Sensory Art Journey Finland × Japan

Make a connection to Japan through Art.

At the moment it is difficult to visit other countries, but art can travel. In this two-part workshop we will communicate cross-culturally through art and sensory experimental program.

We are connecting Finland and Japan in a hybrid art workshop, during which we take a walk in the nature, and then, inspired by what we experienced outside, paint. The works will be cut into pieces, and half of the pieces will be mailed between Finland and Japan. In the second workshop we make a collage from the pieces with the help of the participating artists.

Painters Saki Tanaka (Japan) and Sanna Kananoja (Finland) will guide the walks and workshops, and will finalise the works together with the participants. No previous experience in painting is required.
The workshop is free of charge, and will be held in English in the Didrichsen Art Museum.
To participate, you need to be over 20 years old and able to join on both dates.

Dates: Thursday 29.4.2021 at 10–13, Monday 24.5.2021 10–12
Registrationhttps://sensory-art-journey-helsinki.peatix.com/
The maximum number of participants is eight.
Place: Didrichsen Art Museum, Kuusilahdenkuja 1, 00340 Helsinki

Program
29.4. Introduction and short artist talk by the artists.
Exploring Didrichsen Art Museum’s sculpture park
Painting inspired by nature
Discussing with participants in Japan through Zoom
~~~ Exchanging the pieces ~~~
24.5. Finalising the works together

Host: The Finnish Institute in Japan
Organizer: Mariko Yoshida
Aalto University Nordic Visual Studies in Art Education Master student
Instagram: @ma10ri12co
Instagram of my course:@nova_masterprogram
In collaboration with: Didrichsen Art Museum

Artists Profiles

Saki Tanaka

Saki Tanaka

Saki Tanaka was born in the United States and spent her childhood in Hong Kong, and her memories led her to be interested in many cultures. With her long-term experience of Japanese calligraphy, her main theme is “breathing” and “rhythm” created by lines and white spaces. She changes her tools for the materials and spaces she works on, and composes with color, lines, and white spaces. She leaves her works all over the world as she brings her daily life into places, she calls that project “stay & work”. She travels, feels the energy of the place and people, and makes artworks that she can create only there. Those works are left there and create new landscape scenery.

 

Sanna Kananoja

Sanna Kananoja

Sanna Kananoja is a Turku based Finnish artist whose landscape paintings tell stories about nature’s and humans’ intertwined lives. In her paintings, nature takes back its space from humans who have used it for their own purposes. Kananoja’s paintings seem almost like big photoprints, but at a closer look they are something between dynamic, drawing and expressive. Abundant colors and lines play an essential role in her works. Kananoja works mainly with egg-tempera paint because of its special shine of colors and possibilities during the painting process. She has held exhibitions regularly from 2007.

Finnish Visual Arts Lecture Series

Welcome to the fascinating world of Finnish visual arts, artistry and artist lives during the Finnish Golden era (ca 1880-1910)!

Slides for past lectures available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19H3BqjE28gsXN6FJA-RUH3v4uNuKQDAy?usp=sharing

Finnish Institute in Japan will organise a lecture series about the golden era of Finnish visual arts and its most beloved and known artists. Join the lectures in Zoom on Tuesdays throughout April and May at 17:00-18:30PM. All lectures are free of charge, Held in English and interpreted into Japanese. Tickets for all lectures are available at the link below.

Timetable:
March 23rd, Helene Schjerfbeck (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
April 6th, Pekka Halonen (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
April 13th, Elin Danielson-Gambogi (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
April 20th, Albert Edelfelt (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
April 27th, Ellen Thesleff (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
May 4th, Emil Wikström (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
May 11th, Maria Wiik (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)
May 18th, Akseli Gallen-Kallela (lecturer: Pasi Järvinen)
May 25th, Hugo Simberg (lecturer: Anna-Maria Wiljanen)

Registration in the link: https://finland-art21.peatix.com

Painting: Hugo Simberg: The Wounded Angel, Oil on canvas, 1903, Ateneum Art Museum, Finnish National Gallery.

Finnish Dance Course

The popular Finnish Dance Course is back!

Note! The date of the last lesson has been changed! The new date is 2nd of June!

