Spring 2024 Programme at Mad House Helsinki
In the photo, the team of a tree arguing under one sun Vane Virta, Nooa Kekoni, Nori Kin and Jessica Piasecki. / Photo by Heta Heikkala.
The Spring 2024 programme opens in January with the international production Avatar Me, which is a performance conducted in an online space for one participant at a time. The piece is based on the everyday lives of people living in different parts of the world - in South Africa, Brazil, Moldova, and England - to which the participant is invited in real-time through the Zoom platform. The Danish production is directed by Tue Biering, and the performers include Marcela Nistor, Robin Khor Yong Kuan, Bertwin Ravi D'souza, Lalisa Costa, and Lillian Tshabalala.
The stage programme kicks off in February with a guest performance by Anna Torkkel and her team. Ray of Light is a dance solo that plays with evanescence, fading, and fantasy. Torkkel's movement intricately intertwines with magical soundscapes, light, space, and costume design. The team includes Johanna Porola, Kristian Palmu, Piia Rinne, Mira Kautto, and Biitsi.
In March, Atte Elias Kantonen curates the event bugbath: questing, where participants gather around experimental music and sound performances. The evening approaches music as a landscape, a narrative, and an associative act—a call and action. Throughout the night, a small path, a route, a plot emerges from the performances, offering opportunities for active or passive listening, being, and adventuring.
In the latter part of March, Mad House presents the premiere of a tree arguing under one sun. Vane Virta, Nooa Kekoni, Nori Kin, and Jessica Piasecki ask: “how the hell do you collaborate anti-fascistly pursuing both weak AND intense aesthetics in group work ;D ¯_(ツ)_/¯ “
The second premiere of the spring, EAT PREY LOVE, is the third collaborative stage work by the group of Tarleena Laakko, Julia Jäntti, and Virpi Nieminen. The performance is a monstrous swamp, a fantastical terrain that can engulf and spit out unpredictable performance elements, only to swallow them back into its depths. The working group also includes Pie Kär and Markus Tapio.
In the latter part of the spring performance season in May, Mad House welcomes Kaaos Company's production Principia. The performance is created in collaboration with Kati Raatikainen, Jenny Mansikkasalo, Milla Martikainen, Aino Koski, Roy Boswell, and Piia Rinne. The performance moves between earth and air, incorporating aerial acrobatics within the context of dance. The work explores the fundamentals of embodied existence and encounters. Kaaos Company is an inclusive dance group that, through its work, challenges questions related to normativity and disability through bodily expression.
During the last weekend of May, Mad House will experiment with a two-day mini-festival. Featured artists for the weekend include Katie Lenanton, Veera Lohiniva, Elatu Nessa, and Timo Viialainen.
Transitioning into the summer, Pääsky Miettinen's work AT TENDING, set in Mustikkamaa, will mark the beginning of the season. This four-part series explores a nurturing relationship with place and participation. AT TENDING functions as a workshop, gathering, and performance simultaneously, allowing individuals to join in various ways and at their own pace.
Detailed information about the performances will be announced later on Mad House's website, and ticket sales will open about a month before the first show, specific to each performance. Tickets for the early part of the year are already available for purchase!
Other spring events to add to your calendar
In addition to performances and events, Mad House organizes workshops and discussions. In January, artist, choreographer, and performer Lin Da will lead a workshop on Live Art & Performing for young adults interested in art, exploring various forms of performing arts. The workshop is conducted in collaboration with the Nuori Taide -forum.
In the early part of the year, Mad House will host the In the Mirror of Care Work symposium, including a workshop and discussion session. Inga Gerner Nielsen and Ar Utke Ács will present a project exploring performance, care work, and collaboration between different sectors of society in Helsinki. The collaboration is made possible by Daniela Pascual Esparza and Tea Andreoletti from Mad House. Additional participants in the discussion include Vienne Chan, Tommi Vasko, Kaisa Karvinen, and Tuukka Haapakorpi of the Hoivan instituutti (m-cult).
More detailed information on each work will be updated on the programme page later.
Welcome!
