Vol.at.ilit.y is a staged media dance installation that explores water as connective element, transforming itself molecularly from liquid to ice and vapor. Using water in its three different states, both as stage elements, source for musical composition and as a metaphor regarding the human mental bonds towards each other, this piece fuses science, technology, nature and art into kinetic poetry.

Dancers are Kimmo Alakunnas, Rea-Liina Brunou and Linda Sointu and it is  a coproduction by PAA,  Capsula and Barker Teatteri Turku. The piece premiered as part of Turku2011 EU Cultural Capital Programme at Barker Teatteri – Turku, Finland.

The Expeditions will continue after some time have passed for reflections, rest and new inspiration! Thank you for all that took part as artists, collaborators, funders, audience or/and friends.

Deeply human expedition

Since Plato´s Allegory of the Cave we search for a way to unchain men that have only seen shadows and echoes and take them to the light, where they can se “the real thing”. Beside philosophy, some believe that one of men´s greatest value, creativity, could be a path to take men outside the cave. Itsuo Sakane says: “in such society as ours, in which one tends to be unable to distinguish between reality and artificial reality and ends up chasing daydream, the healing power of art is most effective.”1 Nevertheless, wouldn´t it be a paradox to think that art (not only by the opposition nature vs. culture, but also based on the etymological meaning of art, the manifestation of human activity, as in artificial vs. natural) could help experiencing nature more deeply?

Maybe we should start by thinking that art, as we know it, is a recent concept. Before the Industrial Revolution, an artisan was an artist and vice-versa. With mass production we were able to separate the product from its value. We´ve created “Art”. Only a few experts called artists can produce a few pieces with high value for a “high culture”. Ancient tradition nowadays is often seen as inferior, less sophisticated if compared to art, again a result of our fragmented way of understanding the world. Curiously the very word sophisticated comes from the Greek sophists, which as the masters of rhetoric, were accused to teach how to reason falsely, to be unnatural, by being capable of elaborating a very complex discourse. Maybe being unsophisticated should be an interesting goal to pursue, then. As we can see in Mia Makela´s Green Matters by collecting natural elements (the algae), organizing and treating it she creates something new and yet still part of nature, based on Finnish handicraft tradition. Or as Bronowski points out: “we must understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye.” 2

The separation of the world in small non-connected areas creates schizophrenia where not only man and nature are apart, but man himself is made of body and mind, both parts acting separately. We constantly forget that the human body apparatus (that constitutes its memory) includes less rational ways of experiencing the environment than one would think. We are heirs of an evolutionary development that relates, for example, our sense of smell and vision with body regulation but also social functions. Research in neurobiology shows us that that two of the most human characteristics, the sense of self and body image, are built and maintained upon the mobilization of micro electric elements and a group of molecules made mostly of water. Tommi Paasonen´s and Tiago da Cruz´s performance Vol.at.ilit.y puts together the human body and natural micro and macro elements of the Baltic Sea, creating a two-way communication system that exposes that both human body and water share a fragile and ephemeral condition.

If the human body depends and is part of nature, the creative process, either in science or in arts also relies on our natural context. There are limits to what we can do with science, although expanding these limits is part of a very human enterprise, one of our most important desires. Our body apparatus is limited, as much as the material or energy we can use to create machines that can challenge the second law of thermodynamic (here or in the outer space). We have to be humble and understand that neither science nor art products, no matter how precious they may be, can overcome nature. As commonplace as it may sound, instead of conquering by destroying, we should be able to expand our body and mind within nature, not despite nature, then maybe we‘ll find the hidden knowledge we´ve been looking for.

