Making inspiring stories calls for a party!

We are watching a video our friends in China made for us!

For the last project of this session, we thought it would be great to bring the artists in 7C from Helsingin yhteislyseo to get to know another artistic space in Kontula, Helsinki. So we gathered in Museum of Impossible Forms to create Inspiring Stories art project and celebrate with next year's Dear You group from Päiväkoti Pihapirtti, who are also located in Kontula!

We started the session by looking at a video a few of the artists from Shenzhen Middle School made for their friends in Kontula. They had made a sweet introduction of themselves and also shared with us the art that they have been making in China.

Looking at our friend's artwork and thinking about past Dear You projects we have made gave us some material to work with as the next step was to make an audio story.  One artist said we need to keep in mind the sanoma (the message) when creating a story.  Some other creative writing elements are to designate characters and what is the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 

We then got into small groups and came up with four different amazing stories! When it was time to record, we thought about intonation, sound effects, and tone of voice to enhance the story.

Brainstorming in small groups

And action! Recording our audio story.

Anastasia and the groups then edited their audio recordings

The stories were all so different! Have a listen! 

MuseumofImpossibleForms #Forest #Kontula #Helsinki #Finland #13yearsold #InspiringStories

Forest is a story about a boy named Ajax. He lived in the 1940s in a small village. Ajax went to pick some berries and mushrooms in the woods. About an hour into the journey, he found himself lost. He then saw a mökki (a small cottage) and peaked through the window. Inside he saw an open cupboard, which had a lot of food in it. He went inside and ate a big loaf of bread. After that he left the mökki to try and find his way home. Along the way, he met an old person and asked this person some questions. The old person didn't understand anything!

DearYou #Kontula #Helsinki #Finland #InspiringStories #13yearsold #MuseumofImpossibleForms

DearYou #Kontula #MuseumofImpossibleForms #Helsinki #Finland #InspiringStories #13yearsold

The storytellers from Differences and Similarities have more questions for their friends in China.

Do you pack your own lunch? Or do you pay 1euro for it? Or how much?
Do you have a lot of homework?
When does your school day end?
Are your tests difficult?
Does your school have any after-school activities?

Helsinki #Kontula #MuseumofImpossibleForms #DearYou #InspiringStories

Eläimet puussa , Animal in the tree (English translation)
All the animals are meeting under a tree and they decided to make a pack. The pack leader is the lion. The walrus also wants to be a leader. They start to fight and the walrus wins. The walrus will become the leader and so the lion has to go. The walrus was a good leader but the lion returned. The lion took a coconut from the tree and hit the walrus in the head with it while the walrus was asleep. The walrus got a mild concussion! The lion became the leader again. The animals didn't want the lion to the be leader so everybody else left the pack.

We had a great time making these stories for you!

Thank you! Kiitos!

With love,
Arlene, Anastasia, Saara, and the artists at 7C

The 13 year old artists at Helsingin yhteislyseo in Helsinki, Finland are making and sharing art with the 13 year old artists from Shenzhen Middle School in Shenzhen, China.

In autumn 2017 Dear You project in Kontula is supported by the Museum of Impossible Forms.

From left to right: Saara Raevuori, Arlene Tucker, and Anastasia Artemeva. Saara is the art teacher at Helsingin yhteislyseo. Arlene and Anastasia are the makers and creators of Dear You. Thank you, Museum of Impossible Forms for hosting us!

Dear You: A Live Act at Ilmifestivaali

(English below)

Pe 13.10. klo 9.30–11.30 työpaja esikoululaisille ja koululaisille
La 14.10. klo 12–16, avoin nonstop-työpaja
Su 15.10. klo 14–15 performanssi, avoin kaikille 

Vapaa pääsy! 

Kuvitellut tilat heräävät eloon Dear You –ryhmän A Live Act – työpajassa. Työpajassa tutkitaan ja toteutetaan unelmien maailmoita installaation ja performanssin keinoin. 

