Open House Day at the Saari Residence

The Saari Residence will once again open its doors to the public on Saturday, May 26, 2018 from 11 am to 5 pm. This year, we celebrate the Saari Residence’s 10 years of activities. The day’s diverse programme offers something for everyone all over the Manor and its buildings.

At the beginning of the programme, we will take a peek at the Saari Residence’s history with the guidance of Riitta Koskinen, PhD, and Architect Antti Nyman will take you on a walking tour of the Manor and tell you about its architectural history. In the afternoon in the main building, visual artist and the Saari Residence’s first community artist, Nina Rantala, and performing artist and researcher, Tuija Kokkonen, will discuss the community art project We Are Animals, which was implemented in cooperation with the pupils of the school near the Saari Residence and which involved identifying with forest animals. The audience will also have the opportunity to listen to translator Kristiina Drews as she reads excerpts from her Finnish translation of Lucia Berlin’s A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories.

In the Manor’s park, you can enjoy the premiere of the concert Linnut (Birds) by audio and performance artist Juha Valkeapää and audio artist Juhani Liimatainen and experience contemporary circus at its best with circus artist Rauli Dahlberg, who worked at the Saari Residence last autumn and now presents his contemporary solo circus performance O’DD, which combines circus and architecture.

In the Manor’s barn, you will find Martta Tuomaala’s installation FinnCycling Soumi-Perkele! FinnCycling Soumi-Perkele! is an inclusive exercise bike session in the spirit of spinning, which tackles work and Finnish budget-cut politics. The large barn’s studio presents photographs, videos and objects of the Saari Residence’s current community artist, Pia Bartsch, showcasing projects she has led over the last six years. The exhibition also offers the opportunity to explore her book The Colour Chart of Community Art and to discuss and ponder new works together. The Nature Conservation Association of Mynämäki–Mietoinen holds a birdhouse workshop outside the cowhouse. You can also take a guided walking tour to learn about the artwork of the Saari Residence. The tour is given by the manor alumnus, author and art historian Antti Kauppinen. As in previous years, Annika Tavasti and Anu Taivainen run an ecological workshop for children and those young at heart in front of the old washhouse.

During the day, coffee is available outside the main building, and small snacks are served in the machinery hall.

You can learn about the day’s programme in more detail here.

We reserve the right to change the programme.

Admission to the event is free and open to all.

You are warmly welcome!

PS: Do you need a ride from Turku or Helsinki? We offer bus transportation from Turku and Helsinki. The buses leave from the central railway station in Turku and the Mikonkatu charter bus platform by the Railway Square in Helsinki. The bus transportation is free-of-charge, but a binding registration for the transport is required. Cancellations must be notified at the latest on the previous day. Please remember to give your name, e-mail address and phone number when you register for the transportation. Registration is possible for only one person at a time. There are limited seats available and we give any cancelled seats to those on the reserve list.

You will find more details and the registration form for the buses  here.

The Open Day is organised in cooperation with the Nature Conservation Association of Mynämäki-Mietoinen.