The introduction text in Curated Expedition to the Baltic Sea presents an important question: “How can you protect something you don´t experience other than through documentaries on television?” The division of areas in small compartments is a way to control information. It´s all labeled as politics, economy, culture, environment, etc. Nature is hyper-aestheticized and presented to us in touristic guides, TV programs and pictures on magazines in a limited way (we may say that traditional science also acts this way, compartmentalizing the world to understand it). This process allows us to take a distance from the real world. Everything becomes discourse from specialized areas; therefore, anything can be refused as an abstract idea, including the serious ecological issues we face nowadays. We´re losing about 30 thousands living species per year, an extinction process that is only comparable to the time when dinosaurs were vanished from earth, 65 thousands years ago. This extremely rational way of seeing the world hides the naïf idea that we´re not fully responsible for our planet, as someone, God or Superman, is going to rescue us in the end.

The Baltic Sea offers a possibility to escape from the hectic daily routine in Tommi Taipale and Teemu Takatalo´s Rescue Boat Baltic Herring, where they discuss capitalism, ecology and water itself. The catamaran built from waste materials sailing in the placid waters reveals what Flusser described as the human history that “happens in a circle that goes from nature to culture, then to waste and then back to nature.”3

Bronowski says: “in a sense, everything we discover, is already there. And in a sense, what a man discovers is unique. Discovery is a double relation of analysis and synthesis together. In analysis it probes for what is there. But in synthesis, it puts the parts together in a way in which the mind transcends the bare limits, the bare skeleton nature provides.”4 The same environment is explored in a much different way by Marianne Decoster-Taivalkoski, Hanna Haaslahti & Alejandro Montes de Oca. Sonic Seascape Terrace exposes a new reality in its search for sound and electricity that are hidden in the quiet view of the sea and may constitute a less known, but not less harmful kind of pollution.

One of the main achievements of art is probably the possibility to “reunite the Gordian knot” as Bruno Latour would say5, reconnect the parts that were presented as different and irreconcilable, to mix areas in a disrespectful way, to recover the sense of a whole. Unlike Sakane´s statement, it is possible to chase daydream and connect it to a strong and concrete experience, as shown in Antti Laitinen´s Bark Boat. The children´s toy as an inspiration to the boat that sailed 70 kilometres from Finnish coast, across the Gulf of Finland to the coast of Estonia, creates a connection between reality and the child´s dream of being sailing while playing with a boat.

Ernesto Sábato mentions that while Ortega and Gasset, thinks the proof of the dehumanization of art resides in the divorce between the artist and the public, it is in fact the audience, embedded in factories and offices who´s became dehumanized6. On the other hand, how can we be fully human without art? Curated Expedition projects are some examples of art that makes possible for us to reconnect not only with nature, but also with our own humanity.

1 Sakane, Itsuo (1998) “The historical background of science -art and its potencial future impact”. in: Art @Science (eds. Sommerer, Mignonneau), Springer, p.230.

2 Bronowski, Jacob (1973) “The ascent of Man”, London: BBC

3 Flusser, Vilém (2007) O mundo codificado. Por uma filosofia do design e da comunicação. Ed. Rafael Cardoso. São Paulo: Cosac Naify, p.61

4 Bronowski, Jacob (1973) “The ascent of Man”. London: BBC

5 Latour, Bruno (2007) Nunca fuimos modernos: ensayos de antropología simétrica, Buenos Aires: Siglo XXI, p.16.

6 Sábato, Ernesto (1951) Hombres y Engranajes. Madrid: Alianza, p.53.

**Raquel Rennó is associate Professor at the Institute of Arts and Design, UFJF (Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Brazil) and consultant for the art, science and technology courses of UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). Digital art researcher at CNPQ (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil), member of the Institut Català D´Antropologia (ICA, Barcelona) and the International Center for Info Ethics (ICIE, ZKM, Karlsruhe). Holds a PhD in Communication and Semiotics . Currently is part of ZZZINC, a cultural association for cultural innovation and research in Barcelona, Spain.

Kimmo Alakunnas, Rea-Liina Brunou and Linda Sointu dancing in the Baltic Sea.

Vol.at.ilit.y will be shown in Barker -theatre, Virusmäentie 65, Turku, Finland in six performances.

