Living and working at the Saari Residence

The Saari Residence is located in the countryside in a sparsely populated area. The closest bigger town is about 30 minutes away by car or bus, and sometimes the seclusion can come as a surprise for Saari residents.

The Saari Residence is an old manor house, and its main building is situated in the middle of a lush park surrounded by fields and a small forest. The fields are cultivated, the forest is maintained and some of the areas are pastured during the summer. The two-acre park is maintained. Occasionally, the buildings need to be renovated and this – along with the previously mentioned activities – enliven the manor’s everyday life.

Individual residents are provided with a workspace and an apartment including a communal kitchen, a regular kitchen or a kitchenette, as well as shower and toilet. The apartment is equipped with kitchenware, bedding, towels and toilet paper. Each apartment has a wired internet connection (optical fibre).

For group residencies, one to three people stay in one apartment, depending on the size of the group.

NOTE! There is no wireless network (Wi-Fi or Wlan) at the Saari Residence. Each apartment has an ethernet cable, and the Residence has a selection of various adapters for connecting ethernet cables / RJ45 cable to laptops.

The Saari Residence decides how the facilities are used and how they are distributed. There are a limited number of workspaces, and they will be designated according to primary needs and the workplan provided in applications. Each workspace has an internet connection (ethernet). Due to safety reasons, we require that anyone granted access to the woodwork shop is trained in proper use of the machinery and attend a separate briefing before beginning work. The shop can used only when staff members are present at the Residence.

The Barn has a shared kitchen and laundry room (including laundry detergent) for use by all residents. The manor’s sauna is available all year round. We recommend coordinating turns for as many users as possible when heating the sauna.

Bicycles are available for use. It is also possible to borrow three electric bikes.

The Residence has an electric car that can be used upon separate written agreement (such as for weekly shopping).

Residents must notify the staff when they are absent from the manor in case there is an emergency.

The Saari Residence is not held responsible for any damage, negligence or losses for the resident, other residents or third parties and arising from a resident’s work.

SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENT

• We welcome people of all genders, abilities, cultures and sexualities.
• We do not tolerate any form of discrimination, including racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or ableist comments, sexual harassment or bullying.
• We do not tolerate violence, vandalism or any other harmful acts.

If at any time you are made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please report to a Saari harassment contact person Iiris Lahti (iiris.lahti@koneensaatio.fi) or other staff member immediately.

WISHES REGARDING WORKING AT THE RESIDENCE

Artists work at the Residence with their own equipment and materials. Some equipment is available for residents to use or borrow during their residencies. In the Barn is a shared computer (iMac) and printer/scanner. There are two projectors and screens that you can borrow for your work. We have one tripod: a SLIK Pro 400DX with a pan-and-tilt head and video head.

If you have specific needs or wishes regarding your work at Saari (e.g., workspaces or contacts for nearby communities), please contact us before your residency. As far as is possible, we may be able to help with such arrangements before your arrival. If your work requires special materials, art products or other accessories, and you need help finding and buying them in Finland, please contact us before your residency period begins as well.

COMMUNAL SPACE SAAREKE (MYNÄMÄKI)

We have a communal space in the centre of Mynämäki called Saareke, which can host demos or exhibitions of works by Saari residents. The space is mainly used by the Saari Community Artist.

PETS

One of our smallest apartments is dog-friendly. Your dog is warmly welcome to Saari, but this needs to be agreed upon before your arrival. Unfortunately, we cannot accept cats at the Residence.

The dog must be able to spend time alone in the apartment, and for allergy reasons, dogs must not visit communal areas, workspaces or other apartments.

Dog faeces must be picked up in the park, and male dogs must be prevented from marking their territory in the vicinity of the buildings. Outdoors, the law requires the dog to be kept on a lead: “A dog may not be kept unleashed on someone else’s land without the permission of the landowner or the holder of the hunting right.” There may be other people in the area who are afraid of dogs. Please note that there are snakes (during warmer months), deer, European hares, foxes and raccoon dogs in the area, among other animals. During the warmer months, there are many birds nesting in the area.

When walking your dog, please note that Saari Residence is located next to a nature reserve and that there are cows and sheep in the nearby fields in the summer. Please also note that the fields are not subject to public access rights, also known as everyman’s rights, and are therefore off limits.

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