The Finnish Institute in Japan will organize another Finnish folk dance course on Wednesdays 28th of April, 12th and 19th of May and 2nd of June 2021 starting at 6pm at the Metsä Pavilion’s covered outdoor deck. The teacher is Salla Kajiwara.
The course is free, but requires a registration.

Registration for the last session on 2nd of June is now open,
please register via Peatix.

Miila Westin: Mythical

Due to the state of emergency, all our exhibitions are temporarily closed. The exhibitions will resume after the state of emergency has ended.

Have you heard of Rongoteus or Ägräs?

Miila Westin’s exhibition of Finnish mythical beings is part of her Master of Arts thesis in Aalto University. While researching the Finnish ancient religion the illustrator noticed how abundantly there were myths and stories which were not a part of the national epic of Karelia and Finland, The Kalevala. In her research, Westin considered whether the illustrations of myths need to informative, or whether the artists can interpret the subject freely. She came to a conclusion that new interpretations keep the ancient myths alive and remembered. Westin’s illustrations do not reflect how the Finnish mythical beings may have been imagined in ancient times, but instead how the illustrator herself wants to see them.

Miila Westin: Mythical

22.4.–16.5.2021 (closed 6.5.)
Mon–Fri: 10:00–20:00
Sat–Sun, holidays: 10:00–17:30
Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library
5-7-13 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Free entrance
We recommend you to make a reservation beforehand

Online artist talk
Date: 26th April 2021 at 18:00
Language: English (interpreted in Japanese)
Platform: Zoom
Registration: https://miilawestin-artisttalk.peatix.com/

Miila Westin (b. 1987) is a Finnish illustrator living and working in Helsinki, Finland. She works on various types of illustration projects ranging from character design and editorial illustrations to pattern design and books. She especially enjoys visualizing imaginary creatures and dreamy environments. Westin has illustrated Radio Popov, the winning book of The Finlandia Junior Price (2020). Westin is also a board member of The Finnish Illustrators Association.
Westin graduated as Master of Arts in Visual Narrative (Visual Communication Design) in 2020 from Aalto University of Arts and Design. The topic of her thesis was about the visualizations of Finnish mythical beings.

Miila Westin: Hiisi, 2020

Runeberg Torte Recipe

Ingredients

125 g of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 dl wheat flour

50 g of almond crumb

1.5 dl breadcrumbs

1.5 dl gingerbread crumbs

a teaspoon of ground cardamom

1 egg,

1 dl sugar

1 dl of cream

bitter almond oil

raspberry jam

punch or almond liqueur

1 dl icing sugar

1 teaspoon water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 125°F. Soften the butter without melting it. Combine baking powder, flour, crushed almonds, bread crumbs, crushed gingerbread and cardamom. Beat the beaten eggs and sugar together and mix with the cream, melted butter and flour. Finally, add two drops of bitter almond oil.  

Place the resulting batter in a silicone or paper container and fill the center with raspberry jam. Add the dough to the top of the jam, a little more than halfway up the container.  

Place in the oven and bake at 125 degrees for the first few minutes, then increase the temperature to 200 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the tart is a beautiful brown color.  

When the baked tart is cool, remove it from the container (you can leave the paper container in place). Add punch or almond liqueur to the tart to moisten it. (For families with small children, substitute sugar water.) Make the icing by adding a drop of water to the icing sugar and top the tart with a circle. Fill the inside of the rings with raspberry jam.  

Serve with coffee or punch. 

Welcome to the Finnish Architecture Seminar online

Thank you for all the participants! The event was held in Zoom in December 8th 2020.

The Finnish Architecture is well-known throughout the world and the Finnish architects famous for their multifaceted, experimental and innovative design, especially in wooden architecture. How has the Finnish architecture affected the Japanese architecture and vice versa? What are the current trends in Finnish and in Japanese architecture?

This event will now be held only in Zoom, the face-to-face event at the Metsä Pavilion is cancelled.

Join us online to listen to the prominent guest speakers from Finland and Japan!