Lauantaina perheille avoimissa työpajoissa tutkimme multimediatekniikoita sekä veistoksellisia muotoja ja teemme niistä osallistavan installaation. 

Sunnuntaina on kaikille avoin tanssiperformanssi teatteritilassa, jonka osallistujat ovat itse luoneet. 

Jakaa sinun unelmasi! Paina tässä lisää infoa.

Kenelle: Yli 3-vuotiaille, koululaisille ja perheille
Kielet: suomi, englanti, venäjä 
Työpajojen ohjaajat: Arlene Tucker, Anastasia Artemeva
Sunnuntain performanssi: Arlene Tucker, Anastasia Artemeva sekä tanssitaitelija Vera Lapitskaya ja muusikko Mayim Alpert. 

Kutsu yhteisen installaation tekemiseen löytyy Teatteri ILMI Ö:n kotisivuilta: https://www.teatteri-ilmio.fi/tapahtuma/ilmifestivaali/ 

Taiteiljat: 
Anastasia Artemeva on Venäjällä syntynyt, Irlannissa kasvanut, nykyään Helsingissä toimiva visuaali- ja yhteistötaiteilija. Hänen teoksensa muototutuvat monivaiheisissa prosesseissa ammentaen inspiraatiota installaatiotaiteesta, taidekasvatuksesta ja ihmisoikeustutkimuksista. Temaattisia lähteitä ovat sosiaalisten normit ja hyväksytyt totuudet, yhteiskunnallisen läpinäkyvyyden ja eksklusiivisuuden kyseenalaistaminen sekä niihin vaikuttavat sosio-poliittiset, kulttuurilliset ja henkilökohtaiset rajoitteet sekä kommunikaatiokeinot. 

Arlene Tucker on taiwanilais-amerikkalainen taiteilja ja kasvattaja, jonka alaa ovat interaktiiviset installaatiot ja arjen värittäminen leikillä taiteen keinoin. Inspiroituneena kielitieteistä, eläimistä ja luonnosta hän löytää tapoja yhdistellä ja etsiä merkityksiä jaetuista ympäristöistämme. Usein hänen teoksensa rakentavat tiloja dialogin avaamiselle ja julkistamiselle, kannustaen näin tulkintoja ja yllätyksiä kukoistamaan. Arlene loi Dear Youn vuonna 2013, jotta koululaiset, koulut ja taiteilijat ympäri maailman voisivat kerääntyä yhteen taidekirjeenvaihdon kautta. Hän on esittänyt töitään taiteilijana ja taidekasvattajana Euroopassa, Pohjois-Amerikassa ja Aasiassa. 

Vera Lapitskaya on Helsingissä toimiva tanssitaitelija ja kasvattaja. Vuodesta 2009 alkaen hän on sekä työskennellyt itsenäisenä sooloartistina että tehnyt yhteistyötä muiden taiteiljoiden kanssa, niin Suomessa kuin kansainvälisestikin. Hän lähestyy taidetta monialaisesta näkökulmasta, joka suo tanssille tilaa kohdata musiikin, maalaustaiteen, runouden ja kaikki muut taiteenmuodot. Opetuksessaan hän suhtautuu ihmiskehoon inspiraation lähteenä ja rohkaisee oppilaitaan, ikään katsomatta, ilmaisemaan itseään liikkeellä sekä löytämään oman kehonkielensä. 

Mayim Alpert on muusikko, säveltäjä, soitinrakentaja ja äänisuunnittelija, varttunut Arkansasissa ja kotiutunut Helsinkiin. Vuosia hän on rakentanut kitaroita jms., soittanut bändeissä, ja tehnyt musiikkia teattereille ja kaikenlaisiin tapahtumiin.

+++++

Friday, 13.10. 9.30–11.30 workshop with school children
Saturday, 14.10. 12–16, open non-stop workshop
Sunday, 15.10. 14–15 performance, open to the public

Free entrance!