Dates:
Premiere 20th October, 2011, 7 pm
22.10. 7 pm
24.10. 7 pm
26.10. 7 pm
28.10. 7 pm
30.10. 4 pm

Tickets, 13€ /11€, may be reserved from
volatilitypaa@gmail.com, and bought in Barker-theatre before each performance and online (www.lippu.fi) with service fee.

Volatility team:
Concept – Tomi Paasonen and Tiago Da Cruz
Choreography – Tomi Paasonen
Dancers – Linda Sointu, Rea-Liina Brunou and Kimmo Alakunnas
Stage- and Lighting Design – Samu Viitanen
Soundscape – Kirill Lorech
Costumes – Merja Markkula
Microscoping – Jorma Paranko and Merja Markkula
Production – Marja Mäenpää
Curator of ‘Expedition to the Baltic Sea’ – Ulla Taipale

Vo.at.ilit.y is a co-production between Paa, Capsula and Barker-theatre. It is part of Curated Expedition to the Baltic Sea and belongs to the Turku2011 programme.

The ingredients of the meal were peas, rye and apples. Photo: Sami Perttilä

The concept for this meal of cows and humans is by Kultivator artist group, that has “married” the art and agriculture and work their “agri-artistic” projects from Ooland island next to Swedish coast. Angelniemi based Kia and Matts Boijer hosted the Lunch with Cows in their organic farm, Mikko Kivelä cooked delicious soup of  fresh peas, baked bread, with an  apple desert. We drunk milk.

Since almost ten thousand years now, we live very close to each other, and has indeed affected each others lives and beings a great deal. Our relation has been practical and very close physical, but we have not yet really grown into exchanging a lot of thoughts, or even trying to meet at an intellectual level. This informal lunch meeting intends to be a small start of a more mature and interesting way of being together. We have no prepared speakers, no translators or list of topics that must be discussed, but! Questions about our future relation, and sustainable survival may come up!  KULTIVATOR

Cows did not hurry away from the table after the feast, they stayed calmly next to the table after finishing their plates. We were told, that next day, at the same time, they we waiting to eat together with us by the table. This makes me happy, the desire to spend some time together has been reciprocal – and I am waiting for the next chance to make this happen.

Mats Boijer feeding his cows. Photo: Ulla Taipale

The lunch was documented by Petra Kallio, Sami Perttilä, Andrea Vanuchhi and Jarmo Markkanen in paintings, photographs and video.  The framework of the event is Halikonlahti Green Art -project, an initiative of artist and curator Tuula Nikulainen and Sunny Future association. The exhibition, called Food Chains, will be opened at Salo Art Museum next Friday, 9th September. It is curated by Tuula Nikulainen and Ulla Taipale. More information about the exhibition here.

Hope you enjoy seeing the video – and feel free to rethink your own relationship with the cows – or others that you did not have a meal with before!

http://capsulaexpeditions.com

The contents of the first Expedition to the Total Eclipse are still under construction, but will be updated before the end of the year.

Antti Laitinen sailing towards the Estonian coast on his bark boat Photo: Juuso Westerlund

The ‘Expedition to the Baltic Sea’ is a cross-disciplinary art project to observe and experience the natural phenomena of the Baltic Sea. Expedition works are realised through collaborations between artists, scientists and different cultural agencies and will be exhibited as part of the European Capital of Culture Turku2011 programme. The project began in autumn 2009 with an open call to Finnish and Estonian artists and creators to present proposals for new works that should include an expedition to the Baltic Sea. The call produced 70 proposals. Five projects were commissioned by a committee of art and science professionals.

The exhibition is open from 28th May to 31st August. The venues are in five different places in Turku area, starting from Aura River and ending to the Ruissalo Island.

Download a Tutkimusmatka_Itämerellä/ Curated Expedition to the baltic sea / Forskningsresa pâ Östersjön -brochure and map

Exhibition venues in Turku, Finland

The audience is encouraged to do their own expedition using leisurely methods of transport, such as walking, bicycles, canoes or a riverboat.

