On Science, Hope and Opening a House – our CXO Nina Ruotsalainen writes about Puistokatu 4’s Grand Opening
In this letter, Puistokatu 4 Chief Experience Officer Nina Ruotsalainen provides a sneak peek into the creation of the 14 Rooms, the Grand Opening of Puistokatu 4 which will be held from August 8th to 21st.
TEXT: NINA RUOTSALAINEN
The renovations are finally complete, the house is finished. After the best part of three years, we knew this day would eventually come. Still, it feels surreal. Here we are, after peeling back layers, laying new foundations and strengthening what had already held steady for hundreds of years. In an empty house, admiring the play of light on the walls and wooden floors.
It’s finally time we turn our attention to celebrating this milestone. For the opening of the house, we wanted to do something that showcased not only the house, but the heart of Puistokatu as well. Listening to one another, finding solace in science, honoring the incomplete. Understanding how we’re all connected, building community.
Each room of the house has been ‘gifted’ to an artist, scientist, activist or organizer (or a group of the aforementioned), and they’ve been invited to create a microcosm of something that speaks to them, resonates with the idea of hope, a future worth working towards, and a good life within planetary boundaries. The creators – these future fortune tellers – range from high school students to professional artists, researchers to poets and actors to activists.
The makers of Puistokatu 4’s grand opening 14 Rooms
- Rosa Liksom / @rosaliksom
- Jani Toivola ja Emilia Hernesniemi / @janitoivo, @emmuherne
- Teemu Keisteri / @keisteri
- Veli Studio / @veli.studio
- W A U H A U S / @wauhaushelsinki
- Soil Searchers Collective
- Studio Skidit / @skiditfestarit
- Landys Roimola / @landystopia
- Enni-Kukka Tuomala / @ennikukka
- Sivuun Ensemble / @SivuunEnsemble
- The pupils of Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Visual Arts/ @helsinginkuvataidelukio
- The University of the Arts Helsinki’s Design for the Performing Arts students
We gave them most of summer to spend in the house, and free reign over form and content. We asked them to forgo virgin materials and prioritize reimagining. So you might have come across similar elements at Helsinki Biennale, April Jazz, Mänttä Art Festival or Lux Helsinki. Each microcosm stands out in the context of the beautiful house, and the 1880s backdrop provides an evocative counterpoint to the contemporary installations.
We invited them in, and they started to create. Organically, patterns and themes started to emerge. Walking into these spaces, you’ll find yourself in the smallest organisms and the farthest reaches of our universe, in the deep of the forest, immersed in rituals, bidding farewell, breathing with nature. Remembering the joy of play, the significance of storytelling. Returning to love.
We invite you to cross the threshold and enter with a beginner mind, and meet us there!
Puistokatu 4’s Grand Opening will be held from August 8th to 21st. More info will follow.