Imagined spaces come creatively alive in Dear You’s A Live Act for Ilmi Festival. We will explore and realize our dream worlds through installation and performance. In the workshop open for families we will explore multimedia techniques and sculptural forms to build the set for the participatory installation. On Sunday, there will be a dance performance in the theatre space created by you!

Share your dream! Click here for more info.

For: children over 3 years old, school children and families
Language: Finnish, English, Russian
Workshop facilitators: Arlene Tucker, Anastasia Artemeva
Sunday performance: Arlene Tucker, Anastasia Artemeva with dance artist Vera Lapitskaya and musician Mayim Alpert

For more information about the festival: https://www.teatteri-ilmio.fi/tapahtuma/ilmifestivaali/ 

Artists:
Anastasia Artemeva is a visual and relational artist, born in Russia, raised in Ireland, and currently based in Helsinki, Finland. Her work is developed through a process-oriented artistic practice, drawn from installation art, art education, and research in human rights. Conceptually, it draws from the codes of social norms and accepted truths, questioning transparency and exclusivity affected by socio–political, cultural and personal restrictions and means of communication.

Arlene Tucker, is a Taiwanese and American interactive installation artist and educator interested in adding play elements to daily life through her art. Inspired by translation studies, animals and nature, she finds ways to connect and make meaning in our shared environments. Often her artworks create spaces for dialogue to be opened and to be divulged, making way for interpretations and surprises to flourish. Arlene created Dear You in 2013 as a means for school children, schools, and artists from all over the world to come together through mail art exchange. Over her career she has presented her work as an artist and art educator in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Vera Lapitskaya is a dance artists and educator based in Helsinki. Since 2009, she’s been working as an independent solo performer and in collaborations with other artists in Finland and internationally. In her artistic work she is looking for a multidisciplinary approach which gives space for dance to meet music, paintings, poetry and other art forms. In her teaching she approaches human body as a source of inspiration and encourages students, regardless age, to express themselves through physical movement and to find their own body language.

Mayim Alpert is a musician, composer, luthier and sound designer, raised in Arkansas and based in Helsinki. For many years he has been building guitars etc., playing in bands, and making music for theatre and many kinds of happenings.

Venturing with the artists at Viertola School!

For our 4th meeting in Viertola School, in Vantaa I had prepared a slideshow of different modes of transportation. The images inspired us to think how these machines work, and we discussed ways to travel to places, for humans and fish, birds, and animals. Looking at inventions such as child seat on a bicycle or a sleeper train, we talked about journeys we take on our own and with a friend. 

The artists talked about their own travel experiences. Some travel home to a different country almost every weekend! 

Reflecting on the collective piece of art the artists created

Recycled materials worked well, I was very pleased to see students sharing materials with one another and creatively approach not only the design of the machine, but also of the environment around it. One artist even changed the “Air, Land, Water” to “Past, Present and Future”, to suit his time-travelling apparatus. 

As the artists were finishing their work, we gathered around the table in a Dear You corner that Kirsti had created, displaying artworks and letters from our friends, and talked about the scratch art homes that had just arrived from Canada. We had some exciting discussions in small groups, trying to guess where each of our friends’ character lives. Thank you for sharing art with us, teacher Dance and your wonderful students! 

Artworks from their friends at Ryerson PS in Ontario, Canada

Anastasia, Kirsti, and 4A class of Viertola School

The 4th graders from Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing with the 4th graders from Ryerson PS in Ontario, Canada.

Looking at Vincent van Gogh's and William Turner's works for inspiration!

We began the 90min meeting with 4A class in Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland by reading out reflection and feedback from teacher Dance and her wonderful students in Ontario. I feel that it is always important for the young artists to know that their art appreciated and valued. 

Preparing for the worksop, I found the suggestion to demonstrate artworks depicting different kinds of environments to the children very helpful. Together we looked at works by Vincent van Gogh and William Turner, and discussed how these artists captured their worlds. We talked about how light, colour and brushstrokes can tell us about the weather, time of the day and the season in the landscape. 

