TOURISM
All Turku Has to Offer ... And More
Launched in 1985, the brainchild of former actress and Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri, the European Capital of Culture has become one of the most visible and beloved initiatives of the European Union. In 2011 this initiative goes Nordic, with the cities of Turku and Tallinn firmly holding the sceptre. Less than 200 km apart from each other, both Baltic gateway cities will be strutting their stuff in style.
Throughout 2011, Turku will be celebrating, with the spotlight directed on its people, its neighbourhoods, its parks and favorite watering holes.
There is much to celebrate. Turku, Finland’s oldest city, is also one of its most engaging. From the mediaeval to the functional modern and beyond, Turku is an eclectic, forward-looking and cosmopolitan town firmly rooted in a decidedly Finnish legacy. Gateway to Scandinavia’s 90,000 islands, life in Turku takes place on land, river and sea.
During 2011, the city turns into a huge canvas on which art, activities and cultural events paint a portrait of the city’s soul. The 2011 Capital of Culture celebrations promise to bring an added dimension to an already multi-faceted city.
As Anne-Marget Niemi of Turku Touring remarks, “together with the many pre-existing art and artistic experiences that form the essence of Turku, the Cultural Year will deliver a variety of intimate, unique, and above all, free encounters with art, culture and the people of Turku.
The 'Turku 2011' programme has made great efforts to offer memorable and uplifting experiences for everyone - especially those on a tight budget ! ”
Kicking Off with Finnish Flair
Not to be outdone by the Carnival in Rio, Turku inaugurated its reign in January with a three-day celebration. Although there were activities, performances and other organized craziness in virtually all of Turku’s neighborhoods throughout the weekend, the centre piece of the kick-off weekend was the premier performance of This Side, the Other Side.
So called because it took place on both sides of (and above) the Aura River, the show was a spectacle of aerial acrobatics, music, lights, pyrotechnics, fireworks and, in the words of theatre director, Emma Puikkonen, a whole lot of love.
The theme of the performance was, not surprisingly, communication (in Finnish, “connecting people”). In this case, Finnish and foreign actors and dancers connected with hundreds of Turku’s residents who took an active role in the opening ceremony performance.
The after-party was held at Logomo, a new arena and café cutting its ribbon that night, which is certain to become a cultural icon beyond the 2011 year.
Created by German artist, Tobias Rehberger, Logomo combines fine Finnish decor (Artek style) with the best of local and organic food.
Patrons literally step into and become part of the artwork. In addition to the art café, Logomo will host five exhibitions for the duration of the year and a museum shop run by the Turku 2011 Foundation and the Museum Centre of Turku.
On Saturday, January 15, Logomo’s converted engineering workshops became the setting for LogoMotion – a party featuring live rock, pop, jazz, soul and classic heavy metal.
Getting Physical with Culture
Turku has decided to accent the intimate in its 2011 events. The themes of the year include: “transformations, personality, take-off, memories and truths”, creating open invitation to experience culture on a personal level.
Many of events include a heavy dose of inter-activity, which leave audiences not only entertained, but fully engaged.
As Niemi puts it, “Turku 2011 offers a variety of ways in which visitors and locals can get physical with culture, with a real emphasis on the interactive possibilities of art”.
2000 & 11 Portraits is a workshop on self-portraits, which will later be placed on display around the city. Fire, Fire is an interactive exhibition produced by Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre, which takes the visitor to and through the scientific and cultural world of flames.
In August, the 10-day Future Circus Festival will feature world–class acts by international performers as well as students from the Turku Art Academy.
Turku prides itself on the fact it is one of the few places to offer a Circus Art degree program. The offerings are not limited to urban Turku alone.
Contemporary Art Archipelago will turn Turku’s islands into a giant open-air gallery. This event consists of 20 new and site-specific contemporary artworks by international and local artists, which can be experienced from cruise ships, ferries, small boats, along the roads, on small islets, in the sea, or over the radio.
Let the Sunshine In
The performing arts scheduled for Turku 2011 include a number of unique and, at times, quirky offerings.
Premiering in November, Eerik XIV is a three-act original opera commissioned by the City of Turku from the composer Mikko Heiniö about the king of Sweden-Finland whose endeavours to join the ranks of an enlightened Europe land him in prison in Turku Castle.
In August, Cirque Dracula, a seductive albeit highly acrobatic rendition of this classic by international circus performers (some ex-Cirque Du Soleil) is set to candlelight and blood-red wine, promising the best in European cabaret.
Scheduled for January – May, The Absurd History of the Opera is an original full-length musical comedy/stand-up performance/opera concert which delves into the question: is it easier to negotiate with a soprano or terrorist? Mozart, Puccini and Verdi never had it so good.
Perhaps the most intriguing of all the 2011 theatre offerings, however, is Middle-Aged Hair scheduled for February. A rave dance on steroids, the 200 performers in this not-to-be-missed reproduction of the 1960s musical are typical middle-aged Turkuns... no prior musical theatre experience necessary.
