Apurahat ja residenssipaikat

Taide

New Havens & Humanoids

Hakemuksen tiivistelmä

Our aim is to accomplish two goals: 1) A qualitative intensification of Sivuvalo’s core lines of work, including the translation and publication of Finnish literature abroad; the fostering/professionalization of immigrated writers; and the promotion of foreign contemporary literature in Finland. 2) The widening of the association’s international network by way of collaborations with key institutions, such as the Nordic House in Reykjavik, the Finnish Institute in Madrid, and key promoters of multilingual literature in Northern Europe. Our different lines of work are informed by a zeal of aesthetic inquiry, inclusion as a matter of democracy, and a culture of translation. Such foundation has been laid out by many collaborators throughout the last decade. As a result, nowadays Sivuvalo constantly receives orientation requests from immigrant writers or their Finnish advisors. To this influx, Sivuvalo’s members answer to the best of their ability and resources. Rowing against the tide of the COVID pandemic, the last three years the association has seen an increase in funded activities, sparked by a renovated approach. Recent publications of Finnish poetry abroad, an international poetry festival in Helsinki, and the publication of recent articles in Finnish media bear witness to Sivuvalo’s new approach. This change was met by an enthusiastic response from the public and supporting institutions. On the other hand, such increase has produced a strain in our organization. In this current situation, language-specific literary workshops, one-on-one advisory for migrant writers, and other grassroots endeavors have borne the brunt of our expansion.

In January 2023, with Kone Foundation’s support, Sivuvalo’s New Havens & Humanoids project began its operations in four different lines of work (Baltic Humanoids Translation Series, Literary Promotion Abroad, Professionalization Activities for Writers, Events in Finland), as expressed in the work plan submitted in 2022. In the present report, the evaluators will be able to verify that by and large the goals attained match the original work plan.

The project’s accomplishments can be best illustrated by using the metaphor of an assembly line: we have “finished products,” an array of work-in-progress items, and items that can be envisioned only now because of the synergy created by current activities and networks. We will use this metaphor to describe the state of affairs in each line of work. They are also, from the point of view of their implementation, work-in-progress items represent low hanging fruit requiring only additional time to come to fruition.

In our exposition of our pending work, the evaluators will see that, despite their differences, each one of the four lines of work (Translation, Promotion Abroad, Professionalization, Events in Finland) feed from and into the others. To clarify this mechanism, before going into each line of work, we will share a few remarks on our understanding of literary networks and how they help us accomplish New Havens & Humanoids goals.

Takaisin apurahalistaukseen