Puhdistamo (building 6)
Interview with Meena Kaunisto:
"A wide range of groups doing contemporary performances are represented at Eskus. Suvilahti works very well for Eskus. We can provide spaces and services for our member groups, and there are also other people here who we can work with.
Before Eskus I was based in Paris as the head of the Finnish Institute in France. Among other roles, I have also worked at WSOY, in theatres and festivals, the Helsinki cultural capital foundation and on documentaries. It’s the diversity at Eskus that’s inspiring. Performance art is really any performance that is not traditional text-based drama. It can bring together dance, circus, video, visual art and theatre, among other things.
There are around twenty member groups at Eskus. They are all independent operators that don’t get large annual state subsidies. They include festivals, like Hango Teaterträff, ANTI Festival and New Performance Turku. We have rehearsal spaces, but right now we are looking for a performance space so we can give professionals an ever better service.
Coworking and enthusiasts’ groups
There is also a coworking space at Eskus that has worked very well. Fifteen producers work in the same space. Independent producers often work alone, but there are other operators in the same field here. That creates great collegial bonds. As well as their workstation, they can use the kitchen, the lobby, the sitting area and the meeting space. Now there are only member groups’ producers in the coworking space, but there’s nothing to stop others renting a workstation.
For city residents, there is the possibility for enthusiasts to use the rehearsal spaces at Eskus. For example, dance or circus schools rent the rooms in the evenings and at weekends. Each month the activities at Eskus involve thousands of people, including professionals, enthusiasts and those coming to the performances. The performances are rehearsed here and performed elsewhere. Some of them are specific to a place. They aren’t in a traditional theatre setting, rather in warehouses, schools or shopping centres adapted into performance spaces.
Local and international cooperation
There are major projects at Eskus that promote mobility. We support the groups in being able to perform in Finland and other countries. Artists’ residences are also important for networking and internationalisation. As well as residences, we aim to increase cooperation with festivals, including Baltic Circle, the Moving in November Festival and the Silence Festival.
There is also cooperation with Suvilahti. We did a masterclass with Cirko led by the artistic director of the Veem House for Performance in Amsterdam. We discussed the common challenges and situations in the field.
Peers in Amsterdam
We went on a study and networking trip to an organisation in Amsterdam that operates very much on the same principle as Eskus. It is located in a fantastic old port warehouse building. We heard examples of good and bad cultural spaces. One we visited was a mini-sized gasworks with red-brick buildings. Spaces were rented to the same sorts of operators, cafes and restaurants, but it wasn’t that interesting. It was mostly full of tourists.
I respect the fact that Suvilahti aims to stay heterogeneous, with a range of actors and being genuinely open to Helsinki residents and cultural operators. The area is evolving both organically and by design. The beating heart of the city has moved here, and for some time there has been a buzz and interesting festivals in the Sörnäinen-Kallio area. The fact that residential areas are sprouting up round about is also important. Ideas are needed, and a vision for taking things forward.
Thanks to the City of Helsinki
I heard that the Cable Factory, Suvilahti and N10 together cover 100,000 square metres. That’s amazing! If I think about the city’s attitude to art, it has only improved over the decades. It’s great that there’s so much space available for creative sectors and cultural operators. And there are many more spaces for culture and art as well.
The way things move forward is very much down to us practitioners. There needs to be the drive and vision to do things and propose things and take them forward. I’m not a believer in passivity, that doesn’t lead to good outcomes."
Photo: Laura Räsänen