Date:
December 8th, 2020, at 13:00-18:45PM
Programme:
13:00 Welcoming words – AMW
13:15 Speaker Taishi Watanabe
14:15 Speaker Daishi Sakaguchi
15:15 break
15:30 Speaker Kazunori Yamaguchi
16:30 Speaker Kivi Sotamaa
17:30 Speaker Pekka Helin
18:30 Closing remarks
18:45 Event ends

Women’s Empowerment Seminar

Women: Stop dreaming – start acting!
Empowering women to take charge of their lives!
Happy woman feels that her life is meaningful when it comes to her family situation, her work, her leisure time and above all, herself! Happy women are happy at home, happy at work and happy with their friends. The happiness is then spread within the circle of one’s friends, family members, co-workers, companies and finally in the society. But how can women be empowered?
The Finnish Institute in Japan organizes an international conference about Women’s empowerment with prominent speakers for example members of academia, entrepreneurs and innovators from Japan and Finland share their story! Come and join and be empowered!

Date:
December 3th, 2020, at 10:00-20:00PM (Including Reception)

Programme:
9:45 We will open the gate and the doors to the Metsä Pavilion
9:55  We will open the Zoom for our speakers from Finland and to check that everything is in order.
10:00 Opening words by Anna-Maria Wiljanen, Director of FIJ
10:30 Keynote speech by Chancellor Mariko Bando, Chancellor, Showa Women’s University
“We must create a new type of leadership; a leader who will support, share with, and be dedicated to others for a sustainable society”
11:30 Lunch (bento boxes will be served all the speakers and the audience at the Metsä Pavilion)
12:15 Discussion about women’s empowerment by Hiroko Sakomura, S2 Corporation Ltd, and Anna-Maria Wiljanen
13:15 Speech by Arisa Ido
14:15 Speech by Moriko Hori, President of Women’s Federation for World Peace, Japan
15:15 Coffee break
15:45 Speech by Daniela Yrjö-Koskinen, Managing Director and Owner, Novita Oy
16:45 Speech by Anna-Maria Wiljanen, Director of the Finnish Institute in Japan
17:45 Speech by Tamako Takamatsu
18:45 Closing remarks by Anna-Maria Wiljanen
18:50 Network reception starts
20:00 Doors close

Venue:
Face-to-face participation at Metsä Pavilion (Address: 3-5-39 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo) *max. 50 attendees, online participation in Zoom.

Finnish Success Story: Schools on the Move -active school day, better results

What to learn more about the revolutionary new Finnish programme for the schools? How the increase in physical activity during the school day will give better learning results? Schools on the Move is a research-based programme for promoting physical activity in schools. It was developed in 2010 and has grown from a pilot project into a project that today covers more than 90 percent of Finnish schools in basic education.
Finnish Institute in Japan is collaborating with LIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health in Finland with the pilot project in Japan.

Join us in the Schools on the Move webinar November 26th, 2020 17:00-19:00PM in Zoom.
PROGRAMME
17:00 Opening words – Anna-Maria Wiljanen, Director of the Finnish Institute in Japan
17.10-17.30 Success story 1: Schools on the Move programme, how it became a national success story in Finland – Antti Blom, Programme Director, National Agency for Education
17.40-18.10 Success story 2: Programme research and results, Researcher – Jouni Kallio, LIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health
18.10-18.40 Success story 3: Components of Schools on the Move – Pilot project in Japan – Joonas Niemi, Programme Coordinator, Schools on the Move Programme
18:40-19:00 Q&A Session

Registrationhttps://schoolsonthemove1126.peatix.com/

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85228350193?pwd=L0xWakI5VjYvUlNtSzNZZzJHa1poUT09

Welcome!

Sustainable materials seminar

How can we get rid of fast fashion and single-use culture? What are the sustainable materials and their quality? How about the production process and costs? 

The Finnish Institute in Japan organizes a Sustainable materials seminar November 24th at the brand new Metsä Pavilion! Prominent researchers and designers from Finland and Japan will speak about the latest product innovations! Join us in hearing and discussing more natural, energy efficient and ecological solutions on what to wear tomorrow. 