Here is our work-in-progress, both side of the circles before they were cut into spirals. A combination of pencils and markers encouraged the creation of some very vibrant worlds. However, some of the characters live in outer space, and day there is not much different to night. (A little bit like Finland right now) 

Thank you to Kirsti and Viertolan Koulu for welcoming me again. Can't wait to see the art we get from Ontario!

- Anastasia Artemeva

The 4th graders from Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing with the 4th graders from Ryerson PS in Ontario, Canada.

Dear You at InDialogue Symposium December 1 & 2, 2016!

Presenters: Jessica Bradley and Louise Atkinson, Rachael Colley and Nuala Clooney, Linda Duvall, Tom Estes, Sarah Green, John Hammersley,  Frank Heather, Caroline Horton and Jacqueline Taylor, Daniel Hunt, Petra Johnson, Garrett Lynch, matthews and allen, Francesco Mazzarella and Gavin Rogers,  Ella McCartney, Sam Metz and Abigail Parsons, Tychonas Michailidis and Balandino Di Donato, Jake Moore and Jade Williams, Sally Morfill and Ana Cavic, Katarina Rankovic, Zoe Robertson, Natalie Garrett Brown and Amy Voris, Susanne Palzer, Zoe Petersen, Gaby Saldanha, Dan Scott, Joanna Sperryn-Jones and Craig Newsome, Dani Tagen, Arlene Tucker and Anastasia Artemeva, Gemma-Rose Turnbull and Anthony Luvera

Guest Speakers: Dom Breadmore, Elena Cologni, Luigi Galimberti, Saskia Holmkvist, Bo Olawoye, Helen Varley Jamieson and Rachelle Viader Knowles, and Katherine Wimpenny.

Keynote: Professor Grant Kester (University of California)

Chair: Professor Steve Swindells (University of Huddersfield)

Performers: InDialogue resident artists Chloé Déchery and Jane McKernan, Sally Doughty, Rachel Krische and Lisa Kendall, Vida Midgelow and Jane Bacon, and Michael Pinchbeck. 

Curated and convened by: founders of InDialogue Heather Connelly and Rhiannon Jones

Supported by: Nottingham Contemporary, New Art Exchange, Dance4, Nottingham City Council and Birmingham City University. Dear You's interactive presentation is supported by Taiteen edistämiskeskus (Taike).

For up to date information on the programme, artists bios and abstracts please visit: 
http://www.indialogue.uk.com

To register for the event, click here.

Image credit: Monika Jaeckel: The Touching Moment: Touch as dialogical form – the matter(ing) of response(ability) or being constituted by getting in touch. Integrated paper and performers Katherine Hall, Jack A. G.Britton and Lewis Holt. InDialogue 2014, Nottingham Contemporary. Photograph by Amy Payton Edwards.

Flying homes on their way from Finland to Canada!

Our homes are on their way to Canada!

Young artists from 4A in Viertolan Koulu, Vantaa, Finland, are a real team of independent thinkers! Each artist created their own, unique home for their character.  In some homes there were pets and flowers, a little bit like in the artists' own houses, while others were evidently created especially for Pockemons, horses and superheroes. Because of the small size of the paper, the secret houses look like postcards with a coded message. 

Some of the young artists, encouraged by their wonderful class teacher Kirsti, had prepared personal letters addressed to their new friends. This is already the second letter they have written to the artists in Ryerson Public School in Cambridge, Canada. It is very inspiring to see different ways of communication that we can use to connect with each other.

Anastasia Artemeva

The 4th graders from Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the 4th graders from Ryerson Public School in Cambridge, Canada.

VK 4A Lights, Camera, Action!

Characters and superheroes from young artists in 4A class in Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are on their way to Ryerson Public School in Cambridge, Canada! 

We used oil pastels and overhead projector sheets to create the stain glass effect. At the end of the workshop the kids handed me a bunch of letters that they had written to their new friends personally. It was wonderful to see that Dear You project continues outside of our 90 minutes sessions. Together we wrote the names of the young artists and names of their characters next to each other, so it will easier to match artworks from this and following projects as the Autumn session continues.