Four new artworks in exhibition

Finnish visual artist Antti Laitinen and Rescue Boat Baltic Herring crew managed in building two experimental boats, with the idea to explore the Baltic Sea  area by sailing.  In case of Antti, the principal objective was to  reach Estonia by sea by a gigant, selfmade Bark Boat. Antti gathered together so much bark of pine trees, fallen on the ground, that he managed to build a 3,7 meter-long boat out of them. The project culminated last August to the landing of artist in Estonian coast, after a 20 -hour long sail from Porkkalanniemi, crossin the Gulf of Finland. The model for the gigant Bark Boat comes from small boats, traditionally sculpt of bark by children. The Bark Boat is exhibited in Wäinö Aaltonen art museum in Turku.

The Rescue Boat Baltic Herring crew were busy in building of 8,5  -meter-long vessel made out “waste” materials, mostly donated by different supporters in Tampere and Turku region. The boat was taken to Hakkenpää port by Turku and  rebuilt there again. The August 2010 artists Teemu Takatalo and Tommi Taipale were sailing around the Archipelago Sea together with several guests participating the agenda of the vessel; artists, scientists and thinkers. Audiovisual documentation of the sea adventures are installed in two sea containers in front of Forum Marinum centre. Third container will exhibit reflections from Gulf of Finland by artist Richard Thompson Coon. See the video:

Mia Mäkelä, author of Green Matters project  spent a residence period first in Seili Island, Turku University Archipelago Investigation Centre and then in Ouraluoto, Merikarvia archipelago. Her work investigates new manners to rescue the eutrophicated Baltic Sea, encouraging citizens in foraging the excessive green algae and working  it to textile format.  In her video trailer she explains the project. Green Matters is shown in a greenhouse in Turku University Botanical Garden.

Hanna Haaslahti & Marianne Decoster-Taivalkoski has been exploring the underwater sonic scenery of Turku surroundings using hydrophones. The public will be able to listen real-time audio compositions  from two Sonic Seascape Terraces, situated in Koroinen, nearby Halistenkoski rapid and in Ruissalo Island Park.

Marianne Decoster-Taivalkoski listens sounds from hydrophone photo: Hanna Haaslahti

The dance performance Vol.atil.it.y in october 2011

Vol.atil.it.y dance performance related explorations by Tomi Paasonen and Tiago da Cruz started in January 2011, in the middle of icy Archipelago Sea. The artists were lucky to be able to experiment great variety of divergent winter phenomena related with different stages of water. After this white break of urban life Tomi and Tiago had a session in Turku University Department or Biomedicine and could peek to the microscopic scale of water icying and melting processes (photo).  To follow a blog written by Tiago da Cruz, enter here. In the beginning of June the artists will continue their expedition by the open sea – in Tvärminne Zoological Station of Helsinki University and Aranda research vessel by Syke. They are supported also by Kone Foundation that will offer the group facilities and residency for practicing the dance piece in August in Saaren Kartano. Vol.atil.it.y is a co-production of Paa, Capsula and Barker-theatre.

Tiago da Cruz and Tomi Paasonen microscoping in Turku University. Photo:Ulla Taipale

The exhibition will be opened in Turku on 28th May, 2011, presenting four different approaches to the sea by the expedition artists.   The dance performance Vol.at.ilit.y is a joint production with Barker Theatre and will be presented six times from 13th to 30th of October. The exhibition is free and dance performance tickets cost 13€ and 10€ (children, students).

The project is funded by

Turku2011 Foundation, AVEK, Wihuri Foundation, Finnish Art Council, Cultural Foundation of Varsinais-Suomi, Ministry of Environment and Frame.

Special thanks for

Turku University Archipelago Sea Research Centre and Botanical Garden, Forum Marinum Centre, Wäinö Aaltonen art museum, Lumo Centre in Koroinen, Centre for music&technology /Sibelius Academy and ProNatMat-project and BalticSeaNow.info-project by Turku Politechnic.

