Pixelache Helsinki 2021 is opening this Sunday, June 6th. Not everything has gone quite like expected (depending of course how pessimistic a view one has).
We will have on site performances, video works, installations, lectures, and workshops, like we first imagined. We will also have online streams (actually 2: both audiovisual and radio), festival radio over local FM, and the audio works can be listened on our website during the festival. Along with those there are hybrid events, like live radio broadcasting on site: {openradio} who is responsible for Pixelache festival radio will broadcast each day a couple of hours of live interviews after which Sumugan Sivanesan will be on air with fugitiveradio.
This Sunday’s programming has gone through the biggest changes. Unfortunately we weren’t able to find a space for Mandarina Collective’s Rain Theatre – Maijansali being occupied by voters and all tents and yurts either being out of our reach or of wrong type. (We now only have an imaginary yurt.)
It’s important to remember that it’s not yet a post-pandemic era we’re living in. A good reminder of this is that our two foreign guests need to spend some more days in the quarantine because of exposure to covid-19, and hence cannot participate on the opening day.
However, we are delighted to let you know what we do have on Sunday! Ernest Truely is going to join us at Kansalaistori at 13–16 with a pop up spa where it’s possible to get head massage, Art School Haircut, Ethnobotanical Eyelash Extensions, marker tattoos or an aura reading.
At 16:00 there is a performance by author and a sound artist Taneli Viljanen. They recently published a beautiful book, Varjoja, usvaa, which studies the things that are in between. Their work at the festival, Jäljet: Metamorfoosin tapahduttua deals with quite similar issues. Jäljet is about the metamorphosis of non-significant sound to densely signifying language. The site for this performance combining sound art, experimental music and spoken poetry was supposed to be an intimate space. Instead Taneli Viljanen will perform their piece on stage at Kansalaistori – which luckily means that 50 people can be included to audience.
Inside Oodi there are installations of Leda Vaneva, Leena Pukki, Eva Macali, Embassy of the Republic of Užupis and Coven Intelligence Program which includes a curated selection of books about herbal medicine and spells. There’s also video works by Anna Mu Muchenikova, Liu Yi-yang and Terike Haapoja with Pauliina Feororoff and images by Kristo Muurimaa and Babacar Traore running on monitors.
The co-directors will give an opening speech at 13:30. More info on our website and at Pixelache's info desk under the Oodi's overhang (lipan alla). There you'll be able to find the books by Peter Morgan and the instructions to how to be part of Charli Clark's We Walk Together.
Bring your own radio, picnic carpet and a face mask and join us at Kansalaistori. It’s been a long time since we last got to enjoy an actual live performance – not to mention a live festival.
(Image of Coven Intelligence Program installation)