The pace and the structure of our meetings are always important to me. As we use English as the main language of communication, with the help of the class teacher translating to Finnish and other languages, the initial discussion and the explanation of the project at the beginning always takes some time. This is enjoyable time for everyone, to think and imagine together. 

Then I make sure everyone has their materials ready, and for the second half of the session, the young artists just work independently, at their own pace, asking question if needed. My favourite part is when we have 5 minutes left, and everyone brings their works to the table at the front of the class, to admire each others' creations before placing them in one big envelope. 

Looking forward to our next meeting!

Anastasia Artemeva

The 4th graders from Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the 4th graders from Ryerson Public School in Cambridge, Canada.

Hyvää ruokahalua! Enjoy your meal!!

So turns out when we are eating, the thing we want to see the most is food. Second favourites include looking out the window, listening to the birds singing. We enjoy having a meal in the company of our family and pets.  On the other hand, we don’t so much like sharing our food with ants.

My last sessions with 1 A and 1 B classes very really fun! We made two very different, but beautiful ornamented table cloths.  The artists drew their own patterns on graph paper, and then we all spent some time together joining our creations to make one large picnic blanket.  When we finished the artwork, we took some time to write a letter to our friends, saying that we wish they enjoy their meal. Hyvää ruokahalua!! 

Anastasia Artemeva

The 1A artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Кепа школу (Kepa School) in Karelia, Russia. The 1B artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Sheppard Public School in Ontario, Canada.

Sounding our Little Forest "Pikku Metsa"

Sounding our surrounding meeting went real well, thanks to classroom teachers Titta and Anne, who had taken their young artists for an explorative walk in a little forest literally called Little Forest "Pikku Metsa" beforehand. From the walk, the kids brought natural materials for making brushes, as well as many interesting sounds to paint. We chatted about the difference in soundscapes in the school and outside in nature, as well as about composing music, as we painted our songs.

A lot of time was deliberately left for reflection and performance of the scores. To get into the musical mood, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was performed skillfully by both groups - in Finnish and in English languages.

In 1A we each described what we heard and how we decided to combine and express these sounds on paper. In 1B we sang, hummed, tapped and whistled our own and each other's paintings.

It was lovely to hear, a teacher noted, how now, after 3 meeting, the kids already started to respond to me in English (Viertola is a Finnish - speaking school, but I speak English to the kids). Nice to see how Dear You can be not only a way to make art and meet new friends, but to learn a language also. 

Anastasia Artemeva

Below are photos from Titta's 1A class:

Below are photos from Anne's 1B class:

The 1A artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Кепа школу (Kepa School) in Karelia, Russia. The 1B artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Sheppard Public School in Ontario, Canada.

Здравствуйте! Hello from Karelia!

Здравствуйте! Посылаю фото масок и книг, думаю. Напишу, когда начнем делать след задание. Всего наилучшего!
Эльвира

"Hi! Here are photos of the books and the mask. I will message when we start making the next task. All the best!"
Elvira

The artists from Кепа школу (Kepa School) in Karelia, Russia are making and sharing art with the 1A artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland.

Thinking about 'What am I?' with Viertolan Koulu

I have visited Viertolan Koulu to create What Am I? books with two first-grade classes. The main idea was to talk about what our food can tell about us and our environment. During the lively discussion with no right or wrong answers, we thought about what food is accessible to us directly – from the apple tree in our neighbours’ garden, to the carrots our grannies grow in their cottages in Northern Finland. We listed examples of food that comes from here, and discussed whether the lemon growing in a pot on the windowsill can be considered local food.

In order to prepare the art materials for the book, the kids had been asked to bring their own cardboard from home. Looking at the items they brought, we all laughed to see it was mostly cereal boxes – the food that found its way into our diet within just the last decade or two.

I felt it was more exciting to ask questions to discuss the subject of an artwork, and explain the technique very carefully, rather than only give a solid description of what the final piece should look like. At the end, we made an array of beautiful accordion books, asking our friends to guess our favourite dishes such as macaroni bake, bananas, pizza and chocolate. 