We thank also:

Langh Ship Oy, Genelec Oy, Porkkalan Meripelastajat, Triin Männik/Tallinn2011, Merikarvian kunta, Kivikangas Oy, Foiltek Oy, Ympäristötaiteen  Säätiö, Rautasoini Oy, Turun Lukko Oy, T:mi Turun Tynnyri ja Säkki, Tampereen Palolaitos, Esko Puusti, Nakolinnan Rauta Oy, Ruissalon Telakka, Koukkujärven jättenkäsittelylaitos, Hakkenpään lauttasatama, Turun Museokeskus, Hartela Oy, ssBore, Aurajokisäätiö, Ruissalon Kansanpuiston säätiö, Lightpress Oy, Turun Ympäristökeskus, Merireitit.fi, Vanhan Tammen Kahvila, Kahvila Promenade.

Vernissage drinks are offered by

Norex Oy and Nokian Panimo Oy.

During 2009-10 Curated Expedition to the Baltic Sea -project main organizer was Finnish Bioart Society and since the year 2011 it is Capsula. Curating and coordination by Ulla Taipale and Merja Markkula.

Information of Curated Expeditions in Finnish (updated March 2011)

Vol.at.ilit.y is a dance performance combining science, art and technology. It explores the biological processes and the water of the Baltic Sea. Vol.at.ilit.y is a part of the Curated Expedition to the Baltic Sea -project and Turku 2011 -programme. The production partners are PAA and Capsula.
Vol.at.ilit.y features freezing, melting and subliminating water, projecting macro- and microscopic  imaging and ice that melts during the performance. It means that the dancers are going to deal with ice, water and nudity. The performance combines contemporary dance,  media- and sound art and it´s choreography is also inspired by the movement of the Baltic Sea plankton.

Two dancers will be selected by the audition. Dancers would preferably live in Turku or nearby.  The project doesn´t offer the housing during the period of rehearsal or the performance.

The dance auditions will be in the new dancehall of the Barker-Theatre. Bring with your CV and what you feel you`ll need. Housing or transport costs are not  covered  by organisers. Some snacks will be available.

Schedule of Vol.at.ilit.y:
15.-28.8.2011: Residence by Saaren Kartano/Kone Foundation, period of rehearsal
26.9-12.10. 2011: Barker-Theatre, The Free Stage of Performing Arts in Turku, period of rehearsal
13.10-28.10.2011: Barker-Theatre, The Free Stage of Performing Arts in Turku, performances

More informatio:

Choreographer:                                                Barker-Theatre & the Vol.at.ilit.y producer
Tomi Paasonen                                                Laura Taberman
tomi@paasonen.com                                      barker@pikininimeri.fi
www.paasonen.com +358223 383 903
http://vol-at-ilit-y.blogspot.com/ www.barker.fi

More photos of the VivoArts -workshop lead by Adam and other activities of Herbologies / Foraging Networks here:

]]> http://00capsula00.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/adam-zaretsky-goes-organic/feed/ 2 capsula adam zaretsky in Helsinki Hakaniemi market http://00capsula00.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/herbologies-foraging-networks-seminar-workshops-26-28th-march-helsinki/ http://00capsula00.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/herbologies-foraging-networks-seminar-workshops-26-28th-march-helsinki/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:14:34 +0000 capsula http://00capsula00.wordpress.com/?p=570 ]]>

Seminar, discussions, hands-on workshops, harvesting the Windowfarms Finland garden in Kiasma…all about herbs,  plant and food foraging, urban honey collection, herb tincture preparations, dumpster-diving, bio-piracy, DNA -extraction….

Date: 27 March 2010, 13.00-17.00, 17.30-19.00
Location: Kiasma Seminar Room
Organisers: Ulla Taipale (FI/ES), Andrew Gryf Paterson (SCO/FI)
Complete information in: Herbologies/Foraging Networks Programme

Presentations and discussions

// 13.00: Introduction to full Herbologies/Foraging Networks programme

// 13:15: *Cultural Heritage*

Signe Pucena (LV): Herbs and cultural heritage, Baltic expeditions -project

Kultivator (SE): The Wedding between Art and Agriculture

// 14.00: *Urban Space*

Christina Stadlbauer (AT/BE): Honey foraging in urban environments

Dyykkaus Round table featuring Sirpa Kurppa, Nina Nordström and Jessica Suni (all FI)

Discussion in Finnish with projected English text ’side-channel’.

