Multiartistic production

• Concept, choreography, dance and production: Pirjo Yli-Maunula
• Sound and Lighting Design, video installations: Jukka Huitila
• Costume Design and installations: Pirjo Valinen
• Photos: Pekka Mäkinen
• Production: Flow Productions and Oulu City Art Museum
• Premiere / Opening: 1 Sept., 2006 Oulu City Art Museum
• Duration: 35 min.
• Sponsors: National Council for Dance, Arts Council of Finland

Body and Surface in 2006

The multiartistic production, Body and Surface (Keho ja Kuori), was carried out in collaboration with the Oulu City Art Museum in the autumn of 2006. The production included an exhibition and a daily dance performance in connection with it. The exhibition was made of photos, video and costume installations and lights.

Body and Surface now

Body and Surface is now touring as a dance performance. The maximum of six viewers at a time can participate in this dance performance of about half an hour. This intimate and partly interactive performance aims at a direct contact with the viewers, waking up their senses and taking a stand in bodily awareness.

The performance will start from bringing each viewer into the space one by one. During this journey of about two minutes, the viewer is stimulated through touching to sense his or her own body. After this, the dancer will perform for the people gathered in the space, for max. 6 viewers.

The touch and scent of the dancer will bring the performer close to a viewer in the beginning, but as the performance proceeds, the dancer will be distanced from the viewer. The work starts from a private experience of the body and gradually grows into a social  taking of an attitude to bodily awareness.

“The performance seems to tell about the human despair, uncertainty and perhaps even about indifference. Moving in a shattering sound world, the dancer wrapped in gauze brings violence and even war to the space around her. It is absolutely mindblowing to see the dancing on broken glass.” Timo Jokelainen, Kaleva 6.9.2006

“Interesting and definitely art which touches the viewer!” Laura Veikkolainen, Liikekieli.com 8.10.2006

“The performance of Yli-Maunula is unique, an experience that focuses your mind and purifies.” Soile Seppä, Pohjolan Sanomat 30.9.2006

AUTHORS:

Pirjo Valinen has created costume designs, stage designs and posters for the Oulu City Theatre since 1975. Valinen has been working as a costume designer for theatre ever since 1977. Her works have been presented in a great number of exhibitions, in joint exhibitions and for her on her own. She has also been teaching, for example, at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and at the Universities of Oulu and Lapland.

Costume Designer Pirjo Valinen is known for her enthusiastic experimenting with new materials and work methods. Along the years, she has developed her own, distinctive style and character and her own, artistic views as a Finnish theatre costume designer. Her special interest point has been her courageous experimenting with various paper materials. Therefore, she has created a wide array of work methods aimed at handling paper and she has succesfully adapted the results of her experiments for theatre costumes, either as a part of the costume design or as a chosen costume material for an entire work.

Jukka Huitila Jukka Huitila is a visual artist graduated Master of Arts from the the Theatre Academy of Finland. He is one of the most luminous designer in the field of Finnish performing arts. His versatile career includes lighting, set and video design for interiors, exhibitions, live events and stage performances. He has collaborated in contemporary dance with a great number of the most recognized Finnish choreographers and this artwork has been seen in over twenty countries. Currently Huitila is interested in taking his art into more proprietary direction such as establishing status in the live art scene.

Pekka Mäkinen is a photographer graduated from the Institute of Design of Lahti, Finland, and he works as a freelance photographer in Kuopio, Finland. His career history consists of book illustrations, theatre and dance photo projects as well as of private exhibitions and teaching.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY:

• Performances at the Oulu City Museum, 2 Sept.-22 Oct., 2006 5 days a week (38)
• Exhibition opening, Oulu City Art Museum, 1 Sept., 2006
• Calgary University, Canada, Joyce and Quenten Doolittle Fine Arts Studio2-4 Feb., 2008 (6)

• Hammerfest, Norway, Barents Dance Festival, 11-13 Oct., 2008 (6)