Anastasia Artemeva

The 1A artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Кепа школу (Kepa School) in Karelia, Russia. The 1B artists at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland are making and sharing art with the artists at Sheppard Public School in Ontario, Canada.

Let's go to Texas! How are we going to get there?

During our last session in Vantaa, we talked about how far Texas was, and what are different ways we can get there. We discussed how different types  of transport function, what are their essential elements - wings, wheels, steering, motor, etc, and what spaces they need - water, air, road surface. The artists suggested combining several vehicles to make the most efficient and environmentally friendly machines. From the cutout shapes, some with elements made from the leftover paper, the kids made hybrid submarines, steel traveling animals, and a jumping automobile, besides a few Finnair and one Emirates airplanes. Together we added important things like Start and Stop buttons!

Greeting from the Emerald Isle,
A xxx

Anastasia Artemeva is the Dear You Workshop Leader for the 4th grade class at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland.  They are making and sharing art with Kathleen Finan's 4th graders at Heath Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas, USA.

Together we make it our world

Our third meeting, where we where making Our Shared Atmosphere went really well. At the beginning we made time to watch the video message we received from our friends at Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, TX, USA, which was very sweet and encouraging for the kids. Then we spent a few minutes learning how to fold the paper to make the line that will unite our individual works, turning them into a collective art work.

It seemed like a good idea to stick to only using grey pencil, which allowed us to focus on the mark-making techniques and on expressing feelings, sounds, light and shadow. We talked about how some students came to school early and it was dark and rainy, and how one hour later, for other students the walk to school was bright and sunny.

I think our time was managed really well this time. At the end we stuck all the drawings together with tape, to make one reeaaallly long picture of autumn time in Vantaa.

At the workshop we speak both English and Finnish - well, I mostly speak English and Riitta-Liisa translated, to make sure no one is left out.

A xx

Anastasia Artemeva is the Dear You Workshop Leader for the 4th grade class at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland.  This group of Finnish artists will be making and sharing art with Kathleen Finan's 4th graders at Heath Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas.

Putting yourself into the Pop Up Home!

Our pop up place project went really well. First we watched a video of the kids opening a packages with Imagine Me! puppets from Heath, Texas. They were really happy and excited! They took whatever puppets they got, so we had to change the pairs according to that. The kids thought that the puppets were much 'cooler' than the ones they sent.

I had the pop up cards pre-cut, I bought large sheets of card from Suomalainen Kirjakauppa and cut them in 4 pieces, each to be around A4 size, and I cut 3 different strips into each. 

I showed how to make a pop up card first anyway, in case kids wanted to make one at home. After I distributed the pre-made cards the kids made collage and drew on them.

They loved the technique. Some made their rooms, and some cut out and drew pictures of nature. We talked about sounds and smells, and how places can change, like if you are in your room and look out of the window. They put pictures of pets there. I loved that some used the actual strips of paper to draw on, not only to stick pictures, for instance one girl painted apartment blocks on them. 

We had a really great time.

A xxx

Anastasia Artemeva is the Dear You Workshop Leader for the 4th grade class at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland.  They are making and sharing art with Kathleen Finan's 4th graders at Heath Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas.

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Imagine Me Puppets from Vantaa, Finland are on their way to Heath, Texas!

Today went really well!  We had so much fun and they all loved it!  We looked at the map to see where Texas is and had such a good time that we lost track of time.

The kids were making sketches in their notebooks and were so happy with their drawings, that we ended up photocopying them from the notebooks and then cutting them out from the photocopy, and then adding glitter and buttons.

The teacher, Riitta-Liisa at Viertolan Koulu is just amazing!

Anastasia Artemeva xx

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Anastasia Artemeva is the Dear You Workshop Leader for the 4th grade class at Viertolan Koulu in Vantaa, Finland.  This group of Finnish artists will be making and sharing art with Kathleen Finan's 4th graders at Heath Amy Parks Heath Elementary School in Heath, Texas.