News Saari Residence 22.04.2022 Community art project Mynä-Mynä-Maa opens its doors in May 2022 Image: Miila Westin Share: Created in cooperation between Kone Foundation’s Saari Residence and the Mynämäki municipality, the opening ceremony of this community artwork will take place from the 20th to the 22nd of May 2022. Created in an empty retirement home by over a hundred participants, Mynä-Mynä-Maa will welcome visitors on weekends during the summer. Emptiness filled the rooms and hallways of the old people’s home until one day when the doors were opened and the Venetian blinds were lifted. Suddenly, there was oxygen and light. Little by little, dreams and visions, wishes and memories began to sprout and grow. They turned into Mynä-Mynä-Maa. Not overnight, but gradually; not alone, but together. Step into Mynä-Mynä-Maa, walk down its hallways and peek into its rooms. Open yourself up to the big and powerful, the small and important. Open yourself up to the invisible, to what pours out from within the walls. Pia Bartsch, community artist of the Saari Residence, and community artist Meri-Maija Näykki have been in charge of the project. Mynä-Mynä-Maa has been created by artists from the Saari Residence and local inhabitants who have participated in the residence’s previous community art projects, students from the Mynämäki upper secondary school, the Lauri lower secondary school and the Asema school, as well as the Wirmon Martat Association, the Youth Workshop and the municipality of Mynämäki. “The idea behind community art is that each of us has the right to address issues that affect us through art. These issues are spread across the walls, floors and ceilings of Mynä-Mynä-Maa, creating a piece that could not have been conceived or carried out by one person alone. To me, that is the beauty and essence of community art,” says Meri-Maija Näykki. “Mynä-Mynä-Maa is a place we all need, we just didn’t know it before. There are no rooms in Mynä-Mynä-Maa, only worlds created through the enthusiasm, tenacity, love and perseverance of the people who made it and who dared to believe in their ideas. Sometimes it took even pain and tears too. Mynä-Mynä-Maa has carried us through the madness of creation and the limits of mental endurance. By helping each other, we have overcome even the most difficult challenges – that’s why we need Mynä-Mynä-Maa. And that’s why it exists: to show how far we can get when we work together,” Pia Bartsch continues. After the opening weekend, this comprehensive artwork in the former Lizeliuskoti residential care home will be open to visitors during the summer of 2022, and you can explore it on your own or take part in a guided tour. The exact dates of the guided tours and the programme for the opening ceremony will be announced later on Mynä-Mynä-Maa’s social media channels Instagram and Facebook. Admission to the event is free and open to all. Welcome, we look forward to you joining us! Mynä-Mynä-MaaOpening ceremony 20–22 May 2022, open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.Open during summer Sat-Sun from 12 o’clock to 6 p.m.!Former Lizeliuskoti residential care homeKuivelantie 10, 23100 Mynämäki Please note: Mynä-Mynä-Maa will take place in a building scheduled for demolition due to problems with its indoor air quality. People who are very sensitive to poor air quality may develop symptoms if exposed to it for extended periods—visiting the place is at one’s own risk. Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult. More information: Publicist of Mynä-Mynä-Maa Laura Vanonenvanonen.laura@gmail.com+358 40 8673694 Residency and Communications Coordinator Pirre NaukkarinenSaari Residencepirre.naukkarinen@koneensaatio.fi+358 44 0314201 Facebook | Instagram