21 border-crossing cooperative projects were chosen through Operation Pirkanmaa’s open call

Operation Pirkanmaa organised an open call for project proposals in spring 2023 with the theme of cross-border cooperation. By the deadline on 4th of June, 99 applications had been received.

Available funding totalled 100,000 euros, and the jury processing the applications divided the sum between 21 project proposals. Operation Pirkanmaa and the selected operators discussed the details of cooperation, and the sums granted to projects varied between 2,000 and 12,000 euros.

Criteria in the open call were a form of “cross-border cooperation” in the project concept, a link to the Pirkanmaa Region, professional implementation plan and budget, as well promotion of the inclusion and equality of audiences.

The selected projects not only cross borders and are divided between municipalities, countries and generations, but also cross over to the virtual world and into cultural heritage. Regionality, a wide spectrum of artforms, and interaction with surroundings were strongly present in the chosen projects.

Word art and philosophy to the Pirkanmaa Region

Thoughts on the future will be provoked in society Nokia-Seura’s project My Nokia 2033, promoting reading and writing skills in autumn 2023. Students in Nokia municipality’s schools will write texts taking place ten years in the future, which will also be visualised for a final exhibition.

In November, children will get to visit word art association Yöstäjä’s imagination exhibition Unohdettujen satujen metsä (‘Forest of forgotten fairytales’) at the main library Metso in Tampere. Association Viitapiiri ry. will organise events Pirkanmaa Region poetry rally and Finnish national poetry slam championship for adult audiences.

Doctor of culture Heikki Kovalainen will offer conversations and philosophy by touring with his book and conversation project Living audiobook in Operation Pirkanmaa’s municipalities in the autumn. On the other hand, Ikaalinen-based association Puistofilosofia ry. will expand their operations by organising a philosophy event also in Akaa on the 4th and 5th of August and in Hämeenkyrö on 19th of August as part of Landefest festival.

Attention to the built environment and our relationship to nature

Forest Gallery is a communal outdoor art event taking place from the 29th of July until the 10th of August in Jalkasaari island in Pyynikki, Tampere, with connection between humans and nature as its theme. Children’s relationship to nature is the subject of touring children’s cultural centre Kattila’s project Pölypuhetta! in Akaa, which will familiarise kindergarten children with beekeeping and sustainable development using art-based methods.

Pirkanmaa Building Heritage Association researches and promotes the value of built cultural environment. Rescue operation Pirkanmaa Region’s old beauties will advance the protection of old buildings and conservative repair methods by giving lectures and gathering a network of specialists in the theme.

Transparent Eyeball will create curated and digital NFT art based on cultural heritage in a project in cooperation with Valkeakoski’s Visavuori museum.

Participatory and experiential operations

A participatory art project led by art collective Hiekkalaatikkokollektiivi utilising recycled materials was constructed at Demolition art house Pinni 47 in July, and a project combining Fantastinen Norsu’s visual art with dance and movement improvisation was also carried in the art house.

Later in the summer, Idle Hands will carry out project Summer city blocks of street art, which will bring landmark artworks to the Tammela and Tulli areas. In the same neighbourhood, a genre-limit-breaking international cooperation came together in connection with Tampere’s Flamenco week on the 1st of July, when Finland, Spain and the Fest Afrika association met at Pakkahuone in a free-of-charge carnival event for the whole family.

Anna Pesonen and her team are making a communal Musical memorial spatial artwork in the autumn. In the project, music will be composed to memories collected from Tampere inhabitants, and the music will be found on QR codes in places connected to the memories.

Heritage in the form of stories will also continue to be collected by Kirsi Marie Liimatainen and Ditte Uljas, who will collect first-hand stories from senior LGBTQIA+ people in the Pirkanmaa Region and turn them into video stories.

Performance art to Pirkanmaa Region

Opera Ihmiset suviyössä had its premiere on the 14th of July in Hämeenkyrö’s Myllykolu summer theatre. The project has an innovative production model connecting different operators and utilising new modes of operation.

Theatre Siperia will experiment with a touring Culture van in the autumn. With the van as its base, the theatre can carry out a multi-arts performances that invite audience participation and can include, for example, drama, stand-up or karaoke.

Muusafest is a multi-arts one-day experience organised by a feminist group, which will feature a modern circus, dance, performances, and live music. The public will also get to participate in workshops on the 23rd of September in an event that will be organized at Tampere Tavara-asema.

International winds and AI art

Theatre Tukkateatteri from Tampere and theatre Ilmatar from Madrid are making a version of Hella Vuolijoki’s classic play, Heta Niskavuori, which will premiere on the 1st of September 2023. The project, which pilots international cooperation between theatres, deals with societal upheaval and inequality.

Another project carried on international winds is the movie Karun by Iranian screenwriter and director Sahand Sarhaddi. The movie tells the story of the politically motivated murder of Iranian poet Hamid Hajizadeh and his son, and it will be edited by Wacky Tie Films in Tampere. International distribution at film festivals will be sought for the movie.

During ‘Night of Events’, Julius Visuals will arrange a constantly changing, all night Urban AI Art presentation at the summer oasis in Tampere central square. The author of the artwork is Jussi Lahtinen.

We will update links and add further information about upcoming projects on our website.