories. In the videos, residents of the municipalities along the Iijoki River of different ages from Kuusamo, Taivalkoski, Pudasjärvi, Iin Jakkukylä and Yli-Ii in Oulu tell about their own relationship with the environment and nature and the significance of Iijoki in their lives. “My family has been living on these shores for a long time. I am part of a chain of generations and feel great gratitude, and it is a valuable thing to be able to live here on the banks of the river Iijoki, in Jakkukylä. This is what the resident of Jakkukylä says in the video. A total of 236 people participated in the art workshops. The age range of participants was between 3 and 93 years. The participants in Kuusamo included Finnish language students with an immigrant background, seniors and staff at Jokiranta Service Centre in Yli-Ii, Ii, residents of Jakkukylä, a working and day activities group in Pudasjärvi, and young high school students and other residents of Taivalkoski in Taivalkoski. There were also workshops open to everyone. ‘The purpose of artistic work was to awaken the perception and appreciation of the environment in a new way, to become active and to find specific meanings in their own environment. The result was intermittent community art works in local nature and these now published video works", says Niina Aho, one of the team's artists. The municipalities and their cultural managers have organised their own video release events with the participants in the art workshops. In addition to the videos, environmental artworks were created in the municipalities, such as wind clocks and an exhibition at the Jokiranta service centre. Art workshops and videos about Iijoki stories were produced Generations along the Iijoki River – the treatment of the relationship between the environment and nature in an art pilot. It is part of the Cultural Cell - Collaboration and impact in cultural services project of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. The project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Video creators: Description Satu Suvanto and Niina Aho, editing by Niina Aho, soundscape by Satu Suvanto, guitar by Jani Pietilä. Videos can be found via this link. (284) Cultural Cell Generations along the River Iijoki Art Pilot 2023 - YouTube Artist Niina Aho, +358 44 318 6968, theatresaga@gmail.com Artist Satu Suvanto, sasuvant@gmail.com Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia Specialist, Project Manager Auli Suorsa, +358 50 386 8443, auli.suorsa@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi Facebook and Instagram #Cultural cell #More information about the project is available on the website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia. Artwork from Taivalkoski workshop. (Satu Suvanto, Niina Aho).