// 15.15: Break for 15 mins

// 15.30: *Information & Sharing*

Andrew Gryf Paterson (SCO/FI): Foraging networks online

Ossi Kakko (FI): Intellectual property/Bio-piratism

Sinikka Piippo (FI): Mielen ja kehon kuntoa kasveilla / Health of mind and body with herbs

++ 17.30: Vivoarts Workshop by Adam Zaretsky follows the Seminar..

Adam Zaretsky (US): Vivoarts Workshop

Renowned bioartist Adam Zaretsky (US) leads a hands-on lab in Pixelache Festival entitled: ‘How to Extract DNA from Anything Living in the Laboratory or in your Kitchen: A Compare and Contrast Vegetarian Laboratory and Hobbyist Workshop’. It will include a bio-political discussion on the difference between whole plant preparations and purified, ‘isolated’ extracts, with a risk assessment of intentional release ‘utilisation’ of Hybrid DNA.

The workshop will take place in Kiasma Seminar room on Saturday 27th March, from 1730-1900, and is free of charge. Held in English language, it has a limited number of spaces for involved persons (Maximum 25 participants), although another 15 are welcome to watch the proceedings.

Please register for involvement before 25.3. Look here for more information.

Herbologies Workshops in Botanic Gardens

*

Date: 28th March, 2010, 12-17
Location: Kaisaniemi Botanic Gardens, Helsinki.
Participants: Max. 16 persons in Herbal Tintures workshop. Please register to reserve a place.

Two interactive workshops, ‘Herbal Tinctures’ and ‘Fermentation Sermon’, teach artistic and ‘hands-on’/practical skills, and give DIY -tools to prepare and enjoy wild vegetables and local herbs following traditional and contemporary procedures.

The workshops start at 12.00 by Kiasma takaikkuna, where the participants will harvest the plants growing in Windowfarms Finland installation together with Signe Pucena and Ossi Kakko. From Kiasma, we all walk together to Botanical Garden in Kaisaniemi where the workshops take place.

These workshops are free of charge, but have a limited number of spaces (Max. 16 participants in Herbal Tinctures workshop).

Please register your interest to participate, and reserve a place by email
Before March 25th to: herbologies [-at-] pixelache.ac
(please write which workshop you are applying to)

[*] Photo credits above: Herb collection – Signe Pucena, Dyykkaus table – cc Sigardus, Bee Observatory – cc Annemie Maes, Forest foraging – Ossi Kakko, Kultivator sign – cc Andrew Gryf Paterson

Open Call for projects  for finnish and estonian artists and creators and open for proposals for cross-disciplinary art expeditions to the Baltic Sea finished just before Christmas. We received 70 proposals, from which 5 were from estonian and 65 from finnish artists/groups of artists.

In the beginning of February the jury (director of the Turku University Research Institute of Archipelago Sea, prof. FT Ilppo Vuorinen, visual artist Terike Haapoja, artist-curator Juha Huuskonen and curator-producer Ulla Taipale) gathered together to choose the projects to be realised.

The selection of projects and artists  is:

**Kaarnavene/ Bark Boat by Antti Laitinen

**Pelastusalus Silakka / Rescue Boat Baltic Herring crew: Teemu Takatalo, Tommi Taipale, Ossi Kakko, Riku Ritvanen

**Green Matters by Mia Mäkelä

**Sonic Seascape Terrace by Hanna Haaslahti & Marianne Decoster-Taivalkoski

**Vol.at.ilit.y by  Tomi Paasonen & Tiago Da Cruz

More information about the projects will be available very soon!

Curated Expedition to the Baltic Sea project is realised in collaboration with Finnish Bioart Society and is part of European capital for culture Turku2011  -programme.