Programme: 

November 24th, 2020, at 14:30-20:00PM (Including Reception) 

14:30 Doors open

14:45 Opening words  – Director Anna-Maria Wiljanen
15:00 SILKKI ~Sustainable approach with silk to textile manufacturing and people’s lifestyle – Yuki Kawakami
16:00 Knitting – combining sustainability and well-being – Commercial director Marita Halonen
17:00 Reima’s sustainable innovations for kidswear – Communications manager Riikamaria Paakkunainen
18:00 Spinnova – sustainable materials for textile industry – Business Development manager Pia Qvintus
19:00 Reception
20:00 Doors close 

This seminar was a hybrid event that took place in the Metsä Pavilion (max. 50 attendees) and in Zoom. Venue: Metsä Pavilion (Address: 3-5-39 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo) 

A warm thank you for all the participants! 

Heli Blåfield’s Sauna People Photography Exhibition

A documentary look at Finnish modern-day sauna culture

 

Heli Blåfield documents Finnish modern-day sauna culture, and through it, Finnish everyday life and its rituals. Heli toured all 19 provinces of Finland from May 2017 to December 2018. Together with her brother, writer Ville Blåfield, they published a series of photo reportages, that eventually formed a book published early 2019 (Saunavuoro, Teos). The siblings travelled 10,390 kilometres by car, 2,200 kilometres by air and 318 kilometres by ferry, for a total of 12,908 kilometres. Along the way, they met over 100 new sauna companions.

Sauna People Photography Exhibition

Nov 27th (Fri) – Dec 3rd (Thu)

Opening times:
Weekdays 12:00–18:00
Weekends 10:00–15:00
Free, with advance registration only.
Children under 12 years old don’t need a reservation.

Venue
Metsä Pavilion, 3-5-39 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Artist talk

Dec 1st at 18:00–19:30
The artist talk is arranged via Zoom.
In English with Japanese interpretation.
The link to the artist talk: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83515446348?pwd=cHNEaElnU21LYUpmcFljSHYyUWVJZz09

 

“The tour took us to public and private saunas, together with families, groups of friends, and colleagues. We saw a lot of lacquered birch panel, Crocs sandals, and plastic carpets. But at the same time we saw a lot of beauty – a lot of Finnishness. For a Finn, sauna is not only a dark booth, it’s also a window. We realised that above and after all sauna is the great connecting factor in our culture.”

There are over 3 million saunas in Finland – a country of 5 million people. According to official statistics, clear majority of Finnish saunas – 1,686,154 of them to be exact – are located in private homes. The second largest group, at 797,845, are found in Finland’s summer cottages. As the categories grow smaller, it is easy to gain a sense of the unique diversity of Finland’s sauna stock. Some 9,896 saunas can be found in various farm buildings, 6,468 saunas in business premises or industrial buildings, and 4,000-or-so saunas have been built onto trailers.

Whatever the real number, the statistics don’t lie: you can find a sauna in pretty much every corner of Finland. It is an integral part of most every living arrangement, weekly routine and social interaction.

Heli Blåfield is a Helsinki based freelance journalist (M.Soc.Sc). In her work she is specialised in reportages, portraits, and fashion. Her pictures have been published in many Finnish and international publications.
Ville Blåfield is a Helsinki based communications specialist and writer.

The Sauna People exhibition has been previously on display in Narva and Tartu via Finnish Institute in Estonia. In 2021 the exhibition will travel to VB Photographic Centre in Kuopio and to Spain via Finnish Institute in Madrid.

The exhibition was created with support from Patricia Seppälä Foundation and The Finnish Sauna Society.

Photo: Polvijärvi, May 2018: Tuula and Esa enjoying Esa’s sauna by lake Vehkalampi.

 

Exhibition tickets

Entrance is free but needs to be reserved in advance, reservations can be made until 16:00 the day before.

Please choose your desired day here and complete the registration process on Peatix via the below links:

 

Friday 27.11.: <<Reserve your ticket>>

Saturday 28.11.: <<Reserve your ticket>>

Sunday 29.11.: <<Reserve your ticket>>

Monday 30.11.: <<Reserve your ticket>>

Tuesday 1.12.: <<Reserve your ticket>>

Wednesday 2.12.: <<Reserve your ticket>>

Thursday 3.12.: Open only for the participants of the women’s empowerment seminar

Friday 4.12.: CLOSED

Saturday 5.12.: CLOSED

Sunday 6.12.: CLOSED

Monday 7.12.: CLOSED

Tuesday 8.12.: CLOSED