Open House Day at Saari Residence on Saturday, 25 May

Address:
Saari Manor (Saaren kartano)
Saaren rantatie 21
23140 Hietamäki

Open House Day at the Saari Residence on Saturday, 25 May 2024, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Saari Residence welcomes all friends of culture, art, nature, and history to the annual Open House Day. The day offers everyone a wide range of things to see, hear, and experience.

Starting at 11 a.m., Saari Residence will host a video animation, lectures on the landscape and the biodiversity survey of the area, a birdhouse workshop and a workshop for children and families to learn about the area’s biodiversity with means of art.

The event is free of charge and open to all.

Programme

Changes in the programme are possible.

At 11 am – in the main building 

Welcome! Leena Kela, Director of the Saari Residence. 

Noon – in the Barn’s dance studio

Lecture by biologist Roni Seppä: How do vegetation and the woodland grazing of livestock affect insects in traditional biotopes?  

In 2021, an inventory of the Saari Residence’s insect species was carried out, and the University of Turku used the inventory to investigate the possible effects of livestock woodland grazing on insect species and biodiversity.  

This presentation reviews the observed species and the study’s results. 

The lecture will be in Finnish and will last approximately 30 minutes.  

At 13:00 in the Barn’s dance studio

Lecture by landscape architecture student Eveliina Kunnaton on Biological Cultural Heritage in Saari Manor Park.  

Biocultural heritage refers to biodiversity that has evolved through the interaction and interdependence between humans and nature over time. The links between cultural heritage and biodiversity—in other words, biocultural heritage—are widely recognised and understood in cultural landscapes, mainly traditional biotopes. On the other hand, the biocultural heritage of other culturally influenced environments, such as historical parks and gardens, has been studied much less. 

In her master’s thesis for Aalto University, Eveliina Kunnaton explored biocultural heritage and ways to investigate it in historical environments such as parks and gardens. Her thesis focused on the culturally and historically valuable Saari Manor park area. 

11.30-13.30 The pasture between the Saarentie and the Barn 

Farmer Säde Aarlahti talks about her sheep, which keep the landscape of the manor. 

12.45 and 14.15 Mietoinen Bay area

Artist Camille Auer‘s queer bird walks, for which you must register at the information point. The tours will take you to different sites, and you will receive more detailed information and accessibility information at the information desk when you register.

Camille Auer is a writer and artist who has done norm-critical bird research for several years. During her walks, you will have the opportunity to watch the area’s birds and listen to her observations of how human norms around gender and sexuality affect how we view birds and the world. Homosexual activities are relatively common among birds, and sometimes, birds change sex during their lifetime. During the round, Auer talks about concrete examples of the diversity of sex and sexuality among birds and challenges you to think about things from a bird’s point of view. 

Please dress appropriately for the weather. If you have your binoculars, you can take them with you.

The walk is in Finnish and lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

OTHER PROGRAMME OF THE DAY

Culture Trail outdoor exhibition

Art collective Bee Company has been invited to build the Culture Trail exhibition 2024–2025 in the seaside landscape of Mietoistenlahti. Laajasalo Grassroots Market is a community-based series of events that Bee Company has been organising annually since 2021, mainly in Tullisaari Manor Park in Laajasalo, Helsinki. On the Open House Day in May 2024, the Grassroots Market arrives at the Saari Residence. As well as featuring the Bee Company’s earlier works and works in progress, the event will involve planting and sowing summer flowers and chatting about gardens, bees and gazebos. Join us in the manor garden, opening the Culture Trail and celebrating spring!

Video animation in the cellar of the main building

During the day, you can visit the medieval cellar of the main building and experience the video animation Rat and the Border Dog by Saari Alumni and visual artist Vesa-Pekka Rannikko.

Rat and Border Dog is a poetic animated fable about a zone created by humans but existing without humans. The animation reflects on the concept of ‘the border’ and its insignificance to the natural world. When closed to humans, these green zones become a space where nature’s laws reign freely. 

The animation was drawn and written mainly outdoors, slowly as part of the environment. The soundscape utilises the human voice and was composed and realised by Saari Alumni and vocalist Sarah Albu. 

Get to know the cows of the coastal meadow

Farmer Katariina Vapola talks about the Aberdeen Angus cattle grazing on the meadow and their role in the area’s landscape management. You can get more information about the timetable at the info point.

Birdhouse workshop in the barnyard

Build your own birdhouse for the birds in your yard! Representatives of the local Nature Conservation Association of the Mynämäki Region will be on hand to guide you in building birdhouses suitable for different species.

Draw rare insects in the Barn’s artist studio.

Community artist Pia Bartsch will lead a workshop based on a PhD thesis by biologist Roni Seppä. During the day, you can draw rare insects found on the farm with the help of photographs. The original drawings will be bound into an art book, which will become part of the ecological library of the Residence. 

Break from 12.00 to 12.45.

Coffee at Jacob’s barn

Complimentary coffee will be served by The Martha Association of Mietoinen. Coffee and delicious pastries are available at the Jabob’s barn at the beginning of Saarenrantatie.

Bus transportation

There is a free bus service to the Open House Day via Turku and Mynämäki village centre to Mietoinen and back.

Remember, registration is binding for the free bus transportation service.

Read more information and register using the link below: 
Bus transportation from Turku

Parking

If you arrive by car, follow the parking instructions at the manor. Accessible parking is approximately 100 meters from the main building.

You can put Saarenrantatie 21 or Saarentie 220, 23140 Hietamäki as the address in the navigator.

Accessibility of the event

• The event has several different spaces: the main building, the Barn, and the Jacob’s barn.
• The first floor of the main building is accessible. The accessible entrance with a wheelchair platform lift is located around the corner from the main entrance.
• There is an accessible toilet in the building.
• The basement of the main building and the top floor are not barrier-free.
• The Jacob’s barn is accessible.
• The distance between the accessible parking space and the main building’s accessible entrance is approximately 100 m.
• The footpaths in the area are mainly gravel and sand. The road between the Barn and the main building is gravel. There is a hill along the way.
• There is no induction loop on the premises.

If you have any questions or requests regarding accessibility, please get in touch with Saari Residence at saari@koneensaatio.fi or tel. +358 44 350 0236 (residency hostess Iiris Lahti).

The event will follow the Kone Foundation’s principles of a safer space.