11.08.2023
Art workshops dealing with the relationship with nature reach the municipalities along the river Iijoki
Generations along the River Iijoki - Processing the relationship between the environment and nature through art - pilot gathers the story of the River Iijoki as told by people of different ages and backgrounds. Art Pilot's workshops have started from the sources of Iijoki in Kuusamo and will end in Ii at the end of autumn.
Art Pilot Art Workshops Niina Aho and Satu Suvanto. Together with the participants, they explore their relationship between nature and the environment using the concept of place-feeling. The work combines environmental art, creative writing, sound art, and video and photography.
‘For example, in the Jakkukylä village of the municipality of Ii, the aim is to meet people who hunt, fish and move in nature. The theme is approached through ancient hunting culture and Finnish rock painting symbols. We inspire participants to share their own experiences, and together, inspired by rock paintings, we create our own signs for the environment with natural materials", opens the workshops with artist Satu Suvanto.
"The purpose of artistic work is to awaken the perception and appreciation of the environment in a new way, and to activate the inhabitants of the area to find special meanings in their own living environment," continues Niina Aho, one of the team's artists.
The schedule of the workshops is as follows:
Week 32 in Kuusamo on Tuesday 8 August and Wednesday 9 August Kuusamotalo works with a group of immigrants on creative writing and recording, and paints wooden discs, which, if possible, are made into a joint temporary work on the trees in the yard. On Thursday 10 August, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., an excursion will take place to the sources of the Iijoki River.
Week 33 There is an art workshop open to everyone in the Jalava shop in Taivalkoski starting at 12 noon on 15 August. During the day, the participants will prepare a wind clock and collect stories and memories related to the Iijoki and Taivalkoski rivers. On Wednesday 16 August, the artists will be part of the Hepokangas canoeing trip programme for upper secondary school students, and on Thursday 17 August, they will offer an open art workshop for young people from 12 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the yard of the canoeing centre.
On Tuesdays of weeks 35-37, the artists will be a care unit in Jokiranta, Yli-Ii, guiding nature-themed art workshops for the elderly and nursing staff. At the end of the artwork, a photo exhibition will be assembled in Jokiranta's lobby.
Week 37 On the Rajamaanranta shore of Pudasjärvi on 16 September and 17 September from 1 pm to 3.30 pm, the open workshops offered by the artists will experiment with various forms of expression, such as creative writing, visual and embodied expression and recording of sound worlds. The theme of the workshops is nature and the relationship with nature. Pre-registration is requested to the e-mail address teatterisaaga@gmail.com
Week 38 In Iin Jakkukylä, the aim of artwork is to reach generations in hunting and fishing. During the community art workshops on Friday 22 September from 2 pm to 7 pm and Saturday 23 September from 12 pm to 7 pm, the relationship between environment and nature is invited to examine the children of Jakkukoulu, their parents and grandparents.
As a result of the workshops, a video work from each municipality will be created, as well as one video work connecting the municipalities. The videos are distributed to municipalities and presented to the public.
Generations along the River Iijoki – treating the relationship between the environment and nature through art is one of the six art pilots carried out in the Cultural Cell project of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia during the rest of the year. Common to all pilots is communality, inclusiveness, experientialism and experimentation. The themes discussed include nature and sustainability, everyday environments and the home region. Various art methods and different art exercises are used. Each pilot results in a concrete work or experience.
Presentation of artists
Niina Aho is a director of theatre expression and creative activities. He specializes in directing theatre and verbal art, as well as bodily and functional methods. She works at Teatteri Saaga as a director-scriptwriter and at Vuolle Opisto as a teacher of stage art. She is currently studying expressive art therapy.
Satu Suvanto (Master of Science, Doctoral Researcher) works as an artist and doctoral researcher at the Department of Educational Science and Psychology at the University of Oulu. In the study, Suvanto deals with applied art in work with children. In personal artistic work, Suvanto often deals with deep ecological topics through environmental art. Her works have been seen, for example, at the Lumo light art festival in Oulu (2019).
Additional information:
Artist Niina Aho, 044 318 6968, teatterisaaga@gmail.com
Artist Satu Suvanto, sasuvant@gmail.com
Auli Suorsa, Senior Specialist, Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, Project Manager, tel. +358 50 386 8443, auli.suorsa(at)pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi
Anni-Stiina Hujala, Cultural Producer of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia, +358 40 685 4043, anni-stiina.hujala(at)pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi
Facebook and Instagram #Cultural cell
Presentation of art pilots and artists on the website of the Regional Council of Northern Ostrobothnia.
The Culture Cell project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. One of its objectives is to strengthen cooperation between municipalities in the production of cultural services. The cultural managers of the pilot municipalities have jointly brainstormed and designed the pilot blank for Generations along the Iijoki River and are strongly involved in the implementation.
